Best Places42740, KY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 42740, 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.
42740 ranks 8,939th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 42740
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.
42740's strengths and weaknesses
Where 42740 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Household income$104,579 median, better than 83% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$656 a month, better than 80% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 74% of zip codes
Where 42740 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 62 pleasant days a year, better than only 11% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 24% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 28% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 34% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 42740
A household needs to earn about $80,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 42740 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $104,579, 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 42740's effective rate of 0.58%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 42740
42740'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 42740.
Who works in 42740, and how
Work in 42740 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in 42740
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 42740.
What the weather is like in 42740, month by month
42740 sees roughly 62 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 43, 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 | 43° | 34° | 27° |
| April | 68° | 56° | 45° |
| July | 87° | 77° | 68° |
| October | 70° | 58° | 48° |
Flying in and out of 42740
The nearest airport, Louisville Muhammad Ali International, is about 41 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Nashville International, about 110 miles away.
The best schools in and around 42740
Schools across 42740 average a C, better than 38% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Lakewood Elementary SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Creekside Elementary SchoolD+ · 24% proficient
Top middle schools
- East Hardin Middle SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
- West Hardin Middle SchoolC · 33% proficient
Top high schools
- Central Hardin High SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 42740 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
42740 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 42740 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 42740
Is 42740 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 42740 ranks 8,939th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, what local pay buys, and high incomes, and lowest on the weather and car insurance costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 42740 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $316,945. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $104,579 median income, cost of living beats 90% of zip codes.
Is 42740 safe?
Yes, 42740 is safer than 74% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $235 per resident a year.
Compare 42740 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 42740. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 42740 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.
42740 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 42740: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 42740: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 42740: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 42740: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
42740 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.