Kentucky

Home prices in Kentucky and Louisville: median value and trend

Median owner-occupied home value: $226,000 in Kentucky and $241,700 in Louisville (Census ACS 2024). 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 $226,000 in Kentucky and $241,700 in the city of Louisville, against $360,600 nationwide (Census ACS 2024). 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 2024

AreaMedian value, 2024Margin of error (90%)
United States$360,600±$618
Kentucky$226,000±$2,611
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area$265,900±$4,836
Jefferson County$257,100±$7,463
Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance)$241,700±$6,196

Source: Census ACS 2024, table B25077; owners’ own estimates, not sale prices.

Three points stand out:

  • The Kentucky median is $134,600 below the national median.
  • Louisville sits $15,700 above the Kentucky median, but $24,200 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 (±$6,196) is wider than for the state, because the sample is smaller. The true city median is very likely between about $235,500 and $247,900.

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 2024, 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 were read from the data.census.gov access API on October 13, 2026. The definition of value comes from the ACS 2024 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 2024 ACS median home value is $226,000 (±$2,611), against $360,600 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 2024 ACS median value is $241,700 (±$6,196). Jefferson County is at $257,100 and the Louisville/Jefferson County metro area at $265,900.

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 $226,000, Kentucky is 45th of 50, in the bottom ten, and sits 37% under the national $360,600.

The States closest in median value are Iowa ($227,300) and Louisiana ($223,200). The range runs from $170,800 in West Virginia to $875,900 in Hawaii; Kentucky is $113,500 below the middle of that ranking (Wyoming).

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 $241,700, 41st of the 49 main cities Payotte covers. That is 7% above the Kentucky median, a premium that ranks 28th 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 $45,200, against $72,120 at the national median.

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

More Kentucky guides

Sources

Kentucky · All states · Federal guides