Best Places42451, KY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 42451, 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.
42451 ranks 22,883rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and walkability ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 42451
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.
42451's strengths and weaknesses
Where 42451 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$570 a month, better than 87% of zip codes
- Short commute21.4 minutes each way, better than 79% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 71% of zip codes
Where 42451 ranks low
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 61 pleasant days a year, better than only 9% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 23% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 42451
A household needs to earn about $44,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 42451 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $69,060, 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 42451's effective rate of 0.82%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 42451
42451's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 42451.
Who works in 42451, and how
Work in 42451 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 92%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 42451
42451 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 99% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 42451 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 42451, month by month
42451 sees roughly 61 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 42451
The nearest airport, Owensboro/Daviess County Regional, is about 14 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Nashville International, about 126 miles away.
The best schools in and around 42451
Schools across 42451 average a C+, better than 48% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Spottsville Elementary SchoolB · 49% proficient
Top middle schools
- Henderson County North Middle SchoolC · 34% proficient
Top high schools
- Henderson County High SchoolC · 32% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 42451 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
42451 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 42451 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 42451
Is 42451 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 42451 ranks 22,883rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, a stable housing market, and affordable childcare, and lowest on walkability and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 42451 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $166,971. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $69,060 median income, cost of living beats 38% of zip codes.
Is 42451 safe?
42451 is safer than 38% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $326 per resident a year.
Compare 42451 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 42451. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 42451 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.
42451 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 42451: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 42451: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 42451: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 42451: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
42451 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.