Best Places42338, KY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 42338, 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.
42338 ranks 27,106th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and biking ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 42338
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.
42338's strengths and weaknesses
Where 42338 ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$660 a month, better than 79% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 73% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 67% of zip codes
Where 42338 ranks low
- BikingBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Short commute38.0 minutes each way, better than only 6% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 63 pleasant days a year, better than only 12% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 42338
A household needs to earn about $28,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 42338 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $52,000, 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 42338's effective rate of 0.64%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 42338
42338 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 42338.
Who works in 42338, and how
Work in 42338 centers on education and finance & insurance. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 93%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 42338
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 42338.
What the weather is like in 42338, month by month
42338 sees roughly 63 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 44, with lows near 28. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 35° | 28° |
| April | 70° | 58° | 48° |
| July | 89° | 79° | 70° |
| October | 72° | 60° | 50° |
Flying in and out of 42338
The nearest airport, Owensboro/Daviess County Regional, is about 26 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Nashville International, about 99 miles away.
The best schools in and around 42338
Schools across 42338 average a C+, better than 40% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Fordsville Elementary SchoolC− · 27% proficient
Top middle schools
- Ohio County Middle SchoolC · 33% proficient
Top high schools
- Ohio County High SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 42338 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
42338 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 42338 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 42338
Is 42338 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 42338 ranks 27,106th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a stable housing market, a strong job market, and affordable childcare, and lowest on biking and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 42338 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $110,700. The overall cost of living runs about 22% below the national average. Set against a $52,000 median income, cost of living beats 20% of zip codes.
Is 42338 safe?
42338 is safer than 55% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $266 per resident a year.
Compare 42338 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 42338. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 42338 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.
42338 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 42338: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 42338: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 42338: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 42338: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
42338 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.