City · Campbell County, Kentucky

Dayton, Kentucky

Dayton is a city in Campbell County, Kentucky, part of the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area. It has 5,743 residents. Dayton, Kentucky has a quality-of-life score of 59 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #6,433 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Kentucky it ranks #47 of 243 cities and towns. It ranks best on hospital quality rating (high), drought exposure (low) and restaurants and bars (high). It ranks worst on comfortable days (low), income inequality (Gini index) (high) and grocery stores (low).

59Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #6,433 of 15,651 cities and towns
Kentucky: #47 of 243 in KY
Population: 5,743 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 4,421.4 /mi²
FIPS code: 2120350

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 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.

Safety70#4,652/15,637
Economy28#11,263/15,631
Housing67#4,999/14,977
Health36#9,919/15,609
Healthcare67#5,192/15,650
Environment28#11,110/15,453
Education51#7,640/15,649
Infrastructure80#3,151/15,650
Community49#8,021/15,651
Leisure & amenities85#2,415/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Dayton, Kentucky ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Campbell 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 ServicesCampbell County value
Drought exposure · low0%
98/100Kentucky 21%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAACampbell County value
Restaurants and bars · high14.1 /10k
94/100Kentucky 8.1 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCampbell County value
Gyms and fitness centers · high2.1 /10k
93/100Kentucky 1.0 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCampbell County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high7.0 /10k
88/100Kentucky 4.4 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCampbell County value
Flu vaccinations · high53.0%
87/100Kentucky 43.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCampbell County value

Weaknesses

Comfortable days · low21.9%
2/100Kentucky 23.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationCampbell County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.507
10/100Kentucky 0.477United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Grocery stores · low0.9 /10k
11/100Kentucky 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCampbell County value
Depression · high28.0%
12/100Kentucky 27.4%United States 20.7%2022Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Adult smoking · high19.9%
13/100Kentucky 17.6%United States 16.1%2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Preventable hospital stays · high3,307 /100k
26/100Kentucky 3,415 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCampbell County value

Trends

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

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
76.4% (2015-2019) → 91.8% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
29.5% (2015-2019) → 15.7% (2020-2024)
−14 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$52,515 (2015-2019) → $65,992 (2020-2024)
+26%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Poverty rateImproving
21.0% (2015-2019) → 15.9% (2020-2024)
−5.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
High school diploma or higherImproving
85.5% (2015-2019) → 90.4% (2020-2024)
+4.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.0× (2015-2019) → 2.5× (2020-2024)
+22%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, Dayton, Kentucky improved on 3 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 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.

Improved3

Child poverty−14 points29.5% → 15.7%
Broadband+15 points76.4% → 91.8%
Household income+26%$52,515 → $65,992

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Dayton, Kentucky between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.2 min2015-2019	22.1 min2020-2024	−0.1 min	Within the margin of error	49%
Bachelor's degree or higher	23.6%2015-2019	22.9%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Broadband subscriptions	76.4%2015-2019	91.8%2020-2024	+15 points	Improved	81%
Child poverty rate	29.5%2015-2019	15.7%2020-2024	−14 points	Improved	88%
Effective property tax rate	1.52%2015-2019	1.15%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	81%
High school diploma or higher	85.5%2015-2019	90.4%2020-2024	+4.8 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Home price to income ratio	2.0×2015-2019	2.5×2020-2024	+0.4×	Within the margin of error	52%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4622015-2019	0.5072020-2024	+0.045	Within the margin of error	19%
Median household income	$52,5152015-2019	$65,9922020-2024	+26%	Improved	46%
Poverty rate	21.0%2015-2019	15.9%2020-2024	−5.1 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Rent as share of income	32.8%2015-2019	32.2%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent-burdened households	54.9%2015-2019	57.5%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Unemployment rate	6.0%2015-2019	5.0%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	69%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.6%2015-2019	7.5%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	20%

“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 Dayton, Kentucky five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Dayton, 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, Dayton, Kentucky itself moved +1.8 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

5,743 residents (±22)

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

2,533 households (±169)

Dayton, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Under $25k21%†536
$25k–50k18%452
$50k–75k17%†443

Homes

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

Owners and renters

2,533 households (±169)

Dayton, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Own57%1,447
Rent43%1,086

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

2,856 workers (±259)

Dayton, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Drive alone70%1,986
Carpool10%†298
Public transit0.6%†17

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 Campbell County, the county holding most of Dayton's residents.

Campbell County has 1,743 employer establishments, 186 for every 10,000 residents (0.75× the US rate of 248; 0.90× Kentucky's), with 25,891 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,822. The Census Bureau also counts 6,517 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,743; 6,517 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 186; US 248 · Kentucky 207
Paid employees: 25,891
Average annual pay: $47,822; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	195	20.8	1.13×About typical	4,324	$18,328	25
Specialty trade contractors	155	16.5	1.07×About typical	1,420	$69,099	510
Ambulatory health care services	129	13.7	0.66×Fewer than typical	1,342	$74,171	212
Limited-service restaurants	90	9.6	1.20×About typical	1,922	$17,019	4
Lessors of real estate	84	8.9	0.73×Fewer than typical	184	$57,098	748
Full-service restaurants	82	8.7	1.14×About typical	2,072	$19,704	13
Building equipment contractors	69	7.4	1.22×About typical	679	$60,867	80
Construction of buildings	58	6.2	0.82×About typical	393	$63,924	184
Religious organizations	44	4.7	0.85×About typical	274	$20,653	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	44	4.7	0.70×Fewer than typical	1,218	$69,050	347
Offices of physicians	40	4.3	0.66×Fewer than typical	436	$114,461	30
Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors	39	4.2	1.26×More than typical	469	$64,640	39

Rank places for an industry Open Campbell County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 93,864 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Dayton, Kentucky: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

1.3MFY2017
-1MFY2018

What was bought

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 Dayton, Kentucky, so they do not add up across cities.

Dayton, Kentucky's figures are part of those of Campbell County, KY ($1.6M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Campbell 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.

Dayton, 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.

Campbell County77100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN69

Other cities and towns in Campbell 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
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/2120350

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends