Best Places40953, KY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 40953, 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.
40953 ranks 31,927th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on tree cover by a wide margin, and thin health care access ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 40953
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.
40953's strengths and weaknesses
Where 40953 ranks high
- Tree shadeBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$461 a month, better than 98% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 74% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 72% of zip codes
Where 40953 ranks low
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Household income$32,500 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 4% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 40953
A household needs to earn about $35,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 40953 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $32,500; 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 40953's effective rate of 0.60%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 40953
40953's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 40953.
Who works in 40953, and how
Work in 40953 centers on hospitality & food and manufacturing. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 73%
- Work from home 21%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 40953
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 40953.
What the weather is like in 40953, month by month
40953 sees roughly 63 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 47, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 36° | 26° |
| April | 72° | 57° | 43° |
| July | 88° | 76° | 67° |
| October | 74° | 59° | 46° |
Flying in and out of 40953
The nearest airport, McGhee Tyson, is about 79 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, about 153 miles away.
The best schools in and around 40953
Schools across 40953 average a D+, better than 11% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Central Elementary SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Girdler Elementary SchoolD+ · 24% proficient
Top middle schools
- Knox County Middle SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Knox Central High SchoolD− · 15% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 40953 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
40953 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 40953 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 40953
Is 40953 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 40953 ranks 31,927th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on tree cover, affordable childcare, and quiet, and lowest on thin health care access and a weak job market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 40953 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $137,500. The overall cost of living runs about 23% below the national average. Set against a $32,500 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 40953 safe?
Yes, 40953 is safer than 62% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $247 per resident a year.
Compare 40953 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 40953. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 40953 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.
40953 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 40953: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 40953: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 40953: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 40953: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
40953 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.