Fayette County, KY
County Profile
323,725 residents. Safety, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Fayette County, KY.
Several figures AreaProfile publishes are measured by county and nowhere finer — death rates by intent among them. On this page those describe the geography they are printed on, which is not true of the city and ZIP pages that inherit them.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 14 sourcesFayette County ranks in the top 21% of counties measured for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 4.3% and median household income of $69,479.
In the public schools here, 48% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 14.3 students for every teacher.
Development activity is both elevated and accelerating — 1,377 housing units permitted over the past twelve months, up 55% on the prior year.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment of 4.3% — higher than in all but 42% of the 1,467 measured US counties.
Employment grew 1.3% over the past year, to 173,944 employed residents.
48% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 96% of measured US counties.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsfiling years 2022–2023 | $58,685 | 50th percentileof 1,417 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftfiling years 2022–2023 | $68,990 | 75th percentileof 1,417 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$1,6912024 ACS 5-Year | $69,479 | Top 38%of 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$9772024 ACS 5-Year | $43,790 | Top 15%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per-capita personal income2023 | $66,345 | Top 23%of 1,389 | 2023 |
| Poverty rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 12.1% | Top 43%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±0.4 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 22.5 min | Top 28%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 48.3% | Top 4%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 73.1% | 24th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentJuly 2026 | 173,944 | Top 14%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)July 2026 | +4.5% | Top 11%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)July 2026 | +1.3% | Top 17%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceJuly 2026 | 181,831 | 86th percentileof 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year | 82.7% | Top 15%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public transit to work ±0.3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.5% | 92nd percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026 | −0.1% | Bottom 47%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateJuly 2026 | 4.3% | Bottom 42%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±0.6%2024 ACS 5-Year | 12.2% | 76th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Unemployment rate
Median household income, successive ACS releases
Largest occupations — Lexington-Fayette, KY
| Occupation | People employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 8,650 | $59,730 |
| General and Operations Managers | 8,100 | $80,440 |
| Registered Nurses | 8,070 | $79,040 |
| Retail Salespersons | 7,810 | $30,100 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 5,500 | $27,990 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 5,500 | $41,910 |
Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.
Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
48% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 55% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 14.3 students for every full-time teacher across 68 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette High School | Fayette County | 2,370 | 18.8 | 55% | 62% |
| Bryan Station High School | Fayette County | 2,030 | 17.4 | 21% | 31% |
| Henry Clay High School | Fayette County | 1,939 | 16.4 | 50% | 58% |
| Paul Laurence Dunbar High School | Fayette County | 1,828 | 17.7 | 54% | 62% |
| Frederick Douglass High School | Fayette County | 1,770 | 18.1 | 32% | 44% |
| Tates Creek High School | Fayette County | 1,723 | 17.6 | 37% | 45% |
| Edythe Jones Hayes Middle School | Fayette County | 1,125 | 15.0 | 66% | 74% |
| Leestown Middle School | Fayette County | 1,084 | 14.6 | 52% | 60% |
| Jessie M Clark Middle School | Fayette County | 1,002 | 16.7 | 66% | 72% |
| Winburn Middle School | Fayette County | 768 | 13.0 | 26% | 40% |
| Tates Creek Middle School | Fayette County | 767 | 13.5 | 41% | 49% |
| Sandersville Elementary | Fayette County | 765 | 13.7 | 63% | 71% |
50.3% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Kentucky’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →Prices for everything a household buys run about 7% below the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 92.5, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metro Area is up 53% over five years, and up 6.1% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $2,542 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.87% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,272, some 9% above the $1,164 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,272 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $50,900 a year, about 73% of the median household income here of $69,479.
The typical renter household here spends 30% of its income on rent, at the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,164 a month.
A median home at $293,500 costs 2.8 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $105,044, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.
Prices here run about 7% below the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.
Published for the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.
The figures above are measured against Fayette County’s median household income of $69,479, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of living indexthe Lexington-Fayette, KY Metro Area’s figure2023 | 92.5 | Top 38%of 887 | 2023 |
| Home price change (1 year)the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +6.1% | 89th percentileof 1,431 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +52.5% | 80th percentileof 1,431 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +103.3% | 66th percentileof 1,431 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±0.12024 ACS 5-Year | 2.8 | Bottom 36%of 3,217 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year | 53.8% | 3rd percentileof 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±1152024 ACS 5-Year | 148,959 | 93rd percentileof 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $1,079 | Bottom 37%of 1,423 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $1,743 | Bottom 34%of 1,423 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $1,272 | Bottom 40%of 1,423 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$182024 ACS 5-Year | $1,164 | Bottom 19%of 3,215 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$5,5522024 ACS 5-Year | $293,500 | 79th percentileof 3,219 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$472024 ACS 5-Year | $2,542 | 77th percentileof 3,172 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$2,9742024 ACS 5-Year | $105,044 | Top 10%of 3,218 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.02%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.87% | 55th percentileof 3,126 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year | 29.9% | Bottom 29%of 3,216 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±3342024 ACS 5-Year | 1,000 | 74th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.7% | 17th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 5.5% | 21st percentileof 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±7872024 ACS 5-Year | 9,244 | 90th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
Population has grown 2% since 2020, reaching 329,437 in 2024.
65% of the 1,377 units permitted over the past twelve months are in buildings of five or more homes, so new supply is concentrated in apartments and condominiums rather than detached houses.
Federal tax returns show Fayette County lost about 0.7% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $58,685, below the $68,990 of households that moved out.
At 4.3 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US counties.
Population, annual estimates
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Jessamine County, KY 910 people · 6.7% of arrivals
- Madison County, KY 694 people · 5.1% of arrivals
- Scott County, KY 645 people · 4.8% of arrivals
- Jefferson County, KY 621 people · 4.6% of arrivals
- Clark County, KY 334 people · 2.5% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Jessamine County, KY 1,332 people · 8.7% of departures
- Madison County, KY 1,110 people · 7.3% of departures
- Scott County, KY 975 people · 6.4% of departures
- Jefferson County, KY 712 people · 4.7% of departures
- Clark County, KY 519 people · 3.4% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
Housing units permitted per year
Weather & climate
7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 87°F and January a low of 25°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 49.8 inches, including 14.5 inches of snow.
Air quality measures a median index of 41, in the Good band, and no day in the year passed 100.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| 90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year | 54 | 2024 calendar year |
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 49.8" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals | 14.5" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 25°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 87°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 7 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year | 0 | 2024 calendar year |
| Median air quality index2024 calendar year | 41 | 2024 calendar year |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 43°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Air quality
A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, tornado and cold wave, with inland flooding alone responsible for 47% of it. Inland flooding and cold wave are independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large those hazards are.
Overall hazard risk is lower than 77% of measured US counties.
Low or minimal exposure: cold wave, winter weather, hail, inland flooding, ice storm, heat wave, hurricane, wildfire, drought, landslide, tsunami, volcanic activity, avalanche, coastal flooding.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). These are FEMA’s own figures for this county rather than a value derived from surrounding geographies. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
These are deaths, not offenses — they say nothing about burglary, theft or assault.
Fayette County records 6.6 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, higher than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.
Firearm deaths of all intents run at 17.5 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.
Drug overdose deaths run at 20.0 per 100,000 residents in Fayette County.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe Fayette County as a whole. They are shown and not scored. How to read death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Reported crime
- Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
2 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Louisville Muhammad Ali Intl at 70 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±0.6%2024 ACS 5-Year | 92.5% | Top 11%of 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 70 mi | Bottom 15%of 1,463 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 2 | Bottom 15%of 1,463 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±0.5%2024 ACS 5-Year | 3.9% | Top 5%of 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville Muhammad Ali Intl | SDF | 70 mi | 11,887 ft |
| Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Intl | CVG | 71 mi | 10,000 ft |
| Wilmington Air Park | ILN | 102 mi | 10,701 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyData & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Housing, Income | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional price parities and county personal income | 2023 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Climate | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System Daily Air Quality Index by county | 2024 calendar year |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.
Cities in Fayette County, KY
ZIP areas
Only ZIP areas whose income or home value differ from their city’s by at least ten percent get a profile of their own, so this is a selection rather than every ZIP code in the county.