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So you've deposited your last paycheck and you're looking for a place to retire in the Bluegrass State. We at Homesnacks are here to help by telling you the absolute best places in Kentucky for retirement.
Why would anyone want to retire in Kentucky? We're glad you asked! From a practical standpoint, rent in Kentucky is 30% less than national average and it's among the safest states in America. On the fun side...now that every day is essentially the weekend, you'll be able to sample all of Kentucky's world-famous bourbon distilleries any day of the week. If you like bluegrass music, then Kentucky's going to be heaven for you. And if you're looking for a bit of income in your retirement, you'd better start following all the horses that race at Churchill Downs Racetrack. We just hope you're not too committed to another college basketball team, because folks in Kentucky are pretty serious about supporting the Wildcats. We're sure the locals will have you wearing white and blue in no time.
So where are the best places to retire in Kentucky? There are options in every corner of the state, from the Cincinnati suburb of Fort Thomas in the north to Mayfield in the far southwest. There aren't too many cities on this list that are super close to Louisville, with Lawrenceburg being the only place within an hour of the state's biggest city. There are great cities for retirement around Bowling Green, with Glasgow being the best of the bunch.
Get ready to wash back your Kentucky fried chicken with some moonshine, without having to worry about work in the morning, because we're heading to the best places in Kentucky to retire.
The 10 Best Places To Retire In Kentucky For 2023
Why did Versailles take the top spot? And where are Bowling Green and Owensboro?
These Kentucky cities are the cream of the crop for retirees. If you're worried Kentucky is too far from your family, be sure to show them that half the cities on this list are also among the best places to raise a family in the state.
Now to the nitty-gritty: what's the scientific process behind our choices? We only looked at the 38 cities in Kentucky with populations of at least 10,000 people in order to weed out some anomalies that pop up in the data with super small communities. Then we pulled data from the Census, the FBI's Crime Report, National Weather Service, and OpenFlights in order to find the places with higher median age, good weather, low crime, low cost of living, and easy access to things that'll keep you entertained in your retirement. Which city performed the best based on these metrics? According to the data, Versailles is the best place to retire in Kentucky for 2023.
How'd the rest of Kentucky's 38 cities of 10,000 people or more do? Check out the full list below to find out.
For more Kentucky state reading:
- Best Places To Live In Kentucky
- Cheapest Places To Live In Kentucky
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Kentucky
- Best Places To Retire In America
The 10 Best Places To Retire In Kentucky For 2023
/10
Population: 10,196
Rank Last Year: -
Median Rent: $760
Distance to Closest Airport: 69 miles
More on Versailles: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 10,202
Rank Last Year: -
Median Rent: $722
Distance to Closest Airport: 62 miles
More on Paris: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 21,695
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 2)
Median Rent: $693
Distance to Closest Airport: 94 miles
More on Ashland: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 11,696
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 2)
Median Rent: $711
Distance to Closest Airport: 132 miles
More on Somerset: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 26,248
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 2)
Median Rent: $738
Distance to Closest Airport: 105 miles
More on Paducah: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 17,164
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 2)
Median Rent: $732
Distance to Closest Airport: 97 miles
More on Danville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 19,506
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
Median Rent: $883
Distance to Closest Airport: 3 miles
More on Erlanger: Real Estate | Data
/10
Population: 14,922
Rank Last Year: 8 (No Change)
Median Rent: $766
Distance to Closest Airport: 73 miles
More on Glasgow: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 17,241
Rank Last Year: 9 (No Change)
Median Rent: $939
Distance to Closest Airport: 11 miles
More on Fort Thomas: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 16,932
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 4)
Median Rent: $871
Distance to Closest Airport: 65 miles
More on Shelbyville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Places To Retire In the Bluegrass State for 2023
To create our list of the best places in Kentucky to retire, we first used Census data to find all places in the Bluegrass State -- 520 cities and towns.
We then narrowed it down to places with at least 10,000 people that weren't townships. This left us with 38 places from across the state.
For these 38, we looked at the following criteria taken from the Census, the FBI's Crime Report, National Weather Service, and OpenFlights:
- Low cost of living as measured by rent
- Low crime
- Things to do (Museums, Colleges, and Libraries in town)
- Nice weather
- Distance to the closest international airport
- Other retirees (High median age)
We then ranked each of these places for each criteria from one to 38, with the lowest number being the best.
Finally, we took the average rank across these criteria. The place, in this case Versailles, with the lowest average rank was crowned the best of the best, a place for you to start your second careers. You can download the data here.
Summary: Maybe You're Not Ready To Retire In Kentucky Yet...
So there you have it, the best place to retire in Kentucky goes to Versailles.
If you're not ready to hang up your office apparel yet, then these places might be up your alley:
- Radcliff
- St. Matthews
- Owensboro
For more Kentucky reading, check out:
Where Are The Best Places To Retire In Kentucky?
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Versailles | 10,196 |
| 2 | Paris | 10,202 |
| 3 | Ashland | 21,695 |
| 4 | Somerset | 11,696 |
| 5 | Paducah | 26,248 |
| 6 | Danville | 17,164 |
| 7 | Erlanger | 19,506 |
| 8 | Glasgow | 14,922 |
| 9 | Fort Thomas | 17,241 |
| 10 | Shelbyville | 16,932 |
