Lawrenceburg vs Nicholasville

Which is the better fit for you?

Lawrenceburg, KY
65
Area Score
Top 30% nationally
Nicholasville, KY
66
Area Score
Top 24% nationally

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Nicholasville receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Lawrenceburg to Nicholasville

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Everyday prices
The Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes no regional price index for Lawrenceburg, so nothing here is estimated in its place.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Needs a price index for both places.
A new two-bedroom lease
+$230 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,272 in Nicholasville against $1,042 in Lawrenceburg.
The median home
13% more
$226,800 in Nicholasville against $201,100 in Lawrenceburg.
The weather you would swap
Similar winters
Normal January lows are 25°F in Nicholasville against 25°F in Lawrenceburg; July highs are 87°F against 84°F (summers 3°F hotter).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Lawrenceburg
Nicholasville
Opportunity: Nicholasville is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
62 · Top 39%
vs
64 · Top 35%
Growth: Lawrenceburg is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
78 · Top 6%
vs
71 · Top 13%
Climate
74 · Top 32%
vs
74 · Top 30%
Physical resilience: Nicholasville is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
59 · Top 48%
vs
75 · Top 31%
Housing affordability
78 · Top 19%
vs
78 · Top 16%
Schools: Nicholasville is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
44 · Bottom 42%
vs
46 · Bottom 45%
Access: Lawrenceburg is the more favorable of the two.
Access
71 · Bottom 12%
vs
58 · Bottom 6%
Economic stability: Lawrenceburg is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
48 · Bottom 33%
vs
44 · Bottom 26%

Measured values

MetricLawrenceburgNicholasvilleSource period
Population11,94332,1972024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$66,486 ±$9,768$68,503 ±$5,6822024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income — the two are too close to separate$30,100 ±$2,210$31,714 ±$1,9112024 ACS 5-Year
Population density1,983/sq mi2,117/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$201,100$226,8002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$954 — more favorable$1,1472024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,042 — more favorable$1,272FY2026
Homeownership rate69.3%58.2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.8%4.6% — more favorableJuly 2026
Employment change (year over year)+2.8% — more favorable+1.2%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher21.8%26.9% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate11.5% ±4%13.1% ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)8026712 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents6.78.3 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+300.0%−27.2%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high84°F87°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low25°F25°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation48.1"49.8"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport46 mi — more favorable67 miNASR current cycle
Average commute28.9 min26.2 min — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age34.137.72024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools7122024-25 school year
Students per teacher15.915.8 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency43.6% — more favorable43.5%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency51.4%53.8% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility49.8%55.8%2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

3 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Lawrenceburg
—
Lawrenceburg: Your Score
65
Area Score
Nicholasville
—
Nicholasville: Your Score
66
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Lawrenceburg, KY · Nicholasville, KY · How this is calculated: methodology