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ShivelyKY

A town of 15,638, settled in 1938. Nearly 0.7% of it is conserved land.

Population
15,638
+2.4% since 2010
Median home value
$155K
Census ACS
Household income
$50K
median
Median age
47.5
years
Jobs based here
4,863
A commuter town

What makes Shively stand out

The 3 things Shively does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data
A commuter town

97% of working residents leave Shively for work

Where Shively’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

5% → Watterson Park Watterson Park 5% 3% → Jeffersontown Jeffersontown 3% 3% → St. Matthews St. Matthews 3% 2% → Lexington-Fayette urban county Lexington-Fayette urban county 2% 2% → Jeffersonville Jeffersonville 2% 1% → Lyndon Lyndon 1% Shively · 3% stay
4,863jobs based in Shively
3%of working residents work in town
7 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

Shively’s report card

See the data ↓

Now in Shively

What neighbors are saying. Town Square →

TUnder 10 neighbors so farJoin Shively →
Residents weigh in
Shively is #2 of 145 in KY for “Longest growing season”. Fair?
Your answer becomes a post in Shively’s Town Square.
TT Weaver · 1d · Town talk

Shively's Size and Heart

I've always thought that Shively feels smaller than its 4.6 square miles would suggest, probably because many of us can easily get to know our neighbors and local…

Or start one of these

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Shively. Another town gets a different order.

Outdoors

0.7% of Shively is conserved land

0.2 miles of trails across 1 parks and preserves.

0.7%conserved
Map of Shively: conserved land, trails and the top places to walk
Green: conserved land · dashed: trails · numbers: the places below
0.7%
conserved · 21 of 2,916 acres
0.2 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
#20
most walkable in KY
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Shively Park0.1 mi25
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-USParks & trails →
Work & commute

Most working residents commute out of Shively

Most working residents leave Shively for work: only 3% work in town. The top destinations are Watterson Park (5%), Jeffersontown (3%) and St. Matthews (3%). Half commute less than 7 miles.

3%work in town

Where working residents work

In Shively3%
Watterson Park5%
Jeffersontown3%
St. Matthews3%
Lexington-Fayette urban county2%
7 mi
median commute distance
4,863
jobs based in Shively
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACSCommute map →
Housing

Homes in Shively sell for about $220K

The median sale price was $220,000 in May 2026.

$220Kmedian sale price
Market temperature
Seller’s marketA seller's marketBuyer’sSeller’s
47
days on market
100%
sale-to-list price
14
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →
Schools

Shively’s public schools outperform 4% of Kentucky districts

The public schools Shively’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 96% of Kentucky’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.

D−School Grade
SchoolGradesStudentsGrade
Schaffner Traditional ElementaryK–5573B+
Mill Creek ElementaryPK–5437D
Cane Run ElementaryPK–5401D−
Butler Traditional High9–121,290C+
Western High9–12409D−
Waller-Williams EnvironmentalK–1264D−
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduationAll 7 schools →
Safety

Less crime per resident than 14% of U.S. towns

Shively reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 86% report less.

DSafety Grade

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

Shively3.3
Kentucky2.1
U.S.3.3

Property crime per 1,000 residents

Shively26.7
Kentucky12.8
U.S.15.5
14th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
2nd
percentile among KY towns
52
violent crimes reported in 2025
424
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeFull safety report →
Natural hazards

Very high risk, with inland flooding at the top

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 89% of U.S. communities.

89risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
89Very high riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingTornadoesEarthquakes
141
paid flood claims since 1979
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMANatural hazards →
Health

How healthy Shively is

Shively beats the Kentucky average on 0 of 5 CDC measures and trails it on 3.

5 measures vs. Kentucky
0 better2 too close to call3 worse
What stands outShivelyKY
More older adults who have lost all their teeth23.8%18.9%
More adults sleeping under 7 hours44.2%39.6%
Fewer adults seeing a dentist51.7%58.1%
Norton Hospitals
4.8 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSAFull health report →
Climate

Four seasons, hot summers

Shively has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 13 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

13″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter28–46°
Spring45–68°
Summer66–87°
Fall47–69°
Nov 7
typical first frost
Mar 31
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020Full climate →
1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Kentucky - Jefferson County - Shively - ED 56-37
1880 · 1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Kentucky - Jefferson County - Shively - ED 56-37 · Wikimedia Commons
Shively’s story

88 years in pictures

3 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives, and 2 places on the National Register.

Leslie's Travetel, 3 miles south of Louisville on Dixie Highway and U. S. 31 W and 60 (81744)Shively
Explore the history →

About Shively

City in Kentucky, United States

Official town website ↗

Shively is a home rule-class city in Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States, and a suburb of Louisville within the Louisville Metro government. As of the 2020 census, Shively had a population of 15,636.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Established
1938
Population
15,636
Area
4.6 sq mi
Elevation
456 ft
Area code
502

More about Shively

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