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

All states·Kentucky·Owensboro

Daviess County · Owensboro · population 60,675

First-time buyers
Owensboro, KY
Image: Wikipedia · Owensboro, Kentucky
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
69
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Owensboro stands

At or near all-time high.

Median home $210,905
1-year +2.6%
5-yr CAGR +6.4%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population +0.2%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$211k$100k$140k$180k$219k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
40/100
Car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
82/100
Excellent for remote work
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
$1,134/mo$856$1,037$1,21820242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent11512410012020242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 15.5
Lean buy

At a 15.5 price-to-rent ratio, Owensboro is in the 'depends on horizon' zone. Buy if you'll be there 5+ years and value flexibility on the home; rent if you might move, want zero maintenance friction, or expect rates to drop.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
63 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
72 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
49 · w16%
Rent YoY
68 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
74 · w10%
Long thesis

Owensboro has held up across the cycle: home values at $210,905 with +6.4% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Owensboro's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Owensboro

Owensboro is a city in Daviess County, Kentucky, with an estimated population of 60,675. The median home value in Owensboro is $210,905 as of 2026-04, up 2.6% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +6.4% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Owensboro average $1,134 per month, up 3.5% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 69 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Affordable AND rising: median home $210,905 with positive recent direction — rare combination most of the country can’t offer.
●Healthy 5-year run: +6.4% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Quiet strength: +2.6% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
●Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Owensboro (Wikipedia)

Owensboro is a city in Daviess County, Kentucky, United States, of which it is also the county seat. It is the fourth-most populous city in the state. Owensboro is located on U.S. Route 60 and Interstate 165 about 107 miles (172 km) southwest of Louisville, and is the principal city of the Owensboro metropolitan area. The 2020 census had its population at 60,183. The metropolitan population was estimated at 116,506. The metropolitan area is the sixth largest in the state as of 2018, and the seventh largest population center in the state when including micropolitan areas.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorTom Watson
Area22.10 sq mi
Elevation394 ft
Settled1797 (as
Motto"Progress 1817"
Density2914.15/sq mi

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

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

NWS active alerts (KY)Kentucky Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

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

Neighborhoods of Owensboro

10 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Shifley-York$234,763+3.4%
2Wesleyan-Shawnee$223,134+2.4%
3Audobon-Bon Harbor$218,193+1.9%
4Dogwood Azalea$214,865+0.5%
5Seven Hills$188,924+6.7%
6Southeast$181,668+7.0%
7Midtown East$165,704+3.2%
8Old Owensboro$135,571-2.4%
9Dugan Best$135,438+8.2%
10Northwest Side$100,567-8.7%

Cities like Owensboro

Danville, KY71 · RisingIndependence, KY72 · RisingBardstown, KY75 · RisingNicholasville, KY77 · Rising

Run the numbers for Owensboro

ToolCan I afford Owensboro?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Owensboro rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Owensboro to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolOwensboro cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

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.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

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

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

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

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

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 Owensboro

Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.

See all Kentucky cities →    Browse best-of lists →