Newport vs Hamilton

Which is the better fit for you?

Newport, KY
62
Area Score
Top 40% nationally
Hamilton, OH
62
Area Score
Top 39% nationally

Want a third or fourth place beside these? Open them in the shortlist and add more.

Newport and Hamilton receive effectively the same standardized Area Score. Which fits you better depends on which dimensions you weight — the differences below are where they actually diverge.

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 Newport to Hamilton

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 94.2 against 94.2 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
−$34 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,336 in Hamilton against $1,370 in Newport.
The median home
24% less
$165,200 in Hamilton against $217,600 in Newport.
The weather you would swap
Winters 2°F colder
Normal January lows are 22°F in Hamilton against 24°F in Newport; July highs are 87°F against 87°F (summers the same).

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

Newport
Hamilton
Opportunity: Newport is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
67 · Top 29%
vs
56 · Top 50%
Growth: Newport is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
48 · Bottom 46%
vs
46 · Bottom 42%
Climate: Newport is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
69 · Bottom 46%
vs
64 · Bottom 32%
Physical resilience: Hamilton is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
76 · Top 29%
vs
77 · Top 28%
Housing affordability: Newport is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
77 · Top 20%
vs
76 · Top 22%
Schools: Hamilton is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
20 · Bottom 12%
vs
50 · Top 50%
Access: Newport is the more favorable of the two.
Access
99 · Top 16%
vs
90 · Bottom 41%
Economic stability: Hamilton is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
31 · Bottom 11%
vs
32 · Bottom 11%

Measured values

MetricNewportHamiltonSource period
Population13,96763,4682024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$60,853 — more favorable$55,1662024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$47,579 — more favorable$28,8792024 ACS 5-Year
Population density5,064/sq mi2,957/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$217,600$165,2002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent — the two are too close to separate$1,087 ±$82$1,007 ±$362024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,370$1,336 — more favorableFY2026
Cost of living index94.294.22023
Homeownership rate47.7%54.3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.2%3.9% — more favorableJuly 2026
Employment change (year over year)+1.6% — more favorable+0.5%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher36.3% — more favorable16.5%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate20.6% ±4%19.2% ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)237012 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents1.6 — more favorable1.112 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+15.0%0.0%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high87°F87°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low24°F22°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation43.4"41.4"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport10 mi — more favorable24 miNASR current cycle
Average commute21.8 min — more favorable26.5 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age40.634.82024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools5312024-25 school year
Students per teacher10.2 — more favorable16.12024-25 school year
Math proficiency28.7%63.7%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency37.9%64.6%2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility84.8%33.8%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.

2 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.

Kentucky and Ohio do not give the same test. Each state writes its own assessment and sets its own passing score, so the two proficiency rows above are not directly comparable — the difference between them partly measures which standard is harder. Students per teacher and the school count are unaffected, and each profile ranks its own proficiency within its own state.

Physical risk tradeoff

Newport

Elevated or high exposure: tornado.

Hamilton

Elevated or high exposure: tornado.

Your best match

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

Newport
—
Newport: Your Score
62
Area Score
Hamilton
—
Hamilton: Your Score
62
Area Score

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

Full profiles: Newport, KY · Hamilton, OH · How this is calculated: methodology