Newport, KY — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

Campbell County · Cincinnati · population 13,792

First-time buyersShrinkingSmall-town feel
View watchlist →
59
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Newport stands

At or near all-time high. population shrinking 0.6% per year.

Median home $248,597
1-year -1.0%
5-yr CAGR +3.4%
vs 5-yr peak -1.1%
Population -0.6%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2025-03$249k$112k$162k$212k$262k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
25/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
15/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
56/100
Workable for remote workers
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,603/mo$1,158$1,429$1,700202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent114130100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 12.9
Buy

At a 12.9 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Newport on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 12.9 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
45 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
56 · w22%
Distance from peak
83 · w18%
Population growth
35 · w16%
Rent YoY
69 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
78 · w10%
Long thesis

Newport has held up across the cycle: home values at $248,597 with +3.4% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Newport's population is shrinking 0.6% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — if people are leaving, the buyer pool is shrinking faster than the inventory. That eventually shows up in price.

About Newport

Newport is a city in Campbell County, Kentucky, with an estimated population of 13,792. It anchors the Cincinnati metro area. The population has contracted 0.6% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in Newport is $248,597 as of 2026-04, down 1.0% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +3.4% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Newport average $1,603 per month, up 3.6% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 59 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

Bull case

Held the highs: currently -1.1% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
The data is the data: Newport has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 2-criteria momentum score on this page.

Bear case

Flat or shrinking population: -0.6% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — verify the source.
Thin housing market: small population means fewer transactions and slower resale. Liquidity risk on exit.

Playbook

Buyer

Lifestyle fit matters more than market timing in a Stable market. Take your time on the home and neighborhood; the macro trend isn't urgent. Negotiate normally.

Seller

Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.

Investor

Stable cap rates, no big appreciation story to lean on. Underwrite this as a pure cash-flow play — the math has to work on rent alone.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Campbell County right now.

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Campbell County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like Newport

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
42° / 26°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
86° / 66°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
188
~52% of year
Annual precip
50″ rain
12″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
High
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Moderate
Flood
High

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Cincinnati area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Newport listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
70%
Humid climate
Median household income
$60,200
Kentucky state median
Top industries (state-level)
Manufacturing (auto)HealthcareLogistics (UPS)

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

Cities similar to Newport

Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.

See all Kentucky cities →    Browse best-of lists →