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 B+WilderSafer than 70% of U.S. towns

Schools

BCovingtonBetter than 57% of districts in the state –WilderNot graded

Health

C−CovingtonHealthier than 19% of U.S. towns B+WilderHealthier than 65% of U.S. towns

4Covington

15Wilder

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most walkableOutdoors · 145 towns #24#138 Most new homesHousing · 77 towns #21#72 Fewest smokersHealth · 144 towns #103#22 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 144 towns #90#15 Most conserved landOutdoors · 131 towns #10#77 SafestSafety · 118 towns #96#43 HealthiestHealth · 144 towns #91#32 Lowest depressionHealth · 144 towns #82#32

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

Where they are

Covington and Wilder share a border

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

CovingtonWilder

Covington ↔ Wilder2.0 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

92 Wilder residents work in Covington (5.6% of its workers)

Work & commute in Wilder →

Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

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 →

Wilder$1,300/mo

Typical home $217K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.90% · or rent about $1,432/mo · Housing →

The difference: $50 a month, about $600 a year, between Covington and Wilder.

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.

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

CovingtonWilder

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 17th

Outdoors & history

CovingtonWilder

Trails19 mi 1 mi

Conserved land9.6%1.5%

Settled1815 —

National Register places52 1

Archive photos18 —

Famous people born here60 —

Community

CovingtonWilder

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

CovingtonWilder

People

Population 41,110Highest 3,135Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +0.8%Lowest KY: +3.8% +4.6%Highest KY: +3.8%

Median age 37.6±1.2 4% below KY 37.6±3.5 4% below KY

Kids under 18 20.4%±1.6Highest KY: 22.6% 18.1%±5.4Lowest KY: 22.6%

Covington and Wilder 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% 19.3%±7.5Highest KY: 17.3%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 32.2%Lowest KY: 27.6% 61%Highest KY: 27.6%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.1%±1.1Lowest KY: 5.5% 6.8%±4.2Highest KY: 5.5%

Wilder and Covington 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 $70,893±$21kHighest 11% above KY

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $187,300±$11kHighest 9% below KY $159,900±$55kLowest 22% below KY

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

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,006±$57Lowest 4% above KY $1,432±$71Highest 48% above KY

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,085Highest 35% above KY $1,432Lowest 7% below KY

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 49.2%±4.5Highest KY: 45.4% 25.6%±17.9Lowest KY: 45.4%

Below poverty line 20.8%Highest KY: 16.1% 18.6%Lowest KY: 16.1%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 51.8%Lowest KY: 68.3% 80.8%Highest KY: 68.3%

Typical home builtmedian year 1947Lowest 35 yrs older than KY 1992Highest 10 yrs newer than KY

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 22 minHighest 9% below KY 20 minLowest 17% below KY

Work from home 14.1%±2.3Lowest KY: 10.2% 18.2%±5.7Highest KY: 10.2%

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

Work in townworking residents 12.8%Highest 1.2%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 7.3 miLowest 7.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.96Lowest 1.24Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Cincinnati (15%)Cincinnati (19%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Wilder6% work in Covington

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 9.6%Highest 1.5%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 19.4 miHighest 0.8 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.4 miHighest 0.2 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 15Highest 1Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 74.5Highest 20.3Lowest

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.

Wilder neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wilder’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Covington and Wilder

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Bordering Covington

+ Compare

Taylor Mill6,937 people · $241K homes

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Fort Wright5,887 people · $329K homes

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Ludlow4,378 people · $185K homes

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Park Hills3,165 people · $282K homes

Towns like Covington

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Elizabethtown32,576 people · $246K homes

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Frankfort28,503 people · $184K homes

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Florence32,803 people · $211K homes

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Nicholasville32,197 people · $227K homes

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Kentucky towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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 Wilder

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

Wilder places higher on 15 of 19 KY lists

Covington and Wilder share a border

A typical home costs about the same each month

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Covington and Wilder

Bordering Covington

Towns like Covington

Post to Covington

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