CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

38.19° N · 85.67° W · GEOID 2181624

West Buechel

Jefferson County, Kentucky · part of the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY metro

Limited data population under 5,000

KentuckyWest Buechel, KYWest BuechelWest Buechel

The short answer

West Buechel is home to 1,599 people. Median household income is $48,784 a year and median rent is $1,198 a month, 29.5% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is moderate. The median home is valued at $185,600, about 3.8x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,198
12% below the median place
Median household income
$48,784
39% below the median place
Median home value
$185,600
42% below the median place
Unemployment
5.2%
6% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about West Buechel

  • Owning with a mortgage costs about $120 a month less than the median rent, which is rarer than in 96% of the 2,469 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 85 Kentucky places.
  • After the median rent, and with prices for everything else adjusted to the US average, the median household has about $35,800 a year left, less than in 94% of places its size. It is the lowest of 55 Kentucky places.
  • 37% of residents were born outside the US, more than in 96% of places its size. It is the highest of 62 Kentucky places.
  • The median rent takes 29.5% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 94% of places its size. It is the highest of 85 Kentucky places.
  • The median resident is 32.6 years old, younger than in 89% of places its size.
01

Moving to West Buechel

Jefferson County loses about 6.6 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in24,637
Moved out28,643
Net−4,006

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Bullitt County, KY1,9502,795−845
Oldham County, KY1,2921,896−604
Clark County, IN1,0631,731−668
Shelby County, KY6481,038−390
Floyd County, IN6091,054−445

Within Kentucky, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within KentuckyOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$60K
Leavers$75K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Jefferson County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
5.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.5% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Jefferson County report $60,500 a year in income on average; those leaving, $74,700, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$47,900 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,198 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,078 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $185,600.
Getting to work
24 minutes each way on average; 8.0% work from home; 1.5% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Troy, NY matches it on character. Compare the two
Net movers per 1,000 people8
-6.6
below the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8
$60,469
14% below the median place
Moved from another state1
2.5%
26% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureWest BuechelAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure5.0%13% below
Moved from another state1County figure2.5%26% above
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure-6.6below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$60,46914% below
Income of households moving out8County figure$74,7326% above
02

What it costs to live here

Owner costs with a mortgage is $1,078, 42% below the median place.

West Buechel29.5%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$47,920
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
29.5%
45% above the median place
Home price to income
3.8x
0% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
29%
just under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$36,100
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in West Buechel, $1,198 a month, and local prices for everything else (96.0 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like West Buechel, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Waynesville, MO24.3% vs 29.5%n/aCompare
Santa Teresa, NM25.8% vs 29.5%$13,100Compare
St. Robert, MO20.8% vs 29.5%n/aCompare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in West Buechel.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to West Buechel? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,078
42% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$1,036
68% below the median place
Property tax rate1
0.6%
38% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureWest BuechelAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,19812% below
Rent to income129.5%45% above
Property tax rate10.6%38% below
Home price to income13.8x0% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure93.18% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,27621% below
HUD area median income4County figure$99,0008% below
Property tax paid (median)1$1,03668% below
Median home value1$185,60042% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure4.0%26% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure43.3%16% below
Homeownership1County figure62.1%6% below
Renters paying 30%+143.8%13% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,07842% below
Vacant homes1County figure7.8%11% above
Median year built119631% below
03

Work and pay

Median household income is $48,784, 39% below the median place.

Median household income1
$48,784
39% below the median place
Income per person1
$27,953
30% below the median place
Poverty rate1
18.8%
74% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureWest BuechelAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$48,78439% below
Income per person1$27,95330% below
Unemployment1County figure5.2%6% above
Average annual pay6County figure$74,42413% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.4%19% above
Jobs6County figure480,013219% above
Poverty rate118.8%74% above
Mean commute124 min5% below
Works from home18.0%36% below
Commutes by transit1County figure1.5%81% above
04

Who lives here

Born abroad is 36.7%, 316% above the median place.

Born abroad1
36.7%
316% above the median place
Median age1
32.6
16% below the median place
No health insurance1
11.9%
86% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size2.3 −8%
Homes with broadband94.0% +2%
Bachelor's or higher37.9% +18%
High school or higher90.6% −2%
All 9 people measures
MeasureWest BuechelAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,5996646th largest
Population change since 202072.0%77% above
Median age132.616% below
Bachelor's or higher137.9%18% above
High school or higher190.6%2% below
Household size12.38% below
Born abroad136.7%316% above
No health insurance111.9%86% above
Homes with broadband194.0%2% above
05

Life in West Buechel

533 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 8 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k25.0 11.8×
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k12.5 +12%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi17.2 82.0×

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars22.2 +7%
Shops32.4 +7%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.6 +12%
Doctors' offices and clinics25.8 +28%
Child care centers2.6 +13%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public schools13
174
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students13
95,579
above the median place (median 4,897)
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9
25.8
28% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureWest BuechelAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools13County figure174above (median 9)
Public school students13County figure95,579above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher13County figure15.40% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure22.27% above
Shops per 10k9County figure32.47% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure4.612% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure25.828% above
Child care centers per 10k9County figure2.613% above
Parks per 10k100.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k100.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k1025.0above (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k1012.512% above
Libraries per 10k100.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails100.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi1017.2above (median 0.2)
National Register listings11County figure533above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Violent crime per 100k is 357, 86% above the median place.

Violent crime per 100k
357
86% above the median place
Property crime per 100k
5,218
330% above the median place
Months reported
12 of 12
by the city police department to the FBI

Counts only offenses reported by the city police department. Sheriff, state and campus police are not included, and some departments do not report to the FBI at all, so compare with care.

Tornado risk15
99.8
23% above the median place
Natural hazard risk15
98.3
6% above the median place
Annual precipitation14
50.1 in
14% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureWest BuechelAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high14County figure87°F1% above
January average low14County figure25°F1% below
Average temperature14County figure57°F3% above
Annual precipitation14County figure50.1 in14% above
Natural hazard risk15County figure98.36% above
Hurricane risk15County figure35.849% below
Tornado risk15County figure99.823% above
Wildfire risk15County figure56.18% below
Heat wave risk15County figure96.98% above
Median air quality index16County figure4914% above
Good air days16County figure51.5%25% below
08

West Buechel in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 30% of the median income in 2030, up from 29% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,198/mo (2024)$1,550/mo$1,270 to $1,890/mo+4.4%
Median household income$48,784 (2024)$61,500$52,000 to $73,000+4.0%
Median home value$185,600 (2024)$287,000$208,000 to $395,000+7.5%
Population1,402 (2025)1,4301,370 to 1,490+0.4%

The median home would be worth 4.7 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.8 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like West Buechel

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Troy, NY$1,175$58,477Compare
Knoxville, TN$1,191$54,039Compare
Baton Rouge, LA$1,067$49,994Compare
Highland Heights, KY$1,144$53,275Compare
Highland Heights, KYBaton Rouge, LAKnoxville, TNTroy, NYWest Buechel, KYWest BuechelTroyKnoxvilleBaton RougeHighland HeightsWest BuechelTroyKnoxvilleBaton RougeHighland Heights

Common questions

Is West Buechel a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Owning with a mortgage costs about $120 a month less than the median rent, which is rarer than in 96% of the 2,469 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 85 Kentucky places. After the median rent, and with prices for everything else adjusted to the US average, the median household has about $35,800 a year left, less than in 94% of places its size. It is the lowest of 55 Kentucky places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is West Buechel expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 29.5% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $185,600.

What salary do you need to live in West Buechel?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $47,920 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is West Buechel safe?

There were 357 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 192 in the typical place.

What places are similar to West Buechel?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Troy, NY, Knoxville, TN, Baton Rouge, LA and Highland Heights, KY.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  13. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  14. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  15. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  16. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares West Buechel with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for West Buechel itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/west-buechel-kentucky

Citytistics. “West Buechel, Kentucky.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/west-buechel-kentucky/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.