These Are The 10 Most Successful Cities In Kentucky

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What is success? Is it the amount of money you have in your bank account, at any given point? Is it that feeling you get after delivering a killer presentation, or even a pretty decent bar joke?

Or is it something biggerâsomething wholly unnameable, undefinable, immeasurable, and totally subjective?

Probably so.

But here at Zippia, we like things that we can neatly measure and then expound upon. So yes, with the Power of Math, we have determined the unarguable, totally objective 10 most successful cities in Kentucky. And here they are:

If you are trying to argue already with our unarguable list, keep reading. Thereâs a method to this madness.

For more KY reading, check out:

How We Determined The Most Successful Cities In Kentucky

The first thing that comes to most capitalist minds in terms of success isâmoney. After all, rich people must be successful, right?

Meh. Maybe. But we think thereâs a bit more that goes into it than that. So we looked at this set of criteria from the 2010-2014 American Community Survey:

1. Union

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 5,569Median Income: $103,929
Poverty Level: 4.6%
Unemployment Rate: 4.1%

2. Cold Spring

Population 2014: 6,093 Median Income: $62,168
Poverty Level: 2.6%
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%

3. Edgewood

Population: 8,665Median Income: $85,000
Poverty Level: 2.7%
Unemployment Rate: 5.1%

4. Fort Mitchell

Population 2014: 8,209 Median Income: $63,004
Poverty Level: 6.0%
Unemployment Rate: 4.0%

5. Fort Wright

Population: 5,726Median Income: $64,797
Poverty Level: 6.7%
Unemployment Rate: 4.0%

6. Alexandria

Population: 8,654Median Income: $74,464
Poverty Level: 4.5%
Unemployment Rate: 6.1%

7. Independence

Population: 25,638Median Income: $65,776
Poverty Level: 7.0%
Unemployment Rate: 6.9%

8. Fort Thomas

Population: 16,250Median Income: $62,454
Poverty Level: 8.7%
Unemployment Rate: 6.3%

9. Middletown

Population: 7,333Median Income: $56,503
Poverty Level: 9.8%
Unemployment Rate: 4.6%

10. Villa Hills

Population 2014: 7,359 Median Income: $85,128
Poverty Level: 4.0%
Unemployment Rate: 9.1%

Measuring Success

If youâre still looking at this post thinking, âSurely, such superficial methods canât possibly measure a city, or rather, the individuals that make up that cityâs success!â well, youâre probably right.

But we like to measure things, and when it comes to success, we feel pretty successful in our approach. Congrats to Union and our winners. And for those who didnât make the cut, well, better luck next year.

Detailed List Of The Most Successful Cities In Kentucky

Rank	City	Median Income	Poverty Rate	Unemployment Rate
1	Union	$103,929	4.6%	4.1%
2	Cold Spring	$62,168	2.6%	3.6%
3	Edgewood	$85,000	2.7%	5.1%
4	Fort Mitchell	$63,004	6.0%	4.0%
5	Fort Wright	$64,797	6.7%	4.0%
6	Alexandria	$74,464	4.5%	6.1%
7	Independence	$65,776	7.0%	6.9%
8	Fort Thomas	$62,454	8.7%	6.3%
9	Middletown	$56,503	9.8%	4.6%
10	Villa Hills	$85,128	4.0%	9.1%
11	St. Matthews	$53,905	9.1%	4.8%
12	Jeffersontown	$60,251	8.6%	6.9%
13	Taylor Mill	$63,635	10.8%	6.7%
14	Douglass Hills	$61,604	14.4%	5.8%
15	Mount Washington	$62,799	7.7%	8.2%
16	Florence	$52,878	8.6%	6.6%
17	Lyndon	$50,516	10.9%	5.1%
18	Lawrenceburg	$50,696	9.6%	6.8%
19	Bellevue	$54,288	9.5%	7.9%
20	Georgetown	$56,854	11.1%	8.2%
21	Erlanger	$56,625	9.9%	8.6%
22	Vine Grove	$55,986	4.8%	12.0%
23	Shelbyville	$46,630	16.8%	7.2%
24	Elsmere	$45,639	16.6%	7.3%
25	Wilmore	$41,661	20.0%	4.2%
26	Shepherdsville	$48,571	13.2%	8.8%
27	Madisonville	$40,565	15.4%	7.5%
28	Elizabethtown	$42,735	14.8%	8.5%
29	La Grange	$53,778	16.8%	8.9%
30	Hillview	$46,707	8.3%	11.2%
31	Lexington-Fayette	$48,667	19.7%	8.0%
32	Versailles	$41,915	19.7%	7.5%
33	Owensboro	$38,213	17.9%	7.9%
34	Flatwoods	$41,344	17.3%	8.7%
35	Highland Heights	$49,982	19.4%	10.0%
36	Louisville	$44,806	17.0%	10.2%
37	Radcliff	$45,311	15.2%	12.3%
38	Pikeville	$37,283	26.1%	6.1%
39	Nicholasville	$44,213	18.2%	11.2%
40	Shively	$34,826	19.3%	8.8%
41	Danville	$38,198	19.7%	10.1%
42	Oak Grove	$35,886	16.4%	10.8%
43	Berea	$38,513	33.9%	7.2%
44	Frankfort	$40,622	19.1%	11.4%
45	Williamsburg	$34,408	21.8%	8.4%
46	Morehead	$37,036	34.5%	7.2%
47	Central City	$35,057	23.8%	8.6%
48	Maysville	$33,603	18.1%	10.6%
49	Russellville	$30,606	23.6%	7.9%
50	Henderson	$35,725	21.7%	10.7%
51	Dayton	$36,589	24.2%	9.8%
52	Mount Sterling	$38,459	19.9%	13.7%
53	Paducah	$31,338	23.1%	8.8%
54	Winchester	$35,055	20.3%	11.1%
55	Somerset	$24,851	29.4%	6.4%
56	Hazard	$38,167	26.1%	10.8%
57	Princeton	$37,008	20.8%	13.8%
58	Paris	$32,489	23.2%	10.4%
59	Ashland	$37,789	23.4%	12.5%
60	Covington	$35,460	22.2%	12.1%
61	Franklin	$30,398	22.4%	11.3%
62	Lebanon	$22,670	24.6%	9.0%
63	Newport	$35,041	24.0%	13.1%
64	Campbellsville	$31,026	24.4%	11.0%
65	Hopkinsville	$34,670	22.0%	16.4%
66	Glasgow	$28,155	24.9%	10.5%
67	Cynthiana	$27,572	27.6%	9.9%
68	Bowling Green	$34,036	29.9%	11.7%
69	Richmond	$30,295	33.2%	10.6%
70	Corbin	$32,713	24.6%	16.1%
71	London	$30,286	28.2%	12.7%
72	Bardstown	$32,000	26.8%	18.0%
73	Harrodsburg	$29,754	26.8%	21.7%
74	Murray	$29,993	36.8%	13.5%
75	Leitchfield	$26,786	31.3%	16.9%
76	Mayfield	$24,839	34.4%	15.0%
77	Middlesborough	$21,694	35.0%	14.1%
78	Monticello	$25,510	39.7%	17.1%

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Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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