Places › Kentucky › Elizabethtown

Living in Elizabethtown, KY

Small city in Kentucky

Elizabethtown is a small city in Kentucky, home to about 32,000 people, with 166,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, a car is essential. Life moves at a slow, calm pace, and homes are mostly apartments.

Is Elizabethtown a good place to live? Pros and cons

👍 Pros

  • Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $263k and rents for $1,470 a month
  • Safe: violent crime is 0.4× the US rate (FBI 2019)
  • Low taxes: about $1,066 state income tax per resident, 0.77% property tax
  • Mild summers: highs around 85°F

👎 Cons

  • Fewer outdoor escapes: no big hills or water close by
  • Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
  • Fewer graduates: 28% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
  • Smaller job market: about 166,000 people live within 31 mi

Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Elizabethtown ranks against your own priorities.

Key facts

Population
32,000
166,000 within 31 mi
Winter / summer highs
45°F / 85°F
Average daily highs · 5″ snow a year
3-bedroom home
$263k
Typical value (Zillow)
3-bedroom rent
$1,470/mo
Incl. utilities (HUD)
Cost of living
91
US average = 100 (BEA)
Taxes
$1,066
State income tax per resident · 0.77% property tax
Safety
0.4× US
Violent crime vs US (FBI 2019)
Natural disasters
12 since 2000
Declared in the county · mainly flooding, tornadoes
Top-rated hospitals
0
4–5★ within 31 mi (CMS)
Public schools
Average
Tests close to US average · 17 students per teacher
Adults with a degree
28%
No research university within 31 mi
Nearest major airport
SDF
33 mi away

Living in Elizabethtown: common questions

What is the cost of living in Elizabethtown?

A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $263k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,470 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 91, where the US is 100).

What are taxes like in Elizabethtown?

Kentucky collects about $1,066 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.77% of their home's value in property tax each year.

Is Elizabethtown safe?

Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.4× in FBI 2019 data).

How are the schools in Elizabethtown?

Public schools in Elizabethtown test close to the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 17 students per teacher.

What is the weather like in Elizabethtown?

Elizabethtown has cool winters: winter days average around 45°F and summer days around 85°F, with roughly 5″ of snow a year.

Does Elizabethtown get natural disasters?

Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from flooding and tornadoes: 12 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.87 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.

What is the nearest major airport to Elizabethtown?

The nearest major airport is SDF, about 33 mi away.

How Elizabethtown scores

Each bar compares Elizabethtown with the other 1,990 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).

🏙️City sizeSmall town Major metroSmall town
🏘️Urban or quietSuburban Dense & urbanQuiet / rural
🚶Getting aroundCar essential Walk & transitCar essential
🌲Culture or natureCulture & nature Culture & nightlifeNature on the doorstep
🌡️ClimateCool winters Warm all yearLong, snowy winters
💰Cost of livingVery affordable Very expensiveVery affordable
⏱️PaceSlow & calm Very fast-pacedSlow & calm
🤝CommunityPrivate AnonymousTight-knit community
🏡HousingMostly apartments ApartmentsHouses with yards
🏷️Affordable housingExcellent
💸Low taxesExcellent
💼Job marketPoor
🏥HealthcareBelow average
🏫SchoolsAverage
🎓EducationPoor
🧸Kids & familyPoor
🐕Dog-friendlyAverage
⛰️OutdoorsPoor
🎭CulturePoor
👮SafetyVery safe
🌪️Few natural disastersGood
☀️SunnyAverage
🌤️Mild summersGood
✈️AirportGood

Places like Elizabethtown

These places have the most similar overall profile across all 24 aspects.

The circle is each place's all-round score out of 100: the average of its 15 quality scores, from red (poor) to green (excellent).

Jefferson City, MOSmall city47 $266k$1,270/moSafe Hopkinsville, KYSmall city42 $211k$1,870/moSafe Florence, ALSmall city45 $221k$1,240/moNo crime data Rome, GASmall city45 $246k$1,540/moNo crime data Asheboro, NCSmall city50 $254k$1,700/moNo crime data Minot, NDSmall city42 $274k$1,620/moSafe

Nearby

Louisville, KYBig city · 34 mi away48 $276k$1,630/moHigher crime Jeffersontown, KYSuburb · 39 mi away56 $275k$1,630/moVery safe New Albany, INSuburb · 42 mi away58 $245k$1,630/moNo crime data Jeffersonville, INSuburb · 44 mi away61 $249k$1,630/moSafe Bowling Green, KYSmall city · 59 mi away39 $263k$1,380/moSafe Frankfort, KYSmall city · 65 mi away48 $254k$1,410/moSafe

See all the best places to live in Kentucky.

Is Elizabethtown right for you?

Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.

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Sources: US Census ACS 2019–2023, Census State Tax Collections FY2025, Zillow 3-bedroom ZHVI, HUD Fair Market Rents, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, FBI 2019, FEMA National Risk Index v1.20, OpenFEMA disaster declarations, NOAA Normals 1991–2020, NASA POWER, CMS, NCES IPEDS 2023, IMLS, OpenStreetMap. How scores work.