Best Places42104, KY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 42104, 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.
42104 ranks 12,944th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores best on affordable childcare, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 42104
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.
42104's strengths and weaknesses
Where 42104 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$570 a month, better than 87% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Short commute20.0 minutes each way, better than 85% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 74% of zip codes
Where 42104 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 65 pleasant days a year, better than only 16% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 35% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 42104
A household needs to earn about $78,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 42104 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $79,917, 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 42104's effective rate of 0.66%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 42104
42104 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 42104.
Who works in 42104, and how
Work in 42104 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 42104
42104 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 76% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 42104 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 42104, month by month
42104 sees roughly 65 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 48, with lows near 31. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 38° | 31° |
| April | 72° | 60° | 49° |
| July | 90° | 80° | 72° |
| October | 74° | 62° | 51° |
Flying in and out of 42104
Nashville International sits about 57 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 12.6 million passengers in 2025, with 158 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 42104
Schools across 42104 average a C+, better than 46% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- W R Mcneill Elementary SchoolB · 50% proficient
- Plano ElementaryB · 49% proficient
- Alvaton ElementaryB− · 44% proficient
Top middle schools
- Drakes Creek Middle SchoolB+ · 47% proficient
- South Warren Middle SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Bowling Green Junior HighC+ · 35% proficient
Top high schools
- South Warren High SchoolB · 47% proficient
- Greenwood High SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- Bowling Green High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 42104 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
42104 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 42104 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 42104 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 71% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 10% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 42104
Is 42104 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 42104 ranks 12,944th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, few empty homes, and short commutes, and lowest on the weather 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 42104 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $305,664. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $79,917 median income, cost of living beats 71% of zip codes.
Is 42104 safe?
42104 is safer than 42% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $317 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 42104?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 48 with lows near 31. That works out to about 65 pleasant days a year, more than 16% of zip codes.
Is 42104 good for families?
Schools beat 46% of zip codes, crime safety beats 42%, and childcare runs $570 a month.
Compare 42104 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 42104. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 42104 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.
42104 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 42104: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 42104: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 42104: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 42104: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
42104 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.