# Nelson, Kentucky — #1,302 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 6.43 of 10. FIPS 21179. Population 47,730. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 47,700 people live in Nelson, Kentucky. It ranks #1,302 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #54 of 120 in Kentucky. The combined sales tax is 6%, lower than in 62% of counties. Property tax takes about 0.74% of a home's value each year, less than in 49% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 85% of counties. The homicide rate is higher than in 60% of counties. Life expectancy is about 74.5 years, shorter than in 61% of counties. Air quality is worse than in 79% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 47), and flood and hurricane risk is lower than in 50% of counties. On this site's state scores, Kentucky gets 5.8 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 10 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 5.80 |  |
| 2A | state | 10.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 5.34 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 7.05 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 8.03 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 4.55 |  |
| Property tax | county | 6.30 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 3.73 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 4.50 |  |
| Government employees | county | 8.51 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 6.08 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #658 Spencer, Kentucky — https://libertymoving.org/counties/21215.md
- #1217 Washington, Kentucky — https://libertymoving.org/counties/21229.md
- #1850 Hardin, Kentucky — https://libertymoving.org/counties/21093.md
- #973 Larue, Kentucky — https://libertymoving.org/counties/21123.md
- #1778 Bullitt, Kentucky — https://libertymoving.org/counties/21029.md
- #675 Anderson, Kentucky — https://libertymoving.org/counties/21005.md
- #1388 Marion, Kentucky — https://libertymoving.org/counties/21155.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/21179
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=21179
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
- Sources and terms: https://libertymoving.org/privacy