Best Places42286, KY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 42286, 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.
42286 ranks 20,580th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores best on low property taxes, and the schools rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 42286
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.
42286's strengths and weaknesses
Where 42286 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$589 a month, better than 86% of zip codes
- Short commute20.3 minutes each way, better than 84% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 81% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 80% of zip codes
Where 42286 ranks low
- School gradeD+, better than only 16% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 65 pleasant days a year, better than only 16% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 20% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 42286
A household needs to earn about $66,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 42286 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $88,107, 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 42286's effective rate of 0.46%, 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 42286
42286 runs younger than the country, 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 42286.
Who works in 42286, and how
Work in 42286 centers on agriculture & forestry and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 77%
- Work from home 21%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 42286
42286 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 99% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 42286 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 42286, month by month
42286 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° | 59° | 48° |
| July | 90° | 80° | 71° |
| October | 74° | 61° | 51° |
Flying in and out of 42286
Nashville International sits about 53 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 42286
Schools across 42286 average a D+, better than 16% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- North Todd Elementary SchoolC · 33% proficient
- South Todd Elementary SchoolC · 31% proficient
- Pembroke Elementary SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- Hopkinsville Middle SchoolC− · 29% proficient
- Todd County Middle SchoolD+ · 24% proficient
Top high schools
- Hopkinsville High SchoolC− · 27% proficient
- Todd County Central High SchoolD · 18% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 42286 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
42286 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 42286 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 42286
Is 42286 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 42286 ranks 20,580th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, affordable childcare, and short commutes, and lowest on the schools and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 42286 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $266,178. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $88,107 median income, cost of living beats 81% of zip codes.
Is 42286 safe?
42286 is safer than 31% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $352 per resident a year.
Compare 42286 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 42286. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 42286 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.
42286 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 42286: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 42286: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 42286: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 42286: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
42286 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.