Louisville, Kentucky
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Louisville.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Louisville compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 627,210City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $64,731Incorporated place (ACS)18% below U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 76ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)24% below U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $221,500City limits (ACS)27% below U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,069City limits (ACS)21% below U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 5.0%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 23 min8% below U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 3424% below U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 686.9annualized per 100k · citywide14% above U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 3891.5annualized per 100k · citywide26% above U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 88°FNear U.S. avg (87°F)U.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 30°F4.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 48.3 in47% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 2419% below U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Louisville with another city
Louisville (pop. 627,210) sits in Kentucky. Households here report a median income near $64,731; our housing-derived cost index is about 76 (among the more affordable large markets in this catalog on housing costs). Ownership is a high bar — typical values near $221,500 push many newcomers toward renting first.
Ohio River valleys and rolling horse-country hills create distinct micro-markets. Pack for 88°F summer peaks; winter mornings often settle near 30°F. Commutes average near 23 minutes one-way, with walkability near 34/100. BLS LAUS puts recent unemployment around 5.0% for the surrounding county. Violent-offense rates near 686.9 per 100k sit in a mid-to-elevated band versus many peer cities in this catalog.
Louisville sits in that mid-to-large city band where urban and quieter residential pockets often share one municipal boundary. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Louisville with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), Kentucky, 1600000US2148006)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN211110000000003 (Jefferson County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00093821 LOUISVILLE INTL AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28