PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Lexington-Fayette, KY

60.7
Life Score / 100
A-
Grade (curved)
#45
of 387 metros
88%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Lexington ranks #45 of 387 US metros, ahead of 88% - carried by its childcare (89/100) and held back most by schools (52/100).

89
strongest: Childcare
78
then: Safety
52
weakest: Schools
7
weighted dimensions

Where Lexington sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

61 Top 12% higher than 88% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Below this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Below this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Below this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Below this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). This entry sits in this band. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Lexington Life Score

Lexington's composite score of 60.7 out of 100, a grade of A-, places the metro at rank #45 of 387, ahead of 88% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Childcare (89/100) and Safety (78/100), which pull the composite upward, while Schools (52/100) and Environment (53/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 92.9 (rent-RPP 77.1). BLS median salary $68,636, 274,970 jobs (Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators, General and Operations Managers, Registered Nurses). HUD 2BR FMR $1,272/mo (studio $883).

FBI UCR (KY): 225 violent, 1397 property/100K. NCES: 15.2:1 ratio, 0.0% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,238/yr. EPA: 20 Superfund sites (KY). Ranks #42-#48 below.

Dimension detail

How Lexington scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 55/100 (20%)
Wages 53/100 (20%)
Rent 54/100 (15%)
Safety 78/100 (15%)
Schools 52/100 (10%)
Childcare 89/100 (10%)
Environment 53/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

92.9
Cost Index (RPP)
$68,636
Avg Median Salary
$1,272
2BR Fair Market Rent
225
Violent Crime/100K (KY)
15.2:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$7,238
Infant Childcare/yr (KY)
20
Superfund Sites (KY)
274,970
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Lexington With...

Lexington vs Paducah Compare → Lexington vs Owensboro Compare → Lexington vs Elizabethtown Compare → Lexington vs Wildwood Compare → Lexington vs Waterloo Compare →

Ranking Context

Lexington outranks 88% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#42 Twin Falls, ID * 60.8 A-
#43 Wichita, KS 60.9 A-
#44 Muncie, IN 61.0 A-
#45 Lexington-Fayette, KY 60.7 A-
#46 Texarkana, TX-AR 60.7 A-
#47 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH 60.5 A-
#48 Montgomery, AL 60.5 A-

KY Metro Scores

Paducah, KY-IL A+ 70.0 Owensboro, KY A 63.4 Elizabethtown, KY A 61.4 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH A- 60.5 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN A- 60.3 Bowling Green, KY B+ 58.0

Using Lexington's Life Score

Lexington is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is childcare (89/100) and its weakest is schools (52/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Lexington head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Lexington lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Lexington's biggest strengths? ▼
Lexington's strongest dimensions are Childcare (89/100), Safety (78/100), Cost of Living (55/100). Childcare is top-tier nationally.
What are Lexington's weakest areas? ▼
Lexington's lowest-scoring dimensions are Schools (52/100), Environment (53/100), Wages (53/100).
How expensive is Lexington compared to the national average? ▼
Lexington's Regional Price Parity is 92.9 (7.1% less than national); rent RPP 77.1.
What is the average salary in Lexington? ▼
Lexington median salary: $68,636, 274,970 jobs. Top: Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators, General and Operations Managers, Registered Nurses.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Lexington's 60.7/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.