Tax rates, school ratings, home values and commutes for Lexington, Nicholasville, Versailles and Winchester, side by side from official figures.
Last checked Oct. 16, 2026. Sources: the Kentucky Department of Revenue’s 2025 Property Tax Rate Book (PDF), the Kentucky Department of Education’s 2025-26 accountability data, Zillow Research, the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey, and each city’s own website.
Nicholasville, Versailles and Winchester are the three cities nearest Lexington with more than 5,000 people: about 12, 15 and 15 miles from the center of Lexington, in Jessamine, Woodford and Clark counties. Each has its own county government, school district and city services, so the bill for living there is built differently. This guide sets the official figures side by side, one table per topic, and leaves the choice to you.
Property tax rates
Kentucky rates are in cents per $100 of assessed value, and the assessed value is the property valuation administrator’s full cash value. These are real property rates for the 2025 tax year, the latest year for all four in the state’s 2025 Property Tax Rate Book (PDF).
| Part of the rate | Lexington | Nicholasville | Versailles | Winchester |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | 10.6 | 10.6 | 10.6 | 10.6 |
| County-wide levies | 18.68 | 26.9 | 14.5 | 20.0 |
| School district | 79.8 | 67.8 | 63.3 | 65.5 |
| City | none (see below) | 18.6 | 4.9 | 12.3 |
| Lexington urban services | 17.3 | none | none | none |
| Combined | 126.38 | 123.9 | 93.3 | 108.4 |
Notes from the rate book:
- Lexington and Fayette County are one government, so there is no separate city rate. The 17.3 cents is the refuse (13.7), street lights (2.7) and street cleaning (0.9) charges paid in the full urban services district; a home in the general services district pays 109.08 cents. The county-wide figure includes the 6-cent Lextran transit levy. The 2026 rates are on our property taxes page.
- Nicholasville: Jessamine County’s 10-cent fire protection district rate does not apply inside the cities of Nicholasville and Wilmore.
- Versailles: Woodford County also lists a 7.3-cent fire protection district rate. The rate book does not say whether it covers addresses inside Versailles; if it does, the combined rate is 100.6 cents.
- Kentucky’s homestead exemption is set by the state and is the same in every county: for 2026 it takes $49,100 off the assessed value of the home of an owner who is 65 or older or totally disabled, according to the Fayette County PVA.
Tax rate chart
High school ratings
Each city is served by its county school district. These are the high schools in each district with their overall rating for 2025-26 from the Kentucky Department of Education’s accountability data, on a five-step scale from very low to very high. Reports for every school are on the Kentucky School Report Card.
| City | District | High school | Rating (score) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington | Fayette County Public Schools | Lafayette | Very high (86.9) |
| Lexington | Fayette County Public Schools | Henry Clay | High (77.0) |
| Lexington | Fayette County Public Schools | Paul Laurence Dunbar | High (74.5) |
| Lexington | Fayette County Public Schools | Frederick Douglass | Medium (68.7) |
| Lexington | Fayette County Public Schools | Tates Creek | Medium (63.1) |
| Lexington | Fayette County Public Schools | Bryan Station | Medium (60.9) |
| Nicholasville | Jessamine County Schools | West Jessamine | High (74.5) |
| Nicholasville | Jessamine County Schools | East Jessamine | Medium (70.3) |
| Versailles | Woodford County Public Schools | Woodford County | Very high (83.5) |
| Winchester | Clark County Public Schools | George Rogers Clark | Medium (65.0) |
At the district level, the high school rating was high for Fayette (71.8), Jessamine (71.3) and Woodford (79.1), and medium for Clark (62.9). A Lexington student attends the high school zoned for the home address; see our schools guide and neighborhoods guide.
Home values
From the Zillow Home Value Index by city, a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price.
| City | September 2026 | September 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington | $331,087 | $320,332 | +3.4% |
| Nicholasville | $327,210 | $319,203 | +2.5% |
| Versailles | $362,848 | $364,772 | -0.5% |
| Winchester | $251,145 | $239,790 | +4.7% |
Home value chart
More on Lexington prices on our home prices page.
Population, income and commute
From the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates, the same vintage for all four. Each city’s profile is on QuickFacts: Lexington, Nicholasville, Versailles and Winchester.
| Measure | Lexington | Nicholasville | Versailles | Winchester |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 323,725 | 32,197 | 10,492 | 19,213 |
| Median household income | $69,479 | $68,503 | $62,368 | $54,378 |
| Median value, owner-occupied homes | $293,500 | $226,800 | $286,100 | $188,300 |
| Mean travel time to work | 20.9 minutes | 24.0 minutes | 24.5 minutes | 21.9 minutes |
The Census median home value is what owners say their homes are worth, pooled over five years of surveys; in all four cities it is lower than Zillow’s September 2026 index.
Who provides city services
| Service | Lexington | Nicholasville | Versailles | Winchester |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Police | Lexington Police Department | Nicholasville Police Department | Versailles Police Department | Winchester Police Department |
| Fire | Lexington Fire Department | Nicholasville Fire Department | Versailles Fire, career and volunteer | Winchester Fire-EMS |
| Household trash | Urban county Division of Waste Management | Republic Services, per the city | Rumpke, the city’s exclusive contractor | Winchester Municipal Utilities |
In Lexington, curbside trash is paid through the urban services rate on the tax bill in the districts that get it; details are on our trash and recycling page.
How to check an address
- Which county and city a parcel is in, and its assessed value: the county property valuation administrator. In Fayette County, the PVA’s tax districts calculator also shows the services district and estimates the bill. In Jessamine, Woodford and Clark counties, ask the county PVA office.
- Which school a home is zoned for: in Lexington, the FCPS SchoolSite Locator; elsewhere, the county school district’s central office.
- The tax bill itself: the county sheriff collects property taxes in Kentucky. For Lexington, see our property taxes page.
More for newcomers: moving to Lexington, your town, county and neighbors and getting around.
Frequently asked questions
Are property taxes higher in Lexington or Nicholasville?
For the 2025 tax year the combined state, county, school and city real property rate was 126.38 cents per $100 of assessed value in Lexington’s full urban services district and 123.9 cents in Nicholasville, according to the Kentucky Department of Revenue’s rate book.
What is the typical home value in Versailles, Kentucky, compared with Lexington?
Zillow’s Home Value Index was $362,848 for Versailles and $331,087 for Lexington in September 2026. It is a modeled typical value, not a sale price.
Which school districts serve Nicholasville, Versailles and Winchester?
Jessamine County Schools serves Nicholasville, Woodford County Public Schools serves Versailles and Clark County Public Schools serves Winchester. Lexington is served by Fayette County Public Schools.
How long is the commute in Lexington compared with Nicholasville?
The Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the mean travel time to work at 20.9 minutes for Lexington residents and 24 minutes for Nicholasville residents.
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