A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Covington$1,350/mo

Typical home $219K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.11% · or rent about $1,006/mo · Housing →

Fort Wright$2,020/mo

Typical home $342K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.80% · or rent about $1,142/mo · Housing →

The difference: $670 a month, about $8,000 a year, between Fort Wright and Covington.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Fort Wright places higher on 13 of 20 KY lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Kentucky ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

CCovingtonSafer than 32% of U.S. towns A−Fort WrightSafer than 84% of U.S. towns

Schools

BCovingtonBetter than 57% of districts in the state A−Fort WrightBetter than 84% of districts in the state

Health

C−CovingtonHealthier than 19% of U.S. towns A−Fort WrightHealthier than 76% of U.S. towns

7Covington

13Fort Wright

Lists won, of 20 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

SafestSafety · 118 towns #96#21 Fewest smokersHealth · 144 towns #103#22 Most trailsOutdoors · 81 towns #3#47 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 144 towns #90#15 HealthiestHealth · 144 towns #91#24 Most walkableOutdoors · 145 towns #24#91 Lowest depressionHealth · 144 towns #82#16 Most affordableCost of living · 143 towns #68#127

Left end = #1 in Kentucky. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Covington’s rankings →

Where they are

Covington and Fort Wright share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

CovingtonFort Wright

Covington ↔ Fort Wright1.1 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

409 Covington residents work in Fort Wright (2.1% of its workers)

253 Fort Wright residents work in Covington (9% of its workers)

Work & commute in Covington →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

CovingtonFort Wright

Snow a year23″23″

January low23°F 23°F

July high86°F 86°F

Growing season (days)188d 188d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)76th 21st

Outdoors & history

CovingtonFort Wright

Trails19 mi 1 mi

Conserved land9.6%2.5%

Settled1815 —

National Register places52 1

Archive photos18 1

Famous people born here53 2

Community

CovingtonFort Wright

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Kentucky average

CovingtonFort Wright

People

Population 41,110Highest 5,887Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +0.8%Lowest KY: +3.8% +2.2%Highest KY: +3.8%

Median age 37.6±1.2Highest 4% below KY 37.5±6.3Lowest 4% below KY

Covington and Fort Wright are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 20.4%±1.6Highest KY: 22.6% 20.2%±5Lowest KY: 22.6%

Covington and Fort Wright are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 14.6%±1.3Lowest KY: 17.3% 20.3%±3.8Highest KY: 17.3%

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 32.2%Lowest KY: 27.6% 45.3%Highest KY: 27.6%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.1%±1.1Highest KY: 5.5% 4.6%±1.9Lowest KY: 5.5%

Covington and Fort Wright are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $61,166±$4kLowest 4% below KY $105,024±$26kHighest 65% above KY

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $187,300±$11kLowest 9% below KY $328,900±$18kHighest 60% above KY

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,006±$57Lowest 4% above KY $1,142±$125Highest 18% above KY

Fort Wright and Covington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,085Lowest 35% above KY $2,616Highest 69% above KY

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 49.2%±4.5Highest KY: 45.4% 27%±14.9Lowest KY: 45.4%

Below poverty line 20.8%Highest KY: 16.1% 3%Lowest KY: 16.1%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 51.8%Lowest KY: 68.3% 70.7%Highest KY: 68.3%

Typical home builtmedian year 1947Lowest 35 yrs older than KY 1974Highest 8 yrs older than KY

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 22 minHighest 9% below KY 20 minLowest 19% below KY

Work from home 14.1%±2.3Highest KY: 10.2% 12.6%±3.6Lowest KY: 10.2%

Covington and Fort Wright are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 12.8%Highest 4.3%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 7.3 miHighest 6.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.96Lowest 1.99Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Cincinnati (15%)Cincinnati (16%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 2% work in Fort Wright9% work in Covington

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 9.6%Highest 2.5%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 19.4 miHighest 1.3 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.4 miHighest 0.4 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 15Highest 0Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 74.5Highest 44.2Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #112 of 126 in KY—

School district Covington Independent · Kenton County—

High school in town Holmes High School—

Students per teacherat that high school 13.4 —

Kentucky average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Covington neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Covington’s Town Square.

Fort Wright neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Fort Wright’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Covington and Fort Wright

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Bordering Covington

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Taylor Mill6,937 people · $241K homes

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Ludlow4,378 people · $185K homes

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Wilder3,135 people · $160K homes

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Frankfort28,503 people · $184K homes

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Nicholasville32,197 people · $227K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Covington vs Fort Wright

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $670 more a month in Fort Wright

Fort Wright places higher on 13 of 20 KY lists

Covington and Fort Wright share a border

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Covington and Fort Wright

Bordering Covington

Towns like Covington

Post to Covington

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