Best Places42020, KY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 42020, 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.
42020 ranks 21,808th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and low incomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 42020
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.
42020's strengths and weaknesses
Where 42020 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$503 a month, better than 94% of zip codes
- Short commute18.8 minutes each way, better than 89% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 80% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 73% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 67% of zip codes
Where 42020 ranks low
- Household income$55,083 median, better than only 17% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 26% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 42020
A household needs to earn about $39,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 42020 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $55,083, 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 42020's effective rate of 0.59%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 42020
42020 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 42020.
Who works in 42020, and how
Work in 42020 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 3%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in 42020
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 42020.
What the weather is like in 42020, month by month
42020 sees roughly 74 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 45, with lows near 30. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 37° | 30° |
| April | 70° | 59° | 49° |
| July | 89° | 79° | 71° |
| October | 73° | 61° | 52° |
Flying in and out of 42020
The nearest airport, Barkley Regional, is about 36 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Nashville International, about 98 miles away.
The best schools in and around 42020
Schools across 42020 average a C+, better than 49% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- North Calloway Elementary SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- East Calloway Elementary SchoolC · 33% proficient
Top middle schools
- Calloway County Middle SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top high schools
- Calloway County High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 42020 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
42020 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 42020 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 42020
Is 42020 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 42020 ranks 21,808th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, short commutes, and low crime, and lowest on low incomes and car insurance costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 42020 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $154,435. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $55,083 median income, cost of living beats 26% of zip codes.
Is 42020 safe?
Yes, 42020 is safer than 80% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $216 per resident a year.
Compare 42020 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 42020. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 42020 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.
42020 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 42020: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 42020: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 42020: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 42020: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
42020 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.