Richmond-Berea, KY

Micro Area Profile

125,967 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Richmond-Berea, KY micropolitan area.

60out of 100
Area Score
Top 41% of 834 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 9 sources
Opportunity451st of 835 metro and micro areas measured49
Schools489th of 695 metro and micro areas measured34
GrowthTop 4% of 834 metro and micro areas measured82
Housing affordabilityTop 27% of 835 metro and micro areas measured78
ClimateTop 13% of 835 metro and micro areas measured77
Physical resilienceTop 41% of 835 metro and micro areas measured62
Access789th of 835 metro and micro areas measured38
Economic stability645th of 835 metro and micro areas measured29
The quick read

Unemployment is 5.9% and median household income $60,368, putting employment conditions in the middle range of metro and micro areas measured.

In the public schools here, 43% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 15.8 students for every teacher.

Development activity is both elevated and accelerating — 659 housing units permitted over the past twelve months, up 25% 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

Population
125,967
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$60,368
Bottom 28% nationally
Density
125/sq mi
1,007.6 sq mi of land
Median age
36.6
2024 ACS 5-Year
Area type
Micropolitan area
Kentucky
Nearest major airport
SDF
93 mi · Louisville Muhammad Ali Intl
Median home value
$201,500
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 5.9% — higher than in all but 8% of the 835 measured US metro and micro areas.

Employment grew 1.2% over the past year, to 55,301 employed residents.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$1,5982024 ACS 5-Year$60,368Bottom 28%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$7682024 ACS 5-Year$31,243Bottom 23%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year16.0%Bottom 25%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±0.7 min2024 ACS 5-Year28.2 minBottom 15%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year28.8%Top 37%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year76.6%44th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202655,301Top 41%of 835July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026+6.5%Top 3%of 835July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026+1.2%Top 15%of 835July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202658,77359th percentileof 835July 2026
Labor force participation ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year72.5%Bottom 25%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.1%2024 ACS 5-Year0.1%16th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026+0.3%Bottom 20%of 835July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20265.9%Bottom 8%of 835July 2026
Worked from home ±1.0%2024 ACS 5-Year9.5%57th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/075.93.5
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 5.9% in July 2026. It has been falling, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

43% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 55% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 15.8 students for every full-time teacher across 32 public schools, more than in most measured places.

Public schools
36
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
15.8
across 32 of them
Math proficiency
43.3%
Bottom 13% in Kentucky
Reading proficiency
55.1%
Top 40% in Kentucky
The 12 largest of 36 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Madison Central High SchoolMadison County2,10718.833%48%
Madison Southern High SchoolMadison County1,22418.342%50%
Rockcastle County High SchoolRockcastle County79616.941%50%
Kirksville Elementary SchoolMadison County66215.851%51%
Estill County High SchoolEstill County64316.927%37%
Kingston Elementary SchoolMadison County60816.452%56%
Rockcastle County Middle SchoolRockcastle County60015.040%61%
Mt. Vernon ElementaryRockcastle County59713.650%60%
Madison Middle SchoolMadison County58617.840%58%
Clark Moores Middle SchoolMadison County55816.942%63%
B. Michael Caudill Middle SchoolMadison County51716.762%75%
Brodhead Elementary SchoolRockcastle County49314.542%59%

57.7% 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.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $1,389 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.69% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $904, close to the $855 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $904 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $36,200 a year, about 60% of the median household income here of $60,368.

The typical renter household here spends 28% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $855 a month.

A median home at $201,500 costs 2.6 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $78,483, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.

Rent as a share of income
27.6%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
2.6×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$904
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$855
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$201,500
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Richmond-Berea’s median household income of $60,368, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price to income ±0.12024 ACS 5-Year2.6Top 48%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year64.6%22nd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±1022024 ACS 5-Year54,71162nd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$785Top 25%of 818FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,257Top 20%of 818FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$904Top 7%of 818FY2026
Median gross rent ±$192024 ACS 5-Year$855Top 24%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$6,5392024 ACS 5-Year$201,50045th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$432024 ACS 5-Year$1,38929th percentileof 9332024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$3,7142024 ACS 5-Year$78,483Bottom 41%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.03%2024 ACS 5-Year0.69%36th percentileof 9322024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year27.6%Top 32%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±1892024 ACS 5-Year34725th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year0.6%13th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year8.8%62nd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±6652024 ACS 5-Year5,15154th percentileof 9352024 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.

Development Momentum

82/ 100
Top 4% of 834 published metro profiles
The most recent move in permitting was upward, in a series running from 2024 to 2025.

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 5% since 2020, reaching 129,810 in 2024.

Population is still rising but the pace is easing: 129,810 residents in 2024, up 1.6% over the year, a smaller gain than the year before.

At 5.2 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metro and micro areas.

Units permitted
659
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
5.2
Top 24% nationally
Year over year
+25%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
33.7%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

20202021202220232024130k123k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been rising for the last 4 years, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

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 29°F.

20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station BEREA COLLEGE, 4.9 miles from this location.

Precipitation

MetricValueSource period
Average January low1991-2020 Normals29°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals87°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals71991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals40°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

62 / 100
Physical resilience

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 56% of it. Every one of these is independently rated low or minimal nationally — this describes how a small risk is composed, not a large one.

HailModerate
EarthquakeModerate

Low or minimal exposure: lightning, strong wind, winter weather, tornado, cold wave, inland flooding, ice storm, heat wave, landslide, wildfire, hurricane, avalanche, drought, tsunami, volcanic activity, coastal flooding.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

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.
Cost of living
Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
Death-certificate rates
The CDC publishes these rates by county, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it do.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index by county, and only where a monitor sits, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it show it where one exists.
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. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

1 major airport lies within 100 miles, the nearest Louisville Muhammad Ali Intl at 93 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year86.7%Bottom 31%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle93 miBottom 6%of 835NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle1Bottom 4%of 835NASR current cycle
No internet access ±1.0%2024 ACS 5-Year9.4%Bottom 40%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Louisville Muhammad Ali IntlSDF93 mi11,887 ft
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky IntlCVG103 mi10,000 ft
Mc Ghee TysonTYS124 mi10,000 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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Area Score
60
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
Current conditionsNOAA 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.