Kentucky

Home prices in Kentucky and Louisville: median value and trend

Median owner-occupied home value: $242,000 in Kentucky and $267,600 in Louisville (Census ACS 2025). FHFA: Kentucky prices up 4.3% in a year.

Checked on against the official sources listed at the bottom of the page.

In short

The median value of owner-occupied homes is $242,000 in Kentucky and $267,600 in the city of Louisville, against $371,100 nationwide (Census ACS 2025). On the FHFA index, Kentucky prices up 4.3% and Louisville–Jefferson County metro prices up 2.4% from Q2 2025 to Q2 2026.

What it costs: median value in 2025

AreaMedian value, 2025Margin of error (90%)
United States$371,100±$646
Kentucky$242,000±$2,467
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area$288,400±$4,315
Jefferson County$281,700±$6,906
Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance)$267,600±$8,594

Source: Census ACS 2025, table B25077; owners’ own estimates, not sale prices.

Three points stand out:

  • The Kentucky median is $129,100 below the national median.
  • Louisville sits $25,600 above the Kentucky median, but $20,800 below the metro-area median. The metro area includes the suburbs and Indiana counties that pull its figure up.
  • The margin of error for Louisville (±$8,594) is wider than for the state, because the sample is smaller. The true city median is very likely between about $259,000 and $276,200.

How prices have moved: the FHFA index

Area1-year change (Q2 2025 to Q2 2026)5-year change (Q2 2021 to Q2 2026)
United States+2.1%+33.4%
Kentucky+4.3%+39.5%
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area+2.4%+34.0%

Source: FHFA HPI, purchase-only, Q2 2026 (release of August 25, 2026); changes by Payotte.

Kentucky prices rose faster than the national index, up 4.3% over the year against 2.1%, and gained 39.5% over five years against 33.4%. The Louisville area grew roughly in line with the nation.

A worked example

Take a Louisville-area home worth $200,000 in the second quarter of 2021. Tracking the metro index exactly, it would have been worth about $268,000 in the second quarter of 2026 (+34.0%). A home worth $260,000 a year earlier would be worth about $266,300 now (+2.4%). A single home can differ widely from the index.

How to use these figures when buying

Closing costs come on top: our Kentucky closing costs guide covers who pays what, and buying a home in Louisville applies these numbers to the city, including property tax. First-time buyers can also check the Kentucky first-time buyer programs.

Method and dataset

ACS median value. ACS 1-Year 2025, table B25077. Geographies: United States (0100000US), Kentucky (0400000US21), Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN Metro Area (310M700US31140), Jefferson County (0500000US21111), Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance) (1600000US2148006). Values read from the Census Bureau’s ACS 2025 one-year summary file (table B25077) on November 4, 2026. The definition of value comes from the ACS 2025 Subject Definitions.

FHFA index. FHFA HPI (purchase-only, seasonally adjusted), state series (Kentucky), metro series (Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN, metro code 31140) and U.S. series. Index values used: Kentucky 393.05 (Q2 2025), 293.81 (Q2 2021) and 409.76 (Q2 2026); Louisville metro 413.17, 315.77 and 423.21; United States 426.58, 326.58 and 435.69.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median home value in Kentucky?

Kentucky’s 2025 ACS median home value is $242,000 (±$2,467), against $371,100 for the nation: owners’ own estimates, not sale prices.

What is the median home value in Louisville?

For the city of Louisville (the Census “metro government (balance)”), the 2025 ACS median value is $267,600 (±$8,594). Jefferson County is at $281,700 and the Louisville/Jefferson County metro area at $288,400.

Are Kentucky home prices going up or down?

FHFA’s purchase-only index shows Kentucky prices rose 4.3% over the year to Q2 2026, and the Louisville metro area rose 2.4%. Over five years, they rose 39.5% and 34.0%.

How Kentucky compares with the other States

With a median of $242,000, Kentucky is 44th of 50, in the bottom ten, and sits 35% under the national $371,100.

The States closest in median value are Alabama ($246,500) and Iowa ($237,000). The range runs from $176,300 in West Virginia to $901,500 in Hawaii; Kentucky is $104,500 below the middle of that ranking (Georgia).

On the FHFA index, Kentucky prices rose 4.3% over the year to the second quarter of 2026, which places the State 12th of 50, 2.2 points ahead of the national +2.1%. Over five years the gain is +39.5% (15th of 50; nation +33.4%).

The two measures diverge: Kentucky is among the cheapest States by median value, yet its prices rose faster than most over the past year.

Over five years, Kentucky's +39.5% annualises to +6.9% a year (nation +5.9%). The latest year (+4.3%) is 2.6 points under that average, a slower pace than the five-year average.

Louisville, the main city, has a median of $267,600, 38th of the 49 main cities Payotte covers. That is 11% above the Kentucky median, a premium that ranks 25th of 49.

The one-year FHFA change runs from -1.2% in New Mexico to +8.3% in Alaska. Kentucky (+4.3%) is 4 points below the top and 5.5 above the bottom; Ohio (+4.4%) and New Jersey (+4.6%) are the nearest to it.

For scale, 20% of the Kentucky median is $48,400, against $74,220 at the national median.

Compare with the other states: Median home price by state.

More Kentucky guides

Sources

Kentucky · All states · Federal guides