Living in Paducah, KY
Small city in Kentucky
Paducah is a small city in Kentucky, home to about 27,000 people, with 90,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, there is some transit, though many people drive. Life moves at a slow, calm pace, and homes are a mix of apartments and houses.
Is Paducah a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $226k and rents for $1,270 a month
- Low taxes: about $1,066 state income tax per resident, 0.82% property tax
- Strong healthcare: 2 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Mild summers: highs around 87°F
👎 Cons
- Fewer family amenities than most places
- Smaller job market: about 90,000 people live within 31 mi
- Fewer outdoor escapes: no big hills or water close by
- Fewer graduates: 28% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Paducah ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Paducah: common questions
What is the cost of living in Paducah?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $226k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,270 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 86, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Paducah?
Kentucky collects about $1,066 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.82% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Paducah safe?
Violent crime is close to the national rate (0.8× in FBI 2019 data).
How are the schools in Paducah?
Public schools in Paducah test close to the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 16 students per teacher.
What is the weather like in Paducah?
Paducah has cool winters: winter days average around 46°F and summer days around 87°F, with roughly 3″ of snow a year.
Does Paducah get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is high, mainly from earthquakes and flooding: 10 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 3.8 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Paducah?
The nearest major airport is BNA, about 127 mi away.
How Paducah scores
Each bar compares Paducah 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).
Places like Paducah
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).
Nearby
See all the best places to live in Kentucky.
Is Paducah right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.