Best Places42045, KY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 42045, 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.
42045 ranks 30,234th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and health outcomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 42045
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.
42045's strengths and weaknesses
Where 42045 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$591 a month, better than 85% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 67% of zip codes
Where 42045 ranks low
- Health outlookBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Household income$52,114 median, better than only 13% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 18% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 42045
A household needs to earn about $35,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 42045 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $52,114, 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 42045's effective rate of 0.41%, 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 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 42045
42045 runs older 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 42045.
Who works in 42045, and how
Work in 42045 centers on construction and hospitality & food. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 3%
- Transit, walk, or bike 9%
Life in 42045
42045 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 87% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 42045 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 42045, month by month
42045 sees roughly 66 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 42045
The nearest airport, Barkley Regional, is about 28 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Nashville International, about 109 miles away.
The best schools in and around 42045
Schools across 42045 average a C−, better than 22% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Lyon County Elementary SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- South Livingston Elementary SchoolC− · 27% proficient
Top middle schools
- Lyon County Middle SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Livingston County Middle SchoolC · 35% proficient
Top high schools
- Lyon County High SchoolC · 32% proficient
- Livingston Central High SchoolD · 22% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 42045 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
42045 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 42045 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 42045
Is 42045 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 42045 ranks 30,234th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, a strong job market, and affordable childcare, and lowest on health outcomes and low incomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 42045 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $141,527. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $52,114 median income, cost of living beats 14% of zip codes.
Is 42045 safe?
Yes, 42045 is safer than 58% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $263 per resident a year.
Compare 42045 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 42045. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 42045 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.
42045 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 42045: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 42045: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 42045: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 42045: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
42045 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.