Elevation of Louisville
461ft
above sea level · 141 m
Louisville is a city in Kentucky with 641,962 people, the most populous in the state. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, it’s the 41st lowest.
By the All Map Tools Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 38.25° N · 85.76° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 38° 15′ 15″ N · 85° 45′ 34″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 16S · 608,546 E · 4,234,751 N
- Zone 16 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Eastern Time
- UTC−5 · UTC−4 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 641,962 people
- 263 sq mi of land · 2,442 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from January 2024: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Louisville had 641,962 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 1.6% more than in April 2020, when it had 631,901. Its 263 sq mi of land work out to 2,442 people/sq mi; the state average is 117 people/sq mi.
It’s the most populous of the 554 places the Census counts in Kentucky (cities, towns and CDPs), and holds 14% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Jefferson County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 8.6 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
About 1.71 million people live within 50 miles of Louisville, with 214 cities, towns and CDPs. See what’s within 5, 10, 25, and 50 miles.
Compared with other big cities
Louisville sits at 461 ft (141 m) above sea level. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, the highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft). The average is 858 ft: Louisville is 397 ft below it.
The state capital, Frankfort, is 48 mi away in a straight line and 43 ft higher than Louisville.
Of the 3 cities in Kentucky with a page, Louisville is the lowest. The others are Lexington (968 ft) and Frankfort (504 ft).
The highest point in Kentucky is Black Mountain, at 4,145 ft according to the USGS: 3,684 ft above Louisville, 182 mi away in a straight line.
- 51 Louisville 461 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
Nearest cities with a page
Distances from Louisville
The 2 cities with a distance page from Louisville: by road, as the crow flies, driving (or flight) time and the midpoint.
Tools for this place
Step-by-step guide How to find the elevation of any place
Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Louisville.
What is the elevation of Louisville?
Louisville is 461 feet (141 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Louisville?
Latitude 38.25424 and longitude -85.75941, in decimal degrees (38° 15′ 15″ N · 85° 45′ 34″ W). In UTM, zone 16: 608,546 E and 4,234,751 N, on NAD83.
How does Louisville rank among the highest big cities?
It’s the 41st lowest of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people. The highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft).
What county is Louisville in?
Jefferson County, Kentucky.
Which is higher, Louisville or Frankfort?
Frankfort. Louisville sits at 461 ft and Frankfort at 504 ft: a difference of 43 ft, 48 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know