CitytisticsShortlist

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY vs Wilmington, DE

Louisville/Jefferson County

Kentucky

vs

Wilmington

Delaware

Across 38 directional measures we can compare, Louisville/Jefferson County leads on 18 and Wilmington on 20. Counting measures is not an overall verdict: their importance depends on your priorities. Median rent is 9% higher in Wilmington, while median household income is higher in Louisville/Jefferson County.

Median gross rent
$1,120$1,224
Louisville/Jefferson County is 8% lower
Median household income
$66,849$58,671
Louisville/Jefferson County is 14% higher
Median home value
$233,900$231,400
Louisville/Jefferson County is 1% higher

The Citytistics read

  • After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household has about $55,600 a year left in Louisville/Jefferson County and $43,800 in Wilmington. Money goes further in Louisville/Jefferson County, by about $11,800 a year.
  • A household earning Louisville/Jefferson County's median of $66,849 would need about $70,500 in Wilmington to keep the same money after rent and local prices.
  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent outran pay by 1.2 points a year in Louisville/Jefferson County, and pay outran rent by 1.3 points a year in Wilmington.

How these are calculated

DelawareKentuckyWilmington, DELouisville/Jefferson County, KYLouisville/Jefferson CountyWilmingtonLouisville/Jefferson CountyWilmington

Which fits you?

Both start on the Citytistics Index (CTX). Move the sliders to weigh what matters to you and the score becomes your own mix.

Your weights

Top 2 of 2 matching places. Places in the top 1% show their national rank.

#PlaceCTXAffordabilityEconomyEducationSafetyCommuteAmenitiesGrowth
01Louisville/Jefferson County, KYComposite 47.6 / 100
44
563653n/a663648
02Wilmington, DEComposite 33.6 / 100
12
3319526604972

CTX is the Citytistics Index: better than that share of the places we rate. It tops out at 99, so the top 1% show their national rank (#1 is best). Change any weight to rank on your own mix. How the CTX is built

Every measure

The dots show where each place sits among the 6,645 places we track. The bar is the median. A small dot after a value marks the better one.

MeasureLouisville/Jefferson CountyWilmingtonAmong all places
Cost of living
Median gross rent1$1,120$1,224
Rent to income120.1%25.0%
Property tax rate10.8%0.8%
Home price to income13.5x3.9x
Prices vs US average293.1102.5
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3$1,276$1,860
HUD area median income4$99,000$122,700
Housing
Property tax paid (median)1$1,989$1,864
Median home value1$233,900$231,400
Home prices, 1-year change54.0%2.8%
Home prices, 5-year change543.3%49.7%
Homeownership160.7%48.0%
Renters paying 30%+147.8%52.2%
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,555$1,579
Vacant homes18.5%10.9%
Median year built119711946
Jobs and income
Median household income1$66,849$58,671
Income per person1$39,683$40,332
Unemployment15.5%7.3%
Average annual pay6$74,424$83,959
Pay growth, 1 year64.4%4.5%
Jobs6480,013306,171
Poverty rate115.8%21.4%
Mean commute123 min24 min
Works from home113.3%15.9%
Commutes by transit11.8%7.7%
People
Population1631,81871,727
Population change since 202071.6%3.7%
Median age137.737.0
Bachelor's or higher133.8%33.1%
High school or higher190.3%88.0%
Household size12.32.2
Born abroad110.4%9.6%
No health insurance16.0%7.7%
Homes with broadband190.5%87.1%
Moving
Moved here in the past year14.9%6.3%
Moved from another state12.4%3.7%
Net movers per 1,000 people8-6.61.1
Income of households moving in8$60,469$77,497
Income of households moving out8$74,732$79,034
Local life
Restaurants and bars per 10k922.221.9
Shops per 10k932.434.6
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k94.65.7
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k925.821.0
Child care centers per 10k92.63.9
Parks per 10k102.621.5
Playgrounds per 10k103.84.7
Grocery stores per 10k101.11.1
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k104.07.8
Libraries per 10k100.10.7
Named paths and bike trails10162.92.0
Transit stops per sq mi101.51.6
Nearest National Park Service site1138.25.5
National Park Service sites within 60 miles1119
National Register listings12533135
Founded or incorporated13n/a1638
Safety
Violent crime per 100k14n/a1,147
Property crime per 100k14n/a2,883
Schools
Public schools1517453
Public school students1595,57931,399
Students per teacher1515.414.2
Climate
July average high1687°F87°F
January average low1625°F25°F
Average temperature1657°F55°F
Annual precipitation1650.1 in46.1 in
Hazards and air
Natural hazard risk1798.395.3
Hurricane risk1735.888.4
Tornado risk1799.888.1
Wildfire risk1756.160.6
Heat wave risk1796.995.3
Median air quality index184944
Good air days1851.5%64.4%

Data bundle checked 2026-11-14; individual source vintages vary. Rent needed at the 30% line: Louisville/Jefferson County $44,800, Wilmington $48,960 a year.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. 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 Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  12. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  13. Wikidata · Wikimedia Foundation (CC0) · Retrieved 2026-11
  14. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  15. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  16. 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
  17. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  18. 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).

Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology.

Keep comparing

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