Best Places42214, KY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 42214, 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.
42214 ranks 26,821st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. The weather pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on low property taxes.
The best neighborhoods in 42214
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.
42214's strengths and weaknesses
Where 42214 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$624 a month, better than 83% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 78% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 67% of zip codes
- Short commute23.7 minutes each way, better than 66% of zip codes
Where 42214 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 54 pleasant days a year, better than only 2% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- School gradeD+, better than only 11% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 42214
A household needs to earn about $25,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 42214 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $63,257, 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 42214's effective rate of 0.47%, 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 42214
42214'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 42214.
Who works in 42214, and how
Work in 42214 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 42214
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 42214.
What the weather is like in 42214, month by month
42214 sees roughly 54 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 48, with lows near 27. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 36° | 27° |
| April | 72° | 57° | 44° |
| July | 90° | 77° | 67° |
| October | 74° | 60° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 42214
The nearest airport, Louisville Muhammad Ali International, is about 72 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Nashville International, about 89 miles away.
The best schools in and around 42214
Schools across 42214 average a D+, better than 11% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Green County Intermediate SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
- Metcalfe County Elementary SchoolD · 19% proficient
Top middle schools
- Green County Middle SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
- Metcalfe County Middle SchoolD · 21% proficient
Top high schools
- Green County High SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Metcalfe County High SchoolD · 18% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 42214 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
42214 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 42214 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 42214
Is 42214 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 42214 ranks 26,821st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, affordable childcare, and quiet, and lowest on the weather and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 42214 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $98,368. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $63,257 median income, cost of living beats 40% of zip codes.
Is 42214 safe?
42214 is safer than 44% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $302 per resident a year.
Compare 42214 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 42214. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 42214 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.
42214 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 42214: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 42214: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 42214: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 42214: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
42214 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.