City · Kenton County, Kentucky

Covington, Kentucky

Covington is a city in Kenton County, Kentucky, part of the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area. It has 41,110 residents. Covington, Kentucky has a quality-of-life score of 47 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #8,253 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Kentucky it ranks #72 of 243 cities and towns. It ranks best on hospital quality rating (high), distance to an airport (low) and traffic deaths (low). It ranks worst on child poverty rate (high), comfortable days (low) and public libraries (low).

47Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #8,253 of 15,651 cities and towns
Kentucky: #72 of 243 in KY
Population: 41,110 (2020-2024)
Land area: 13 mi²
Density: 3,122.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 2117848

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety80#3,159/15,637
Economy24#11,933/15,631
Housing71#4,323/14,977
Health23#11,961/15,609
Healthcare72#4,312/15,650
Environment28#11,091/15,453
Education57#6,662/15,649
Infrastructure49#7,933/15,650
Community23#12,103/15,651
Leisure & amenities62#5,945/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Covington, Kentucky ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Kenton County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Hospital quality rating · high5.0
98/100Kentucky 2.8United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesKenton County value
Distance to an airport · low8 mi
98/100Kentucky 44 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauKenton County value
Traffic deaths · low4.7 /100k
96/100Kentucky 17.0 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataKenton County value
Drought exposure · low0%
95/100Kentucky 21%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAKenton County value
Primary care shortage · low0.0
90/100Kentucky 10.2United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationKenton County value
Public transit commuters · high2.7%
87/100Kentucky 0.6%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301

Weaknesses

Child poverty rate · high34.5%
2/100Kentucky 18.9%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Comfortable days · low22.0%
3/100Kentucky 23.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationKenton County value
Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
3/100Kentucky 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesKenton County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.7 /10k
9/100Kentucky 2.6 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyKenton County value
Adult smoking · high20.4%
11/100Kentucky 17.6%United States 16.1%2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Poverty rate · high20.8%
13/100Kentucky 15.4%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
76.9% (2015-2019) → 86.9% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$43,437 (2015-2019) → $61,166 (2020-2024)
+41%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
25.1% (2015-2019) → 32.2% (2020-2024)
+7.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
44.7% (2015-2019) → 49.2% (2020-2024)
+4.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
High school diploma or higherImproving
84.3% (2015-2019) → 88.2% (2020-2024)
+3.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.6× (2015-2019) → 3.1× (2020-2024)
+19%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Covington, Kentucky improved on 4 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved4

Unemployment−2.3 points7.9% → 5.7%
Bachelor's++7.1 points25.1% → 32.2%
Household income+41%$43,437 → $61,166
Broadband+10 points76.9% → 86.9%

Declined2

Transit use−3.2 points5.9% → 2.6%
Price / income+0.5×2.6× → 3.1×

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Covington, Kentucky between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.2 min2015-2019	21.8 min2020-2024	−0.4 min	Within the margin of error	53%
Bachelor's degree or higher	25.1%2015-2019	32.2%2020-2024	+7.1 points	Improved	80%
Broadband subscriptions	76.9%2015-2019	86.9%2020-2024	+10 points	Improved	59%
Child poverty rate	34.7%2015-2019	34.5%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Effective property tax rate	1.33%2015-2019	1.09%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	66%
High school diploma or higher	84.3%2015-2019	88.2%2020-2024	+3.9 points	Within the margin of error	75%
Home price to income ratio	2.6×2015-2019	3.1×2020-2024	+0.5×	Declined	48%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4762015-2019	0.4772020-2024	+0.001	Within the margin of error	50%
Median household income	$43,4372015-2019	$61,1662020-2024	+41%	Improved	75%
Poverty rate	23.1%2015-2019	20.8%2020-2024	−2.3 points	Within the margin of error	64%
Public transit commuters	5.9%2015-2019	2.6%2020-2024	−3.2 points	Declined	10%
Rent as share of income	27.8%2015-2019	29.6%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Rent-burdened households	44.7%2015-2019	49.2%2020-2024	+4.5 points	Within the margin of error	39%
Unemployment rate	7.9%2015-2019	5.7%2020-2024	−2.3 points	Improved	84%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.9%2015-2019	8.9%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	59%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Covington, Kentucky five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Covington, Kentucky in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Covington, Kentucky itself moved +0 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

41,110 residents (±91)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

18,265 households (±481)

Covington, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Under $25k22%4,104
$25k–50k20%3,624
$50k–75k17%3,040

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

18,265 households (±481)

Covington, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Own52%9,464
Rent48%8,801

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

21,010 workers (±729)

Covington, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Drive alone72%15,023
Carpool5.8%1,215
Public transit2.6%†556

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Kenton County, the county holding most of Covington's residents.

Kenton County has 3,297 employer establishments, 191 for every 10,000 residents (0.77× the US rate of 248; 0.92× Kentucky's), with 68,018 paid employees at an average annual pay of $64,554. The Census Bureau also counts 11,596 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 3,297; 11,596 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 191; US 248 · Kentucky 207
Paid employees: 68,018
Average annual pay: $64,554; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Kenton County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	279	16.2	0.78×Fewer than typical	4,118	$97,126	391
Restaurants and other eating places	255	14.8	0.81×About typical	6,230	$20,044	54
Specialty trade contractors	216	12.5	0.81×About typical	1,958	$64,378	827
Lessors of real estate	143	8.3	0.67×Fewer than typical	816	$60,132	1,455
Full-service restaurants	122	7.1	0.92×About typical	2,975	$23,735	28
Legal services	112	6.5	1.21×About typical	770	$67,029	151
Offices of physicians	111	6.4	1.00×About typical	1,735	$152,762	43
Construction of buildings	110	6.4	0.84×About typical	1,588	$117,645	293
Limited-service restaurants	105	6.1	0.76×Fewer than typical	2,913	$16,881	18
Building equipment contractors	91	5.3	0.88×About typical	1,056	$60,598	120
Services to buildings and dwellings	85	4.9	0.73×Fewer than typical	968	$35,519	602
Automotive repair and maintenance	74	4.3	0.85×About typical	504	$45,601	90

Rank places for an industry Open Kenton County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 172,179 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $2M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Covington, Kentucky: $47.81 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $2M; −62% vs FY2025
Per resident: $47.81; US $1,994
Sole-source: 9.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 7.9%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Office of Procurement Operations$1.5M78%
Department of the Army$135.2K6.9%
Internal Revenue Service$129.2K6.6%
Department of Veterans Affairs$106.4K5.4%
Public Buildings Service$31.8K1.6%
Federal Aviation Administration$27.8K1.4%
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement$3,6580.2%
Offices, Boards and Divisions$1,8640.1%

Top recipients

HANA INDUSTRIES, INC.$1.5M78%
TIER 1 PERFORMANCE SOLUTIONS LLC$135.2K6.9%
KENTON COUNTY PARKING GARAGE$129.9K6.6%
DURRETTS ORTHOTIC & PROSTHETIC LLC$77.9K4.0%
NATIONAL CONTRACTING SERVICES, LLC$32.8K1.7%

Spending by fiscal year

4.7MFY2017
3.6MFY2018
6.7MFY2019
2.4MFY2020
2.5MFY2021
5MFY2022
4.2MFY2023
5.3M

Top industries (NAICS)

Investigation and security services · 5616$1.5M78%
Scientific research and development services · 5417$135.2K6.9%
Executive, legislative, and other general government support · 9211$129.9K6.6%
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391$86.5K4.4%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$32.8K1.7%
Building equipment contractors · 2382

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Covington, Kentucky

TASK ORDER AWARD FOR PROTECTIVE SECURITY OFFICER SERVICES (PSO) AT THE IRS SERVICE CENTERS IN COVINGTON AND FLORENCE KY I/A/W DHS ACQUISITION ALERT 25-07, REV 1, THIS ACTION FALLS WITHIN SECTION 2(D).$2.1M
HANA INDUSTRIES, INC.· Kenton County, KY· Facilities & utilities· Aug 11, 2025 – May 21, 2026· 70RFP125FRE400022
TASK ORDER AWARD FOR PROTECTIVE SECURITY OFFICER SERVICES (PSO) AT THE IRS SERVICE CENTERS IN COVINGTON AND FLORENCE KY$1.8M
HANA INDUSTRIES, INC.· Kenton County, KY· Facilities & utilities· Nov 28, 2025 – Jan 30, 2026· 70RFP126FRE400003
BASE: R&D SVC, TRAVEL, OTHER COSTS -$1.2M
TIER 1 PERFORMANCE SOLUTIONS LLC· Kenton County, KY· Research & development· Apr 4, 2023 – Dec 11, 2025· W911NF23F0023

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Covington, Kentucky, so they do not add up across cities.

Covington, Kentucky's figures are part of those of Kenton County, KY ($44.6M in FY2026), never added to them: 4.4% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Covington is mostly in Kenton County.

See federal money in Kenton County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Covington, Kentucky is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Thomas MassieR-KY-4 · 100% of residentsWith party 85%Missed 5.9%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Kenton County81100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN69

Other cities and towns in Kenton County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2117848

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends