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Big city living isn't for everyone--but at the same time, urban areas certainly have their perks.
There's the culture, the food, the arts, the food, the energy, and you know, the food. But there are drawbacks. There's traffic, expensive parking, expensive housing--pretty much, expensive everything, depending on which big city you're looking at.
But that's where the suburbs come in--they have all of the benefits of being near big cities, without actually having to be big cities.
Of course, not all suburbs of Louisville are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. So without further ado...
Here are the 10 best suburbs to live around Louisville for 2022:
What's the best suburb of Louisville? Hurstbourne ranks as the best suburb of Louisville for 2022 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Hurstbourne, you're probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We'll tell you what makes each of these 10 Louisville 'burbs better than the rest--but first, a bit about our methodology.
Note: This result may differ from our state wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a larger selection of suburbs.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Kentucky:
The 10 Best Louisville Suburbs To Live For 2022
Hurstbourne is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Louisville area. We'll tell you the good about "Awesome Hurstbourne."
Everyone here is rich; families average $107,455 a year, which is the 4th highest in the Louisville region. And only 1.13% are out of work. Homes average more than $427,600 each.
/10
Population: 4,402
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $107,455
Unemployment Rate: 1.1%
Poverty Rate: 1.7%
More on Hurstbourne: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Indian Hills is the second best 'burb we looked at near Louisville for 2022.
It ranks 2nd for incomes in the area and only 0.0% of residents lack insurance, good for best.
/10
Population: 3,011
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Income: $158,958
Unemployment Rate: 1.8%
Poverty Rate: 2.5%
More on Indian Hills: Real Estate | Data
Here in Anchorage, it's really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you'll see in the Louisville metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Anchorage.
/10
Population: 2,357
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 3)
Median Income: $188,906
Unemployment Rate: 1.6%
Poverty Rate: 3.8%
More on Anchorage: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Windy Hills ranks as the 4th best suburb of Louisville for 2022.
You won't find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Windy Hills and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 2,290
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 3)
Median Income: $103,920
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
Poverty Rate: 7.0%
More on Windy Hills: Real Estate | Data
Coming in as the fifth best is Orchard Grass Hills.
Orchard Grass Hills gets kudos for having the 12th most expensive homes in the Louisville area, where houses sell for an average of $212,300. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 2,120
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Income: $88,333
Unemployment Rate: 1.8%
Poverty Rate: 8.5%
More on Orchard Grass Hills: Real Estate | Data
Douglass Hills is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here's why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 5.53% which is 23rd best in the area.
According to online reports, Douglass Hills is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Louisville area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 5,713
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 2)
Median Income: $77,321
Unemployment Rate: 5.5%
Poverty Rate: 1.0%
More on Douglass Hills: Real Estate | Data
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Prospect.
Prospect schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it's only 10.7 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 4,961
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 4)
Median Income: $152,973
Unemployment Rate: 5.6%
Poverty Rate: 0.4%
More on Prospect: Real Estate | Data
St. Matthews is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 3.93% of people lack insurance, good for 11th in the area.
/10
Population: 18,022
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 1)
Median Income: $67,105
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%
Poverty Rate: 8.0%
More on St. Matthews: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Is 'Everything Better In Graymoor-Devondale?'
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it's really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
/10
Population: 3,095
Rank Last Year: 8 (Down 1)
Median Income: $72,569
Unemployment Rate: 1.9%
Poverty Rate: 10.6%
More on Graymoor-Devondale: Real Estate | Data
And rounding out the top ten for 2022 is Simpsonville.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It's far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
/10
Population: 2,868
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 3)
Median Income: $84,250
Unemployment Rate: 1.7%
Poverty Rate: 6.0%
More on Simpsonville: Real Estate | Data
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Louisville for 2022
Figuring out the best suburbs around Louisville was pretty simple; we just needed to list several things that people like, and then find out which cities have the most of those things.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:
- Low unemployment rate
- High Median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
Then we used the newest American Community Survey data for 2016-2020 to research each suburb.
FYI: We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Louisville.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 35 suburbs to evaluate around Louisville.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 35 in each category, where 1 was the "best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality of life index.
And finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index the "Best Suburb near Louisville." We're lookin' at you, Hurstbourne. You can download the data here.
Read on below to learn more about what it's like to live in the best of the best. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Louisville 'Burbs of 2022
We said it once and we'll say it again--life in the big city isn't for everyone. At least not all the time.
So if you're hankering for some of the amenities of a larger city like Louisville, but don't want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might just be for you.
For more Kentucky reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Best Louisville Suburbs
Rank | City | Population |
---|---|---|
1 | Hurstbourne, KY | 4,402 |
2 | Indian Hills, KY | 3,011 |
3 | Anchorage, KY | 2,357 |
4 | Windy Hills, KY | 2,290 |
5 | Orchard Grass Hills, KY | 2,120 |
6 | Douglass Hills, KY | 5,713 |
7 | Prospect, KY | 4,961 |
8 | St. Matthews, KY | 18,022 |
9 | Graymoor-Devondale, KY | 3,095 |
10 | Simpsonville, KY | 2,868 |
11 | Jeffersontown, KY | 27,933 |
12 | Middletown, KY | 7,885 |
13 | Lyndon, KY | 11,451 |
14 | Mount Washington, KY | 14,699 |
15 | Georgetown, KY | 34,362 |
16 | La Grange, KY | 8,938 |
17 | Sellersburg, KY | 9,320 |
18 | Crestwood, KY | 5,034 |
19 | Hillview, KY | 9,066 |
20 | Jeffersonville, KY | 47,932 |
21 | Shelbyville, KY | 16,244 |
22 | Shepherdsville, KY | 13,757 |
23 | New Albany, KY | 36,730 |
24 | Charlestown, KY | 8,290 |
25 | Clarksville, KY | 21,825 |
26 | Corydon, KY | 3,154 |
27 | Brandenburg, KY | 2,874 |
28 | Shively, KY | 15,723 |
29 | Radcliff, KY | 22,796 |
30 | West Buechel, KY | 2,046 |
31 | Lebanon Junction, KY | 2,276 |
32 | Louisville, KY | 6,063 |
33 | Louisville, KY | 6,063 |
34 | Louisville, KY | 6,063 |
35 | Louisville, KY | 6,063 |