Best Places42544, KY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 42544, 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.
42544 ranks 26,495th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and health outcomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 42544
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.
42544's strengths and weaknesses
Where 42544 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$467 a month, better than 97% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 81% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 76% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 68% of zip codes
Where 42544 ranks low
- Health outlookBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 15% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 42544
A household needs to earn about $42,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 42544 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $58,814, 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 42544's effective rate of 0.41%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 42544
42544 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 42544.
Who works in 42544, and how
Work in 42544 centers on health care & social and other services. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 87%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 42544
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 42544.
What the weather is like in 42544, month by month
42544 sees roughly 76 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 45, with lows near 29. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 36° | 29° |
| April | 69° | 56° | 46° |
| July | 87° | 76° | 67° |
| October | 71° | 58° | 48° |
Flying in and out of 42544
The nearest airport, Blue Grass, is about 69 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Nashville International, about 123 miles away.
The best schools in and around 42544
Schools across 42544 average a C+, better than 46% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Oak Hill Elementary SchoolA · 67% proficient
- Science Hill Elementary SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Southern Elementary SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Top middle schools
- Northern Middle SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- Southern Middle SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
- Russell County Middle SchoolC · 32% proficient
Top high schools
- Southwestern High SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Russell County High SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Wayne County High SchoolC− · 26% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 42544 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
42544 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 42544 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 42544
Is 42544 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 42544 ranks 26,495th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, low property taxes, and a strong job market, and lowest on health outcomes and empty homes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 42544 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $171,076. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $58,814 median income, cost of living beats 35% of zip codes.
Is 42544 safe?
42544 is safer than 34% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $341 per resident a year.
Compare 42544 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 42544. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 42544 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.
42544 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 42544: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 42544: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 42544: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 42544: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
42544 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.