Best Places42731, KY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 42731, 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.
42731 ranks 31,411th 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 42731
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.
42731's strengths and weaknesses
Where 42731 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$472 a month, better than 96% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 84% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Short commute23.1 minutes each way, better than 69% of zip codes
Where 42731 ranks low
- Health outlookBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 54 pleasant days a year, better than only 2% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 42731
A household needs to earn about $55,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 42731 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $47,109, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 42731's effective rate of 0.48%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 42731
42731'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 42731.
Who works in 42731, and how
Work in 42731 centers on manufacturing and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 94%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 42731
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 42731.
What the weather is like in 42731, month by month
42731 sees roughly 54 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 48, with lows near 27. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 36° | 27° |
| April | 72° | 57° | 44° |
| July | 90° | 77° | 67° |
| October | 74° | 60° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 42731
Nashville International sits about 79 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 42731
Schools across 42731 average a C−, better than 26% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Cumberland County Elementary SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
- Metcalfe County Elementary SchoolD · 19% proficient
Top middle schools
- Cumberland County Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Metcalfe County Middle SchoolD · 21% proficient
Top high schools
- Cumberland County High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Metcalfe County High SchoolD · 18% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 42731 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
42731 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 42731 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 42731
Is 42731 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 42731 ranks 31,411th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, tree cover, and low property taxes, and lowest on health outcomes and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 42731 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $220,423. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $47,109 median income, cost of living beats 13% of zip codes.
Is 42731 safe?
42731 is safer than 29% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $365 per resident a year.
Compare 42731 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 42731. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 42731 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.
42731 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 42731: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 42731: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 42731: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 42731: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
42731 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.