Can A Police Officer Afford Rent in Louisville, KY?
Comfortably affordable — rent takes 23.5% of gross income.
Louisville rent: September 2026. Salary: BLS OEWS May 2024 (Kentucky state estimate).
About rent and a police officer salary
The gap between a police officer's base pay and the rent in the city they patrol is a widely tracked local affordability question. Many large-city departments now publish recruitment materials that include a local-rent comparison, because affordability has become a recruiting issue. At the national-average officer base pay, the 30% rule supports about $1,932 a month in rent. The per-city pages combine local rent with local officer-pay estimates to show where rent stays within that range.
Cheaper rent nearby
These Kentucky cities have lower median rent than Louisville, which improves the affordability math on a police officer salary:
Compare with full rent data for Louisville
View full rent data for Louisville, KY →Frequently asked questions
Can a police officer afford rent in Louisville, KY?
Median rent in Louisville is $1,330 a month. A typical police officer in Kentucky earns about $67,998 a year, which makes that rent 23.5% of gross monthly income. Under the 30% rule, the answer is yes.
How much rent can a police officer afford in Louisville?
Using the 30% rule, a police officer salary in Kentucky (~$67,998/yr) supports up to $1,700 a month in rent. Louisville's current median rent is $1,330/mo, which leaves a $370/mo buffer.
How many hours does a police officer work to cover rent in Louisville?
At an hourly equivalent of about $33 an hour, a police officer in Kentucky works roughly 40.7 hours a month to cover Louisville's median rent of $1,330.
Where is rent cheaper than Louisville for a police officer?
Nearby Kentucky cities with lower median rent include Elizabethtown ($1,328/mo), Elizabethtown ($1,328/mo), Elizabethtown ($1,327/mo). Each shifts the affordability math materially on a police officer salary.