Lexington + 1 other KY city land among top 10 in US for spike in home values
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Lexington ranked 7th nationwide for 2025–2026 typical home value growth at 3.12%.
- Louisville ranked 9th with a 2.5% one-year increase in typical home value.
- SmartAsset used Zillow Home Value Index data to compare 100 of the largest U.S. cities.
Lexington was recently named the No. 7 city in the nation for the change in typical home value from 2025 to 2026, according to one report.
Financial company SmartAsset reported in its April 9 analysis “Where Home Prices Increased Most – 2026 Study” Lexington’s typical home value increased by 3.12% from February 2025 to February 2026.
Louisville wasn’t far behind, with a 2.5% one-year increase in typical home value landing the city in 9th place in the nation.
To compile the analysis, SmartAsset used data from the Zillow Home Value Index to compare 100 of the largest U.S. cities for price growth. Home value data for single-family homes, condos and co-ops were included.
SmartAsset reported, using Zillow data, Lexington’s typical home value was $312,974 in 2025, jumping to $322,743 in 2026. The five-year change in typical Lexington home value was 41.15%, and the city’s typical home value has spiked by 64.61% since pre-pandemic times, according to the analysis.
Louisville had a typical home value of $252,809 in 2025 and $259,139 in 2026, the report found, and the city’s five-year change was 28.5%, with a 49.2% jump since before the pandemic.
Lexington rent prices are also high
Home values aren’t the only area in which Lexington has seen real estate become less affordable lately — the city also landed among the top 10 in the nation in another recent analysis on increases in rent prices.
Lexington’s increased home value trend wasn’t mirrored in most of the nation’s large cities, however.
“Between 2025 and 2026, the typical home value in large U.S. cities actually declined by 1.04%, with values dropping in 70% of cities,” SmartAsset’s analysis reads.
Nationally, including areas outside the largest cities, there was a 0.3% typical home value growth from December 2025 to December 2026, according to Zillow.
Real estate company Redfin reports Lexington’s median home sale price was $348,000 in March, up 7.1% from the previous year. While home prices are up in Lexington, Redfin reports listings are staying on the market a bit longer, with average homes selling after 48 days on the market compared to 34 days in 2025.
Where did US home values increase the most?
Here’s how the top 10 U.S. cities for increased home values compared, according to SmartAsset:
1. Toledo, Ohio: 5.6% increase in typical home value from February 2025 to February 2026
2. Lincoln, Neb.: 4.11%
3. San Francisco: 4.04%
4. New York City: 3.97%
5. Milwaukee: 3.69%
6. Buffalo, N.Y.: 3.65%
7. Lexington, Ky.: 3.12%
8. Tulsa, Okla.: 2.86%
9. Louisville, Ky.: 2.5%
10. Virginia Beach, Va.: 2.5%
The five U.S. cities to see the greatest declines in typical home value were Oakland, Calif., Saint Petersburg, Fla., Naples, Fla., Austin, Texas and Plano, Texas, SmartAsset reported.
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