The Town Files

The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in Kentucky

Ranked on The Town Files lifestyle rankings among 94 towns of 2,500–10,000 people in Kentucky. #1 is Prospect, KY.

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Numbers match the ranking.
The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in Kentucky1. Prospect97th pct2. Columbia95th pct3. Reidland94th pct4. Providence94th pct5. Springfield94th pct6. Fort Wright91st pct7. Park Hills89th pct8. Greenville86th pct9. Crestview Hills86th pct10. Barbourville85th pct11. Indian Hills85th pct12. Benton84th pct13. Douglass Hills83rd pct14. Flemingsburg83rd pct15. Russell81st pct16. Wilmore80th pct17. Villa Hills78th pct18. Cold Spring76th pct19. Hurstbourne76th pct20. Crescent Springs75th pct21. Rineyville75th pct22. Edgewood73rd pct23. Highland Heights73rd pct24. Russell Springs72nd pct25. Cynthiana69th pct
  1. 25Cynthiana, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 69% of Kentucky towns

    6,333 people · Harrison County · median home $172,500 · income $54,647 · Jan low 23°F · 16 in snow

  2. 24Russell Springs, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 72% of Kentucky towns

    2,715 people · Russell County · median home $170,300 · income $38,697 · Jan low 25°F · 5 in snow

  3. 23Highland Heights, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 73% of Kentucky towns

    6,662 people · Campbell County · median home $169,700 · income $53,275 · Jan low 24°F · 17 in snow

  4. 22Edgewood, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 73% of Kentucky towns

    8,435 people · Kenton County · median home $312,200 · income $119,028 · Jan low 23°F · 23 in snow

  5. 21Rineyville, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 75% of Kentucky towns

    3,039 people · Hardin County · median home $257,100 · income $84,511 · Jan low 24°F · 5 in snow

  6. 20Crescent Springs, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 75% of Kentucky towns

    4,319 people · Kenton County · median home $302,100 · income $83,066 · Jan low 23°F · 23 in snow

  7. 19Hurstbourne, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 76% of Kentucky towns

    4,683 people · Jefferson County · median home $542,600 · income $116,094 · Jan low 27°F · 13 in snow

  8. 18Cold Spring, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 76% of Kentucky towns

    6,216 people · Campbell County · median home $253,600 · income $75,000 · Jan low 24°F · 18 in snow

  9. 17Villa Hills, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 78% of Kentucky towns

    7,310 people · Kenton County · median home $362,500 · income $107,859 · Jan low 23°F · 23 in snow

  10. 16Wilmore, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 80% of Kentucky towns

    5,999 people · Jessamine County · median home $248,900 · income $77,665 · Jan low 27°F · 10 in snow

  11. 15Russell, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 81% of Kentucky towns

    3,744 people · Greenup County · median home $211,900 · income $76,182 · Jan low 23°F · 6 in snow

  12. 14Flemingsburg, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 83% of Kentucky towns

    2,953 people · Fleming County · median home $132,800 · income $35,493 · Jan low 23°F · 9 in snow

  13. 13Douglass Hills, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 83% of Kentucky towns

    5,456 people · Jefferson County · median home $346,300 · income $78,482 · Jan low 27°F · 10 in snow

  14. 12Benton, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 84% of Kentucky towns

    4,756 people · Marshall County · median home $157,000 · income $66,827 · Jan low 27°F · 4 in snow

  15. 11Indian Hills, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 85% of Kentucky towns

    2,860 people · Jefferson County · median home $699,200 · income $192,000 · Jan low 27°F · 4 in snow

  16. 10Barbourville, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 85% of Kentucky towns

    3,222 people · Knox County · median home $182,400 · income $22,046 · Jan low 25°F · 9 in snow

  17. 9Crestview Hills, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 86% of Kentucky towns

    3,246 people · Kenton County · median home $279,800 · income $95,441 · Jan low 23°F · 23 in snow

  18. 8Greenville, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 86% of Kentucky towns

    4,492 people · Muhlenberg County · median home $116,400 · income $46,054 · Jan low 24°F · 6 in snow

  19. 7Park Hills, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 89% of Kentucky towns

    3,162 people · Kenton County · median home $282,100 · income $99,861 · Jan low 24°F · 23 in snow

  20. 6Fort Wright, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 91% of Kentucky towns

    5,851 people · Kenton County · median home $328,900 · income $105,024 · Jan low 23°F · 23 in snow

  21. 5Springfield, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 94% of Kentucky towns

    2,846 people · Washington County · median home $168,600 · income $48,750 · Jan low 26°F · 3 in snow

  22. 4Providence, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 94% of Kentucky towns

    2,892 people · Webster County · median home $60,300 · income $55,121 · Jan low 25°F · 9 in snow

  23. 3Reidland, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 94% of Kentucky towns

    4,526 people · McCracken County · median home $228,000 · income $99,423 · Jan low 25°F · 4 in snow

  24. 2Columbia, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 95% of Kentucky towns

    4,845 people · Adair County · median home $143,600 · income $47,299 · Jan low 26°F · 8 in snow

  25. 1Prospect, Kentucky

    Better for retirees than 97% of Kentucky towns

    4,592 people · Jefferson County · median home $538,400 · income $163,462 · Jan low 27°F · 9 in snow

Price vs ranking

Median home value vs ranking, Kentucky towns0255075100$60K$181K$301K$422K$543KMedian home valuePercentile
Orange squares are the 25 towns on this list; green dots are other towns on The Town Files in Kentucky.

More Kentucky rankings

Same ranking, other places

Methodology. We ranked 94 towns of 2,500–10,000 people in Kentucky (2020 Census population; towns with 2,500+ people have pages so far). Lifestyle measures are The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025), shown as percentiles. Only towns better than 60% of their peers on this measure qualify, so lists can be shorter than 25. Sources: