Best Places42061, KY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 42061, 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.
42061 ranks 31,371st 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 42061
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.
42061's strengths and weaknesses
Where 42061 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$503 a month, better than 94% of zip codes
- Short commute21.1 minutes each way, better than 80% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 80% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 70% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 69% of zip codes
Where 42061 ranks low
- Household income$39,559 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 59 pleasant days a year, better than only 7% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 9% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 42061
A household needs to earn about $51,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 42061 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $39,559, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 42061's effective rate of 0.62%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 42061
42061 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 42061.
Who works in 42061, and how
Work in 42061 centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 96%
- Work from home 3%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 42061
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 42061.
What the weather is like in 42061, month by month
42061 sees roughly 59 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 42061
The nearest airport, Barkley Regional, is about 12 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Nashville International, about 127 miles away.
The best schools in and around 42061
Schools across 42061 average a B−, better than 58% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Fancy Farm Elementary SchoolA− · 60% 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 42061 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
42061 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 42061 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 42061
Is 42061 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 42061 ranks 31,371st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, short commutes, and tree cover, and lowest on low incomes and the cost of living against local pay. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 42061 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $201,800. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $39,559 median income, cost of living beats 6% of zip codes.
Is 42061 safe?
42061 is safer than 49% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $283 per resident a year.
Compare 42061 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 42061. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 42061 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.
42061 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 42061: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 42061: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 42061: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 42061: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
42061 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.