Whitley County, Kentucky Housing Market Prices
Whitley County Home Prices and Rent at a Glance
The median home price (often called the average home price), rent costs, affordability metrics, and housing stock characteristics for this housing market.
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Median home price 65% below the Kentucky median Cheaper than 81% of counties in Kentucky$41,786
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Median rent 18% below the Kentucky median$797
Median Home Price Map: Nearby Counties
Housing Market Overview
| Metric | Whitley County | Kentucky Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $41,786 | $118,017 | $248,835 |
| Price Trend (Annual %) | -4.5% | 3.8% | 7.5% |
| Median Gross Rent | $797 | $967 | $1,407 |
| Rent Trend (Annual %) | 4.2% | 4.3% | 5.1% |
| Household Income Trend (Annual %) | — | — | — |
The median home price in Whitley County is about 65% lower than in Kentucky. Rent is about 18% lower than the Kentucky average.
Median Home and Rent Price Trends
Median Home Prices, 2015-2024
Median Rent Prices, 2015-2024
Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Whitley County: home prices fell about 4.5% a year while rent rose about 4.2% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.
Median rent in Whitley County rose about 39.1% between 2015 and 2024, from $573 to $797. Over the same span, rent in Kentucky rose about 43.3%.
Affordability
On average, housing unit costs 0.9 yearly household incomes in Whitley County.
Buying the median-priced home in Whitley County costs roughly 4.4 years of rent at the median monthly rate. That is a relatively low price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor buying over renting in Whitley County. The price-to-rent ratio in Kentucky is about 10.2.
| Metric | Whitley County | Kentucky Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $41,786 | $118,017 | $248,835 |
| Median Household Income | $44,696 | $64,312 | $80,455 |
| Price-to-Income Ratio | 0.9 | 1.8 | 3.1 |
Home Prices vs Income Over Time
Between 2015 and 2024, the median home price in Whitley County fell about 57.0%, while median household income rose about 48.0% between 2009 and 2025 — income grew faster than the home price.
Income Growth vs Housing Cost Growth (Year-over-Year %)
Compare income and housing cost trends.
Occupancy & Tenure
| Metric | Whitley County | Kentucky Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeownership Rate | 57.9% | 61.3% | 58.5% |
| Rental Rate | 28.8% | 28.4% | 31.2% |
| Vacancy Rate | 13.4% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| Median Tenure (years) | 16.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Median Year Moved In | 2010 | 2011 | 2011 |
Whitley County has a homeownership rate of 57.9%, lower than the Kentucky average of 61.3%. Its housing vacancy rate is 13.4%, compared with 10.3% in Kentucky.
Housing Stock
| Metric | Whitley County | Kentucky Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size | 2.60 people | 2.43 people | 2.53 people |
| Median Structure Built Year | 1989 | 1981 | 1978 |
| Median Number of Rooms | 5.6 | 5.7 | 5.5 |
The typical housing unit in Whitley County was built around 1989. On average, 2.6 people live in a home with about 5.6 rooms, staying for about 16.0 years on average.
Whitley County, KY Housing Compared With Nearby Counties
Whitley County, KY is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 36,920 residents against a local median of 29,865. Whitley County, KY's median home price, at $41,786, runs 52% below the $87,692 typical of the counties around it.
Median rent tells the same story from another angle: $797 against a local median of $680, 17% above it. The counties themselves spread $157,235 on median home price, so Whitley County, KY sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Whitley County, KY has the 6th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median home price | Median rent | Homeownership |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitley County, KY | 36,920 | $41,786 #6/6 | $797 #2/6 | 66.8% #4/6 |
| Knox County, KY | 29,865 | $87,692 | $680 | 65.3% |
| McCreary County, KY | 16,867 | $76,999 | $577 | 74.2% |
| Laurel County, KY | 62,983 | $177,934 | $813 | 71.6% |
| Campbell County, TN | 39,761 | $219,444 | $716 | 69.2% |
| Bell County, KY | 23,509 | $62,209 | $591 | 58.8% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the housing market in Whitley County, Kentucky.
What is the median home price in Whitley County, Kentucky?
The median home price in Whitley County, Kentucky is $41,786, lower than the Kentucky average of $118,017.
What is the average home price in Whitley County, Kentucky?
The typical home price in Whitley County, Kentucky, reported as the median sale price, is $41,786. The median is used instead of a mathematical average because it is not skewed by a small number of very expensive or very cheap homes, so it better reflects what a typical buyer pays.
What is the median rent in Whitley County, Kentucky?
The median gross rent in Whitley County, Kentucky is $797 per month, lower than the Kentucky average of $967.
What was the median gross rent in Whitley County in 2020?
In 2020, the median gross rent in Whitley County, Kentucky was $610 per month.
What is the price-to-rent ratio in Whitley County, Kentucky?
The price-to-rent ratio in Whitley County, Kentucky is about 4.4, meaning it would take roughly 4.4 years of rent payments at the median rent to equal the median home price. That is a relatively low price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor buying over renting in Whitley County.
Are home prices or rent rising faster in Whitley County, Kentucky?
Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Whitley County: home prices fell about 4.5% a year while rent rose about 4.2% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.
What is the homeownership rate in Whitley County, Kentucky?
57.9% of households in Whitley County, Kentucky own their home, lower than the Kentucky average of 61.3%.
What is the vacancy rate in Whitley County, Kentucky?
The housing vacancy rate in Whitley County, Kentucky is 13.4%, higher than the Kentucky average of 10.3%.
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