Living in Richmond, KY
Small city in Kentucky
Richmond is a small city in Kentucky, home to about 35,000 people, with 491,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, there is some transit, though many people drive. Life moves at a relaxed pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
Is Richmond a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $294k and rents for $1,260 a month
- Low taxes: about $1,066 state income tax per resident, 0.8% property tax
- Strong healthcare: 6 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Safe: violent crime is 0.5× the US rate (FBI 2019)
👎 Cons
- Fewer family amenities than most places
- Smaller job market: about 491,000 people live within 31 mi
- Fewer outdoor escapes: no big hills or water close by
- Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Richmond ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Richmond: common questions
What is the cost of living in Richmond?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $294k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,260 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 93, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Richmond?
Kentucky collects about $1,066 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.8% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Richmond safe?
Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.5× in FBI 2019 data).
How are the schools in Richmond?
Public schools in Richmond test close to the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 19 students per teacher.
What is the weather like in Richmond?
Richmond has cool winters: winter days average around 45°F and summer days around 86°F.
Does Richmond get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from flooding, tornadoes and cold waves: 13 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 1.28 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Richmond?
The nearest major airport is SDF, about 84 mi away.
How Richmond scores
Each bar compares Richmond 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 Richmond
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 Richmond right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.