countyscore

Best Counties for Retirement in Kentucky 2026

120 counties ranked with the Retiree lens of the County Fit Score.

Top 5 Retirement Counties in Kentucky

1Elliott County
74.4
baseline 72.6
2Nicholas County
70.7
baseline 65.3
3Hancock County
70.6
baseline 68.7
4Robertson County
70.4
baseline 67.1
5Rockcastle County
70.4
baseline 72.7

All 120 Retirement-Ranked Counties in Kentucky

RankCountyCounty Fit Scorebaseline CountyScoreDelta
1Elliott County, KY74.472.6+1.8
2Nicholas County, KY70.765.3+5.4
3Hancock County, KY70.668.7+1.9
4Robertson County, KY70.467.1+3.3
5Rockcastle County, KY70.472.7-2.3
6Menifee County, KY69.668.8+0.8
7Green County, KY69.368.3+1
8Wolfe County, KY69.371-1.7
9Leslie County, KY68.870.1-1.3
10Owsley County, KY68.868.80
11Washington County, KY68.765.8+2.9
12Clinton County, KY68.370-1.7
13Edmonson County, KY68.365.5+2.8
14Cumberland County, KY6870.5-2.5
15Casey County, KY67.967.4+0.5
16Butler County, KY67.567.9-0.4
17Allen County, KY6764.3+2.7
18Metcalfe County, KY6764+3
19Powell County, KY66.960.1+6.8
20Trimble County, KY66.763.7+3
21McCreary County, KY66.469.1-2.7
22Lee County, KY65.861.7+4.1
23McLean County, KY65.269.7-4.5
24Fleming County, KY64.765.1-0.4
25Lyon County, KY64.663.7+0.9
26Adair County, KY64.565.7-1.2
27Hickman County, KY64.567.9-3.4
28Lewis County, KY64.564.8-0.3
29Caldwell County, KY64.463.9+0.5
30Crittenden County, KY64.463.7+0.7
31Russell County, KY64.465.5-1.1
32Breckinridge County, KY6465-1
33Spencer County, KY6459.3+4.7
34Carter County, KY63.866.3-2.5
35Grayson County, KY63.762.1+1.6
36Knott County, KY63.267.8-4.6
37Wayne County, KY63.163+0.1
38Bracken County, KY62.961.3+1.6
39Owen County, KY62.462.1+0.3
40Hart County, KY62.363.6-1.3
41Morgan County, KY62.362.4-0.1
42Johnson County, KY62.267.4-5.2
43Jackson County, KY62.162.7-0.6
44Monroe County, KY62.166.2-4.1
45Lincoln County, KY6263.5-1.5
46Gallatin County, KY61.859.1+2.7
47Magoffin County, KY61.864.8-3
48Martin County, KY61.767.3-5.6
49Lawrence County, KY61.261.4-0.2
50Marion County, KY61.162.5-1.4
51Bath County, KY6156.2+4.8
52Larue County, KY60.961.6-0.7
53Carlisle County, KY60.862.5-1.7
54Harrison County, KY60.860.5+0.3
55Meade County, KY60.858.1+2.7
56Trigg County, KY60.860+0.8
57Estill County, KY60.658.7+1.9
58Grant County, KY60.159.4+0.7
59Whitley County, KY59.764.4-4.7
60Anderson County, KY59.559.6-0.1
61Pendleton County, KY59.559.50
62Livingston County, KY58.959-0.1
63Perry County, KY58.860.6-1.8
64Marshall County, KY58.656.8+1.8
65Oldham County, KY58.657.2+1.4
66Ballard County, KY58.356.1+2.2
67Mercer County, KY58.360.1-1.8
68Rowan County, KY57.758.7-1
69Taylor County, KY57.760-2.3
70Breathitt County, KY57.459.8-2.4
71Ohio County, KY57.356.7+0.6
72Woodford County, KY57.156.3+0.8
73Muhlenberg County, KY56.857.9-1.1
74Letcher County, KY56.762.3-5.6
75Greenup County, KY56.658.8-2.2
76Logan County, KY56.656.2+0.4
77Henry County, KY56.351.7+4.6
78Clay County, KY56.156.3-0.2
79Todd County, KY56.156.7-0.6
80Boyle County, KY5655.2+0.8
81Harlan County, KY5658.1-2.1
82Carroll County, KY55.859.7-3.9
83Garrard County, KY55.854.2+1.6
84Union County, KY55.160.1-5
85Laurel County, KY54.951.1+3.8
86Nelson County, KY54.854.6+0.2
87Floyd County, KY54.661.3-6.7
88Pulaski County, KY54.557.1-2.6
89Graves County, KY53.856-2.2
90Scott County, KY53.349.4+3.9
91Mason County, KY53.251.8+1.4
92Bourbon County, KY53.151.3+1.8
93Barren County, KY5353.3-0.3
94Calloway County, KY52.955-2.1
95Pike County, KY52.856.7-3.9
96Knox County, KY52.256.5-4.3
97Shelby County, KY51.748.4+3.3
98Webster County, KY51.751.6+0.1
99Bullitt County, KY51.149.5+1.6
100Kenton County, KY50.749.8+0.9
101Hardin County, KY50.648.1+2.5
102Simpson County, KY50.548.2+2.3
103Hopkins County, KY49.250.9-1.7
104Jessamine County, KY48.447.5+0.9
105Campbell County, KY48.250.4-2.2
106Madison County, KY48.147.6+0.5
107Clark County, KY47.247.5-0.3
108Bell County, KY4753-6
109Fulton County, KY46.750.5-3.8
110Boone County, KY46.547.4-0.9
111Franklin County, KY46.246+0.2
112Henderson County, KY45.946.2-0.3
113McCracken County, KY45.646.1-0.5
114Montgomery County, KY44.844.2+0.6
115Daviess County, KY41.341.9-0.6
116Warren County, KY4141.8-0.8
117Boyd County, KY40.245.1-4.9
118Christian County, KY38.838.9-0.1
119Fayette County, KY3737.5-0.5
120Jefferson County, KY34.234.3-0.1

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best county for retirement in Kentucky?

Based on the Retiree lens, Elliott County ranks as the top retirement county in Kentucky with a County Fit Score of 74.4. The baseline CountyScore remains visible for context.

How many counties in Kentucky are ranked for retirement?

We rank 120 counties in Kentucky with the Retiree lens, using independent importance values for health, safety, taxes, cost, disaster risk, water, and weather.

Also Browse Kentucky Counties For

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Retirement Rankings by State

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Data: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, FBI UCR, CDC, FEMA NRI, NCES, EPA SDWIS, 2019-2023 ACS — Informational only. Not financial or legal advice.