Best Places42051, KY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 42051, 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.
42051 ranks 24,055th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 42051
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.
42051's strengths and weaknesses
Where 42051 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$503 a month, better than 94% of zip codes
- Short commute19.7 minutes each way, better than 86% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 72% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 70% of zip codes
Where 42051 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 63 pleasant days a year, better than only 13% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 21% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 42051
A household needs to earn about $42,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 42051 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $63,345, 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 42051's effective rate of 0.61%, 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 42051
42051'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 42051.
Who works in 42051, and how
Work in 42051 centers on manufacturing and construction. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 93%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 42051
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 42051.
What the weather is like in 42051, month by month
42051 sees roughly 63 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 48, with lows near 28. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 37° | 28° |
| April | 73° | 59° | 46° |
| July | 91° | 80° | 70° |
| October | 77° | 61° | 48° |
Flying in and out of 42051
The nearest airport, Barkley Regional, is about 16 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Nashville International, about 120 miles away.
The best schools in and around 42051
Schools across 42051 average a B−, better than 59% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Fancy Farm Elementary SchoolA− · 60% proficient
- Symsonia Elementary SchoolA− · 57% proficient
- Graves County Central ElementaryB · 48% proficient
Top middle schools
- Graves County Middle SchoolB− · 39% proficient
Top high schools
- Graves County High SchoolC · 34% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 42051 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
42051 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 42051 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 42051
Is 42051 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 42051 ranks 24,055th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, short commutes, and a strong job market, and lowest on the weather and disaster risk. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 42051 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $165,017. The overall cost of living runs about 21% below the national average. Set against a $63,345 median income, cost of living beats 44% of zip codes.
Is 42051 safe?
Yes, 42051 is safer than 65% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $244 per resident a year.
Compare 42051 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 42051. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 42051 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.
42051 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 42051: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 42051: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 42051: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 42051: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
42051 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.