Living in Lexington, KY

Crime in Lexington runs a bit below the national average. The violent crime index is 66 (100 is the U.S. baseline), with property crime at 93. That puts it in a decent spot — not the safest metro in the country, but meaningfully better than the midpoint. Neighborhood choice still matters, especially if you have kids or walk home late. FBI Uniform Crime Report data.

By most measures, yes. The median rent of $1,101/month against a median household income of $67,631/year works out to a 19.5% rent-to-income ratio. Financial planners generally want that number under 30%, so Lexington clears the bar with room to spare. You'll have breathing space for savings, car payments, and the occasional splurge. Numbers from Census ACS 2023.

The average worker in Lexington spends about 19 minutes getting to the office. Driving solo is the default (74.8%), with 10.9% working remotely and 1.3% on public transit. It's a fairly typical commute — not a selling point, not a dealbreaker.

For most families, yes. Graduation rates run at 86.0% with a 15:1 student-teacher ratio, which is respectable. The best schools in Lexington compete with any in the state, though weaker ones pull the city-wide average down. If schools drive your housing decision, focus on specific attendance zones — the right neighborhood makes all the difference.

About what you'd expect anywhere. The average monthly utility bill in Lexington runs around $224 for electricity, gas, water, and sewer combined. The national average is $230, so you're right in line. Your actual bill depends on home size, insulation quality, and how much you run the AC or heater — but no surprises here.

A fair amount. The total effective tax rate is roughly 11.4% when you combine income, property, and sales taxes. Sales tax alone is 6.0%. That's close to the national average — not punishing, not light. If you're relocating from a low-tax state, run the numbers for your income level before committing. The difference can add up to thousands per year.

Everything on this page is built from public government sources: rent and income figures from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS 5-Year Estimates, 2023); commute and transportation data from Census ACS tables B08303 and B08006; crime rates from the FBI Uniform Crime Report; school data from the National Center for Education Statistics; utility cost estimates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. We refresh each dataset monthly through an automated pipeline and cross-check for anomalies. No surveys, no user-submitted guesses — just official federal data presented in a way that's actually useful for people researching a move.