Best Places40385, KY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 40385, 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.
40385 ranks 21,150th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 40385
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.
40385's strengths and weaknesses
Where 40385 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 90% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 81% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 80% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 78% of zip codes
Where 40385 ranks low
- Short commute34.4 minutes each way, better than only 12% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 66 pleasant days a year, better than only 18% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 40385
A household needs to earn about $46,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 40385 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $64,516, 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 40385's effective rate of 0.54%, 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 40385
40385 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 40385.
Who works in 40385, and how
Work in 40385 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 40385
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 40385.
What the weather is like in 40385, month by month
40385 sees roughly 66 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 44, with lows near 29. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 35° | 29° |
| April | 69° | 57° | 47° |
| July | 88° | 77° | 68° |
| October | 71° | 59° | 49° |
Flying in and out of 40385
The nearest airport, Blue Grass, is about 34 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, about 96 miles away.
The best schools in and around 40385
Schools across 40385 average a C, better than 31% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Kingston Elementary SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Waco Elementary SchoolD+ · 23% proficient
Top middle schools
- Farristown Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
- B. Michael Caudill Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
- Robert D. Campbell Jr. HighC · 32% proficient
Top high schools
- Madison Southern High SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Madison Central High SchoolC · 32% proficient
- George Rogers Clark High SchoolC− · 26% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 40385 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
40385 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 40385 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 40385
Is 40385 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 40385 ranks 21,150th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, low disaster risk, and quiet, and lowest on long commutes and biking. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 40385 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $183,268. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $64,516 median income, cost of living beats 34% of zip codes.
Is 40385 safe?
Yes, 40385 is safer than 65% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $245 per resident a year.
Compare 40385 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 40385. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 40385 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.
40385 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 40385: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 40385: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 40385: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 40385: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
40385 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.