Are you sick of being a city slicker?
Do you long for life in suburban Kentucky? Where you can drive an overly-large vehicle to the store for groceries and schlep the kids around to practices and appointments without worrying about a parking space.
We do, too.
If you wanted to move out to the suburbs in Kentucky, where would you go? And how would you decide on the ranking factors to help you pick which Kentucky suburb was best?
No worries. We got it all figured out here using Saturday Night Science.
$119,028 median income · $361,115 median home price
Located in
Kenton County, Kentucky
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$104,350 median income · $368,293 median home price
Located in
Campbell County, Kentucky
Fort Thomas is a home rule-class city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States, on the southern bank of the Ohio River and the site of an 1890 US Army post. The population was 16,325 at the 2010 census, making it the largest city in Campbell County and it is officially part of the Cincinnati – Northern Kentucky metropolitan area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$86,310 median income · $398,735 median home price
Located in
Kenton County, Kentucky
Fort Mitchell is a home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 8,207 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$136,712 median income · $449,093 median home price
Located in
Boone County, Kentucky
Union is a home rule-class city in Boone County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 5,379 as of the 2010 United States Census. The area was rural until mass residential growth in the 1990s and 2000s.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$128,650 median income · $344,828 median home price
$107,859 median income · $393,017 median home price
Located in
Kenton County, Kentucky
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$105,024 median income · $334,172 median home price
Located in
Kenton County, Kentucky
Fort Wright is a home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 5,723 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$99,861 median income · $343,282 median home price
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$71,166 median income · $245,119 median home price
Located in
Campbell County, Kentucky
Bellevue is a home rule-class city in Campbell County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is located along the southern bank of the Ohio River. The population was 5,955 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$102,361 median income · $323,031 median home price
Located in
Kenton County, Kentucky
Independence is a home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is one of its county’s two seats of government. Independence is a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio, and the population was 24,757 at the time of the 2010 U.S. census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Kentucky’s statewide median.
Kentucky statewide median: $63,726
Kentucky statewide median: $231,894
On the map
Where Kentucky’s best suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we crunched the suburb numbers for the Bluegrass State
We have to use Saturday Night Science and look at several metrics to give you the best suburbs in Kentucky. We want to measure the type of place around major cities that people arguing at a bar would say makes it the “best suburb.”
First, we had to define a suburb. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of Kentucky, we looked at every town with at least 2,000 residents, and within 30 miles of a city that’s over 200,000 people.
In other words, suburbs.
We paid particular attention to the following criteria:
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Population Density (Higher is Better)
- Unemployment Rates
- Commute Time
- Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We ranked each suburb in Kentucky across these criteria from one to 27, with one being the best.
We then took the average rank across all criteria, with the town posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title “Best Suburb To Live In Kentucky.”
The result is some of the safest, quietest, and ideal places to live in Kentucky.
Read on to see why Edgewood is the ‘burb with the most, while Covington is probably not the best place to live in Kentucky.
The full plate
The Best Suburbs In Kentucky
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edgewood | 8,447 | $119,028 | $361,115 |
| 2 | Fort Thomas | 17,169 | $104,350 | $368,293 |
| 3 | Fort Mitchell | 8,713 | $86,310 | $398,735 |
| 4 | Union | 7,642 | $136,712 | $449,093 |
| 5 | Lakeside Park | 2,828 | $128,650 | $344,828 |
| 6 | Villa Hills | 7,480 | $107,859 | $393,017 |
| 7 | Fort Wright | 5,887 | $105,024 | $334,172 |
| 8 | Park Hills | 3,165 | $99,861 | $343,282 |
| 9 | Bellevue | 5,636 | $71,166 | $245,119 |
| 10 | Independence | 29,392 | $102,361 | $323,031 |
| 11 | Alexandria | 10,562 | $102,239 | $338,680 |
| 12 | Taylor Mill | 6,937 | $88,546 | $276,590 |
| 13 | Crescent Springs | 4,486 | $83,066 | $310,074 |
| 13 | Cold Spring | 6,341 | $75,000 | $302,336 |
| 15 | Crestview Hills | 3,284 | $95,441 | $318,527 |
| 16 | Erlanger | 19,875 | $75,840 | $245,646 |
| 17 | Ludlow | 4,378 | $65,284 | $213,778 |
| 18 | Elsmere | 9,205 | $60,503 | $222,955 |
| 19 | Wilder | 3,135 | $70,893 | $211,532 |
| 20 | Walton | 5,730 | $77,917 | $349,337 |
| 21 | Southgate | 3,717 | $54,421 | $223,419 |
| 22 | Florence | 32,803 | $71,003 | $286,328 |
| 23 | Dayton | 5,743 | $65,992 | $200,111 |
| 24 | Crittenden | 4,084 | $57,283 | $286,493 |
| 25 | Highland Heights | 6,444 | $53,275 | $205,650 |
| 26 | Newport | 13,967 | $60,853 | $242,641 |
| 27 | Covington | 41,110 | $61,166 | $221,429 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS via Saturday Night Science. 27 Kentucky suburbs within 30 miles of a city over 200,000.
Summary
Summary: There You Have It – The Best Suburbs In Kentucky
If you’re measuring the locations in Kentucky where there are lots to do, and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
The best suburbs in Kentucky are Edgewood, Fort Thomas, Fort Mitchell, Union, Lakeside Park, Villa Hills, Fort Wright, Park Hills, Bellevue, and Independence. Not sold on Kentucky? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs In Kentucky FAQs
What is the best suburb in Kentucky?
Edgewood is the best suburb to live in Kentucky for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. It pairs a $119,028 median household income with a $361,115 median home value.
What are the best suburbs in Kentucky?
The best suburbs in Kentucky are Edgewood, Fort Thomas, Fort Mitchell, Union, Lakeside Park, Villa Hills, Fort Wright, Park Hills, Bellevue, and Independence. We ranked all 27 qualifying Kentucky suburbs.
What counts as a suburb?
For this ranking, a suburb is a town within 30 miles of a city with more than 200,000 people. 27 Kentucky places fit that definition this year.
How do you rank the best suburbs?
Suburbs are scored on home values, income, density, unemployment, commute times, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best average across all eight wins.
Which Kentucky suburb ranked last?
Covington came in last of the 27 Kentucky suburbs we scored. Somebody has to, and the full ordering is in the table above.
