Best Places40404, KY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 40404, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
40404 ranks 19,914th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on fast internet by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 40404
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.
40404's strengths and weaknesses
Where 40404 ranks high
- Internet speedBetter than 90% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Short commute19.4 minutes each way, better than 87% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 40404 ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 65 pleasant days a year, better than only 16% of zip codes
- Household income$55,587 median, better than only 18% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 18% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 40404
A household needs to earn about $57,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 40404 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $55,587; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 40404's effective rate of 0.67%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 40404
40404 runs younger than the country, 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 40404.
Who works in 40404, and how
Work in 40404 centers on education and health care & social. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 65%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 29%
Life in 40404
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 40404.
What the weather is like in 40404, month by month
40404 sees roughly 65 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 40404
The nearest airport, Blue Grass, is about 36 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, about 104 miles away.
The best schools in and around 40404
Schools across 40404 average a C−, better than 21% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Berea Community Elementary SchoolD · 17% proficient
Top middle schools
- Berea Community Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Berea Community High SchoolC · 33% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 40404 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
40404 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 40404 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 40404
Is 40404 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 40404 ranks 19,914th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on fast internet, biking, and short commutes, and lowest on a weak job market and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 40404 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $223,305. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $55,587 median income, cost of living beats 18% of zip codes.
Is 40404 safe?
Yes, 40404 is safer than 65% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $240 per resident a year.
Compare 40404 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 40404. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 40404 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.
40404 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 40404: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 40404: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 40404: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 40404: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
40404 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.