Knoxville vs Lexington
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $239,700 in Knoxville and $293,500 in Lexington.
- Households earn more in Lexington ($69,479 vs $54,039 median).
- Knoxville has the warmer winter: January highs of 48°F vs 42°F.
- Lexington gets far more snow: 15 inches a year vs 5.
- Knoxville is growing faster: +6% since 2020 vs +2.2%.
- Tennessee has no state income tax on wages; Kentucky's top rate is 3.5%.
Side by side
| Knoxville, TN | Lexington, KY | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 202,021 | 329,751 |
| Growth since 2020 | +6% | +2.2% |
| People per square mile | 2,046 | 1,162 |
| Median age | 33.5 | 35.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 35% | 48% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $54,039 | $69,479 |
| Median home value | $239,700 | $293,500 |
| Home value to income | 4.4× | 4.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,191 | $1,164 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 92.6 | 92.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 82.8 | 77.1 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $69,400 | $69,700 |
| Homeowners | 47% | 54% |
| Top state income tax | None | 3.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.61% | 6% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 20.2 | 20.9 |
| Work from home | 13% | 12% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.5% | 4.9% |
| Poverty rate | 20.2% | 14.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 48° / 30° | 42° / 25° |
| July high / low | 88° / 69° | 87° / 67° |
| Precipitation per year | 52 in | 50 in |
| Snowfall per year | 5 in | 15 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 37 | 25 |
| Nights below freezing | 67 | 90 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 92.1 | 92.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 56% | 73% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.9% | +6.1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +63.5% | +52.5% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Knoxville: May to June and September to October. Lexington: April and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Knoxville weather by month and Lexington weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $69,400 in Knoxville and $69,700 in Lexington. Moving from Knoxville to Lexington, you would need about $75,300 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Knoxville and Lexington
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Knoxville and Lexington.
Which would you pick?
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