Financial profile
Jefferson County, Kentucky financial profile
The Jefferson County, Kentucky financial profile pulls six federal datasets into one page: what households earn, what housing costs, how prices have moved, how much natural hazard risk sits on a mortgage here, and how often lenders say no.
Median household income
$66,296
Census ACS 2022
Typical home value
$222,200
Census ACS
Median gross rent
$1,045/mo
Census ACS
2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
$1,272/mo
HUD 2026
Median property taxes
$1,905/yr
Census ACS
Unemployment rate
5.1%
Census ACS
Electricity price
13.2¢/kWh
EIA 2025, state average
Mortgage denial rate
15.6%
HMDA 2025
What happens when we cross the datasets
These readings are ours: each one combines two or more federal sources, so you get a number no single agency publishes for Jefferson County.
Rent burden on a median income
23.0%A two-bedroom at Fair Market Rent takes 23.0% of the median household income here, inside the 30% affordability line.
We use data from HUD Fair Market Rent and data from Census ACS median household income.
Home price to income ratio
3.4×The typical home costs 3.4 times the median household income, inside the 3–4× range lenders traditionally treat as comfortable.
We use data from Census ACS median home value and data from Census ACS median household income.
5-year home price momentum
43.3%House prices in this county moved 43.3% over five years, which on today's median value is about $67,141 of the price.
We use data from FHFA House Price Index (5-year) and data from Census ACS median home value.
Natural hazard exposure
Relatively HighFEMA’s National Risk Index rates this county “Relatively High” for overall natural hazard risk on its own national scale (composite risk score 98.3), and it has been inside 12 federal disaster declarations in the last 15 years, led by tornado. That is what drives homeowners insurance pricing.
We use data from FEMA National Risk Index and data from FEMA disaster declarations (15 years).
Mortgage denial gap vs. the country
-2.1 pts15.6% of mortgage applications here are denied, versus 17.7% nationally — 2.1 points easier than the national picture.
We use data from CFPB HMDA county aggregates and data from CFPB HMDA national aggregates.
Electricity burden on a median income
2.2%At 13.2¢ per kilowatt-hour, a typical 900 kWh month costs about $119 — 2.2% of the median household income over a year.
We use data from EIA average retail electricity price and data from Census ACS median household income.
Grocery burden for a family of four
20.4%Feeding two adults and two school-age children at USDA's low-cost plan runs about $1,125 a month (6/2026 prices) — 20.4% of the median household income here, before rent, energy or health cover.
We use data from USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food at Home, June 2026 (June 2026) (household-adjusted) and data from Census ACS median household income.
Rent against the average Social Security cheque
66.1%The average Social Security payment in this county is $1,923 a month (December 2025), and a two-bedroom at Fair Market Rent is $1,272 — 66.1% of that cheque, a calculation that touches 162,685 beneficiaries locally.
We use data from SSA OASDI beneficiaries by county and data from HUD Fair Market Rent.
Insurance burden on a median income
4.1%NAIC puts the average Kentucky car insurance premium at $1,208 a year and the average owner-occupied HO-3 homeowners premium at $1,525 (2023 data). Together that is 4.1% of the median household income in this county. Both figures are state averages — NAIC does not publish county premiums, so we never break them down further, and an average premium reflects each state's coverage limits, deductibles, risk and regulation rather than the price of cover alone.
We use data from NAIC auto and homeowners insurance reports (state) and data from Census ACS median household income.
Home insurance per $1,000 of home value
$6.86The Kentucky average HO-3 premium of $1,525 works out at $6.86 for every $1,000 of the $222,200 median home value in this county. High-hazard states such as Louisiana, Florida and Oklahoma sit far above the national picture on this measure.
We use data from NAIC homeowners report, HO-3 state average and data from Census ACS median home value.
Health insurance premiums
Data not available — Kentucky runs its own health insurance marketplace, so its premiums are not in the federal CMS rate files.
Source: CMS Health Insurance Marketplace Public Use Files, plan year 2026.
Insurance, Medicare and local prices
Average car insurance
$1,208/yr
Kentucky state average — NAIC 2023, not a county figure
Average home insurance (HO-3)
$1,525/yr
Owner-occupied HO-3 policy, Kentucky state average — NAIC 2023
Dwelling fire policy (DP)
$449/yr
Non-owner-occupied and rental property — a different policy from HO-3. Kentucky state average, NAIC 2023
Disaster history and insurance
Jefferson County has been included in 12 federal disaster declarations over the last 15 years, most recently a winter storm declaration dated 2026-01-24. FEMA estimates expected annual losses of $341,915,012 across the county. Hazard history is one of the strongest drivers of homeowners insurance premiums, so quote your insurance before you close, not after.
Housing next steps in Jefferson County
Shown because this profile holds housing costs for Jefferson County. We never place an offer next to a number we do not have.
- Check today's mortgage ratesWeekly national averages from Freddie Mac, with the observation date.
- Get matched with a lender licensed in KentuckyFree, no obligation, and never a condition of what we publish about Jefferson County.
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Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (5-year), 2023 release; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents, FY2026; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index (annual, all-transactions); FEMA National Risk Index and OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations; CFPB Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) aggregates; U.S. Energy Information Administration, average retail electricity and natural gas prices; CMS Health Insurance Marketplace Public Use Files (rate, plan attributes, service area), plan year 2026; Social Security Administration, OASDI Beneficiaries by State and County, December 2025; USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Official USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food at Home, June 2026 (Alaska and Hawaii schedules from the separate USDA Alaska/Hawaii release); IRS Statistics of Income, ZIP Code Data, tax year 2022; Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities and per-capita personal income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, metropolitan areas; National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Auto Insurance Database Report and Homeowners Insurance Report (state averages); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Poverty Guidelines; CMS Medicare Advantage and Part D landscape and plan files.