Somerset, KY
Micro Area Profile
65,897 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Somerset, KY micropolitan area.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 9 sourcesEmployment conditions sit below most comparable metro and micro areas measured: unemployment is 5.3% and the Opportunity signal places Somerset in the bottom 27%.
Public schools test above most of the state: 57% of students met the mathematics standard, placing the area in the top 10% of published profiles for schools.
Rent takes 30% of renter income here, at the 30% threshold conventionally called cost-burdened, and the median home is 2.6 times what its owners earn.
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 5.3% — higher than in all but 18% of the 835 measured US metro and micro areas.
Employment grew 0.5% over the past year, to 26,541 employed residents.
Median household income of $51,898 is lower than in 91% of measured US metro and micro areas.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income ±$1,9712024 ACS 5-Year | $51,898 | Bottom 9%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$1,4862024 ACS 5-Year | $29,394 | Bottom 14%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 20.2% | Bottom 9%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±1.0 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 24.3 min | Bottom 48%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 18.1% | Bottom 15%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 79.7% | 70th percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentJuly 2026 | 26,541 | Bottom 37%of 835 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)July 2026 | +6.0% | Top 4%of 835 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)July 2026 | +0.5% | Top 24%of 835 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceJuly 2026 | 28,031 | 38th percentileof 835 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 67.0% | Bottom 8%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public transit to work ±0.0%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.0% | 8th percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026 | −0.1% | Bottom 44%of 835 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateJuly 2026 | 5.3% | Bottom 18%of 835 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 6.7% | 29th percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Unemployment rate
57% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 62% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 15.5 students for every full-time teacher across 17 public schools, more than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwestern High School | Pulaski County | 1,213 | 16.6 | 46% | 44% |
| Pulaski County High School | Pulaski County | 1,113 | 15.2 | 40% | 49% |
| Southern Middle School | Pulaski County | 871 | 19.8 | 65% | 73% |
| Northern Middle School | Pulaski County | 797 | 17.3 | 56% | 69% |
| Hopkins Elementary School | Somerset Independent | 750 | 16.7 | 57% | 60% |
| Southern Elementary School | Pulaski County | 611 | 13.3 | 72% | 70% |
| Oak Hill Elementary School | Pulaski County | 551 | 16.2 | 72% | 78% |
| Pulaski Elementary School | Pulaski County | 535 | 15.3 | 64% | 65% |
| Somerset High School | Somerset Independent | 526 | 12.5 | 42% | 52% |
| Science Hill Elementary School | Science Hill Independent | 498 | 16.1 | 57% | 70% |
| Meece Middle School | Somerset Independent | 486 | 14.3 | 55% | 65% |
| Burnside Elementary School | Pulaski County | 414 | 12.9 | 51% | 64% |
63.8% 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 →Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $1,057 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.63% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $926, some 15% above the $803 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $926 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $37,000 a year, about 71% of the median household income here of $51,898.
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 $803 a month.
A median home at $166,900 costs 2.6 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $63,133, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.
The figures above are measured against Somerset’s median household income of $51,898, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year | 2.6 | Bottom 48%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 72.5% | 67th percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±482024 ACS 5-Year | 31,722 | 45th percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $706 | Top 7%of 818 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $1,110 | Top 3%of 818 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $926 | Top 12%of 818 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$382024 ACS 5-Year | $803 | Top 14%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$5,7802024 ACS 5-Year | $166,900 | 27th percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$462024 ACS 5-Year | $1,057 | 16th percentileof 933 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$4,0152024 ACS 5-Year | $63,133 | Bottom 9%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.04%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.63% | 29th percentileof 932 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 30.0% | Bottom 35%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±4032024 ACS 5-Year | 2,611 | 72nd percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 8.2% | 83rd percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 9.1% | 65th percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±5672024 ACS 5-Year | 5,512 | 56th percentileof 935 | 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.
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 3% since 2020, reaching 66,842 in 2024.
88% of the 112 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.
At 1.7 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US metro and micro areas.
Population, annual estimates
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.
Normal annual precipitation is 53.3 inches, including 5.4 inches of snow.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 53.3" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals | 5.4" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 29°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 87°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 7 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 41°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, cold wave and tornado, with inland flooding alone responsible for 53% of it. Cold wave is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.
Low or minimal exposure: cold wave, strong wind, heat wave, landslide, wildfire, ice storm, hurricane, drought, avalanche, 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
2 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Mc Ghee Tyson at 95 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 85.1% | Bottom 19%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 95 mi | Bottom 5%of 835 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 2 | Bottom 16%of 835 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 11.3% | Bottom 22%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mc Ghee Tyson | TYS | 95 mi | 10,000 ft |
| Louisville Muhammad Ali Intl | SDF | 97 mi | 11,887 ft |
| Tri-Cities | TRI | 128 mi | 8,000 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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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) |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending 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 |
| 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 |
| 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.