Best Places42071, KY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 42071, 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.
42071 ranks 23,806th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and low incomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 42071
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.
42071's strengths and weaknesses
Where 42071 ranks high
- Short commute16.2 minutes each way, better than 95% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$503 a month, better than 94% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 72% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 72% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 72% of zip codes
Where 42071 ranks low
- Household income$54,619 median, better than only 16% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 22% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 42071
A household needs to earn about $49,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 42071 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $54,619, 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 42071's effective rate of 0.60%, 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 42071
42071 runs younger 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 42071.
Who works in 42071, and how
Work in 42071 centers on education and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 13%
Life in 42071
42071 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 67% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 84% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 42071 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 42071, month by month
42071 sees roughly 73 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 42071
The nearest airport, Barkley Regional, is about 40 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Nashville International, about 97 miles away.
The best schools in and around 42071
Schools across 42071 average a B−, better than 61% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Southwest Calloway Elementary SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Murray Elementary SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- North Calloway Elementary SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
Top middle schools
- Murray Middle SchoolA− · 55% proficient
- Calloway County Middle SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top high schools
- Murray High SchoolB · 48% proficient
- Calloway County High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Calloway County Alternative ProgramD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 42071 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
42071 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 42071 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 42071 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 6% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 42071
Is 42071 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 42071 ranks 23,806th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on short commutes, affordable childcare, and walkability, and lowest on low incomes and disaster risk. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 42071 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $194,407. The overall cost of living runs about 21% below the national average. Set against a $54,619 median income, cost of living beats 27% of zip codes.
Is 42071 safe?
42071 is safer than 35% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $350 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 42071?
July highs average about 89 degrees, and January highs near 45 with lows near 30. That works out to about 73 pleasant days a year, more than 31% of zip codes.
Is 42071 good for families?
Schools beat 61% of zip codes, crime safety beats 35%, and childcare runs $503 a month.
Compare 42071 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 42071. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 42071 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.
42071 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 42071: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 42071: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 42071: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 42071: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
42071 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.