Best Places40004, KY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 40004, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
40004 ranks 17,861st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores best on few empty homes, and car insurance costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 40004
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
40004's strengths and weaknesses
Where 40004 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 83% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 74% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 72% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$715 a month, better than 70% of zip codes
Where 40004 ranks low
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 68 pleasant days a year, better than only 21% of zip codes
- School gradeC−, better than only 23% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 36% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 40004
A household needs to earn about $62,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 40004 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $68,718, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 40004's effective rate of 0.76%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 40004
40004's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 40004.
Who works in 40004, and how
Work in 40004 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 92%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 40004
40004 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 71% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 89% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 40004 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 40004, month by month
40004 sees roughly 68 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 27. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 34° | 27° |
| April | 67° | 55° | 45° |
| July | 87° | 76° | 67° |
| October | 70° | 58° | 48° |
Flying in and out of 40004
The nearest airport, Louisville Muhammad Ali International, is about 29 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, about 95 miles away.
The best schools in and around 40004
Schools across 40004 average a C−, better than 23% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Bardstown Elementary SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Boston SchoolC · 34% proficient
- Coxs Creek Elementary SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- Bardstown Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Bloomfield Middle SchoolD+ · 26% proficient
- Old Kentucky Home Middle SchoolD− · 19% proficient
Top high schools
- Bardstown High SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Thomas Nelson High SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Nelson County High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 40004 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
40004 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 40004 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 40004 suits
Families
Schools land around the 23rd percentile and crime safety beats 74%.
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 6% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 40004
Is 40004 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 40004 ranks 17,861st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, fast internet, and low crime, and lowest on car insurance costs and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 40004 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $237,189. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $68,718 median income, cost of living beats 46% of zip codes.
Is 40004 safe?
Yes, 40004 is safer than 74% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $220 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 40004?
July highs average about 87 degrees, and January highs near 43 with lows near 27. That works out to about 68 pleasant days a year, more than 21% of zip codes.
Is 40004 good for families?
Schools beat 23% of zip codes, crime safety beats 74%, and childcare runs $715 a month.
Compare 40004 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 40004. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 40004 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
40004 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 40004: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 40004: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 40004: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 40004: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
40004 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.