Best Places42280, KY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 42280, 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.
42280 ranks 30,055th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and walkability ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 42280
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.
42280's strengths and weaknesses
Where 42280 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$591 a month, better than 85% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 67% of zip codes
Where 42280 ranks low
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 10% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 42280
A household needs to earn about $30,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 42280 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $63,224, 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 42280's effective rate of 0.50%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 42280
42280 runs older than the country, though fewer residents are over 65 than the national share, 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 42280.
Who works in 42280, and how
Work in 42280 centers on retail trade and manufacturing. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 42280
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 42280.
What the weather is like in 42280, month by month
42280 sees roughly 63 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° | 59° | 48° |
| July | 90° | 80° | 71° |
| October | 74° | 61° | 51° |
Flying in and out of 42280
The nearest airport, Owensboro/Daviess County Regional, is about 56 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Nashville International, about 61 miles away.
The best schools in and around 42280
Schools across 42280 average a D+, better than 17% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- North Todd Elementary SchoolC · 33% proficient
Top middle schools
- Todd County Middle SchoolD+ · 24% proficient
Top high schools
- Todd County Central High SchoolD · 18% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 42280 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
42280 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 42280 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 42280
Is 42280 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 42280 ranks 30,055th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, quiet, and affordable childcare, and lowest on walkability and crime. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 42280 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $117,900. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $63,224 median income, cost of living beats 34% of zip codes.
Is 42280 safe?
42280 is safer than 7% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $614 per resident a year.
Compare 42280 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 42280. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 42280 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.
42280 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 42280: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 42280: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 42280: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 42280: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
42280 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.