What it's like to live in Mount Washington
Mount Washington is a small city in Kentucky with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, household incomes running above the national average, and crime rates well below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Mount Washington deals with commute times longer than most cities, larger class sizes than the national average, above-average rainfall, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
The not so good
- Above-average commute times
- High student-teacher ratio
- Above-average rainfall
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Mount Washington compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Mount Washington
Based on Mount Washington's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,016
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $40,320 a year
- 25% of Mount Washington renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$53,640
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $26,820
- Homes cost 2.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 29% below US
$1,008/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $1,008 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $268,200. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $268,200 · 25% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.5% county unemployment
Unemployment in Bullitt County is 4.5%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Bullitt County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 89% below US
37 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 415/100k · Mount Washington Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 12% above US
29 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 29.2 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 14% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 86°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 28°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 27% below US
26% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 26%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
7 public schools inside the boundary
There are 7 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 19:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park (32 miles away). There are 6 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Mount Washington's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are commute times longer than most cities and above-average rainfall. A year of median rent ($1,008/mo) equals 13% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and anyone prioritizing low crime.
See all the data for Mount Washington →·All Kentucky cities →
Other places near Mount Washington
All Kentucky guides →Moving to Shepherdsville →
9 mi away · pop. 14,533
Rent $943/mo · Income $71,476
Compare with Mount Washington →Moving to Louisville →
10 mi away · pop. 631,818
Rent $1,120/mo · Income $66,849
Compare with Mount Washington →Moving to Jeffersontown →
11 mi away · pop. 29,199
Rent $1,320/mo · Income $81,506
Compare with Mount Washington →Moving to St. Matthews →
15 mi away · pop. 17,577
Rent $1,369/mo · Income $82,412
Compare with Mount Washington →Not sure Mount Washington is the one?
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