The 24 Best places to live in Kentucky

Updated: October 14, 2025

Kentucky ranked 36th most liveable and 49th most expensive state in the United States. Below is the list of 24 best cities to live and work for singles and families.

3 best cities to live in Kentucky are Louisville, Bowling Green, and Richmond. More than 30% population of Kentucky live in cities with quality of life more than 62/100.

Rank	State	Quality of life	Cost of living
1	District of Columbia	95	$3318
2	New York State	88	$3408
3	Pennsylvania	85	$2368
4	Maryland	85	$2459
5	Illinois	83	$2430
6	Virginia	81	$2415
7	Tennessee	81	$2198
8	California	81	$3039
9	Texas State	81	$2132
10	Alaska	80	$2440
11	Oklahoma State	80	$1853
12	Indiana	80	$2037
13	Nebraska	80	$1908
14	Washington	80	$2644
15	Colorado	79	$2586
16	Florida	79	$2547
17	Arizona	79	$2279
18	Ohio	79	$1937
19	Oregon State	79	$2422
20	North Carolina	79	$2236
21	Hawaii	78	$2992
22	Nevada	78	$2395
23	Massachusetts	78	$2864
24	Missouri	78	$1933
25	Wisconsin	78	$2011
26	Michigan	78	$1999
27	Rhode Island	77	$2615
28	New Jersey	77	$2750
29	Vermont	76	$2653
30	Minnesota	76	$2244
31	New Mexico	76	$1966
32	New Hampshire	75	$2535
33	South Dakota	75	$1922
34	Connecticut	75	$2649
35	Kansas State	75	$1969
36	Kentucky	75	$1810
37	Louisiana	75	$2018
38	Georgia	75	$2262
39	Utah	73	$2054
40	Delaware	73	$2233

Best cities to live in Kentucky

Louisville

Bowling Green

Richmond

Lexington

Jeffersontown

Georgetown

Florence

Independence

Covington

Nicholasville

Frankfort

Shelbyville

Winchester

Radcliff

Somerset

Owensboro

Elizabethtown

London

Henderson

Ashland

Paducah

Hopkinsville

Murray

Tompkinsville