Nelson County, Kentucky Housing Market

In Nelson County, Kentucky, the median home value is $238,000, with a median monthly rent of $1,008. This places Nelson County at #1007 nationally out of 3134 counties by median home value, and #14 within Kentucky.

Median Home Value $238,000
Median Rent $1,008/mo
Owner Occupancy 78.3%
Price/Rent Ratio 19.7

📈 Price Trend (2017 → 2024)

📊 Recent Market Momentum (FHFA HPI)

FHFA House Price Index — All-Transactions, Annual (2000 = 100) · Latest: 2025

💡 Year-over-Year Trend: Home prices in Nelson County rose +4.7% year-over-year as of 2025. (Source: FHFA)

📍 Economic Snapshot

💼

Employment & Wages

16,456
jobs (private sector)
  • Avg weekly wage: $1,136
  • Establishments: 1,497
  • BLS QCEW, 2025
🏗️

Housing Supply

222
new units authorized (2025)
  • Single-family: 186
  • Multi-family: 36
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey
🚚

Migration Patterns

+828
net migration (filers, 2021-2022)
  • Inflow: 20,020 (avg $71,400)
  • Outflow: 19,192 (avg $71,800)
  • IRS Statistics of Income

📍 Sub-Market Activity

Top 3 active ZIP codes in Nelson County · Latest: 2025

# ZIP Code HPI YoY Change Latest Year
1 40107 296.3 — 2025
2 40008 264.1 +4.10% 2025
3 40004 255.3 +4.76% 2025

Source: FHFA HPI for Five-Digit ZIP Codes (All-Transactions Index, 2000 = 100).
This product uses FHFA Data but is neither endorsed nor certified by FHFA.

How Nelson County Compares

MetricNelson CountyKentucky AverageU.S. Average
Median Home Value $238,000 $160,835 $227,706
Median Gross Rent $1,008 $793 $968
Owner Occupancy Rate 78.3% 73.4% 73.3%
Price/Rent Ratio 19.7 16.6 18.7

Market Analysis

The median home value in Nelson County is 48.0% above the Kentucky state average and 4.5% above the U.S. national average. The median rent of $1,008/month is 27.1% above the state average.

With a price-to-rent ratio of 19.7, the buy-vs-rent decision in Nelson County is balanced. Whether buying or renting makes more sense depends on your time horizon, down payment capacity, and local market conditions.

Nelson County has an owner-occupancy rate of 78.3%, compared to 73.4% in Kentucky and 73.3% nationally. This indicates a more homeowner-heavy market than the U.S. average.

Similar Counties by Home Value

CountyStateMedian Home ValueMedian Rent
Essex County Virginia $238,100 $972
Mills County Iowa $237,800 $959
Kennebec County Maine $238,200 $992
Habersham County Georgia $238,300 $974
Oktibbeha County Mississippi $237,700 $915

Other Counties in Kentucky

CountyMedian Home ValueMedian RentOwner Occ.
Madison County $232,000 $889 62.0%
Kenton County $244,400 $1,069 70.7%
Simpson County $229,400 $1,012 66.7%
Bourbon County $229,300 $822 63.7%
Bullitt County $247,200 $987 84.9%

Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2024 5-Year Estimates (2017–2024). Variables: B25077 (Median Home Value), B25064 (Median Gross Rent), B25003 (Tenure). Data collected on 2026-10-14. The price-to-rent ratio is calculated as Median Home Value ÷ (Median Monthly Rent × 12).