Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Kentucky instead of Indiana, you would:
Health
live 1.5 years less
In Indiana, the average life expectancy is 75 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2020. In Kentucky, that number is 74 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2020.
Economy
be 29.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Indiana, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Kentucky, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
be 32.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Indiana, 11.6% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Kentucky, however, that number is 15.4% as of 2023.
make 15.1% less money
Indiana has a GDP per capita of $59,083 as of 2024, while in Kentucky, the GDP per capita is $50,135 as of 2024.
Safety
be 32.6% less likely to be a victim of violent crime
Indiana has a violent crime rate of 327 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Kentucky, that number is 220 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Housing & Income
earn 10.9% less money
The median household income in Indiana is $70,051 as of 2023, while in Kentucky, it is $62,417 as of 2023.
Lifestyle
be 21.9% less likely to be uninsured
In Indiana, 7.3% of the population is without health insurance as of 2023. In Kentucky, that number is 5.7% as of 2023.
live in an area that is 40.4% less densely populated
Indiana has a population density of 74.1 people per sq km as of 2023. In Kentucky, that number is 44.2 people per sq km as of 2023.
be 26.5% less likely to have a foreign-born neighbor
In Indiana, 3.4% of the population was born outside the US as of 2023. In Kentucky, that number is 2.5% as of 2023.
be 20.0% more likely to be food insecure
In Indiana, 10.5% of the population is food insecure as of 2021. In Kentucky, that number is 12.6% as of 2021.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), OECD Regional Demography (2020–2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Feeding America (2021). How we calculate this
