Hornell, NY — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·New York·Hornell

Steuben County · Corning · population 8,078

AffordabilityShrinkingSmall-town feel

Overview Cost of living Moving guide

View watchlist →

Cooling

Momentum score · 0–100

Where Hornell stands

Home values down 3.0% in the last year. population shrinking 0.6% per year.

Median home $112,454

1-year -3.0%

5-yr CAGR +2.2%

vs 5-yr peak -6.7%

Population -0.6%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly

Lifestyle scores

🚶

Walkability

25/100

Very car-dependent

Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.

🚉

Public transit

10/100

Transit limited

Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.

💻

Remote work fit

40/100

Marginal for remote

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 vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 8.4

Buy

At a 8.4 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Hornell on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 8.4 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →

Home YoY

35 · w22%

Home 5-yr CAGR

48 · w22%

Distance from peak

55 · w18%

Population growth

37 · w16%

Home 10-yr CAGR

65 · w10%

Long thesis

Hornell has held up across the cycle: home values at $112,454 with +2.2% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Hornell'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 Hornell

Hornell is a city in Steuben County, New York, with an estimated population of 8,078. It anchors the Corning metro area. The population has contracted 0.6% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in Hornell is $112,454 as of 2026-04, down 3.0% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +2.2% annual growth (-6.7% from the 5-year peak). Rents in Hornell average $1,120 per month. The composite momentum score is 46 of 100 (Cooling). Buyers may find more room to negotiate; sellers should price realistically.

▲ Bull case

●Cheap entry point: $112,454 median home is well below the US median of $355k — room to grow without overpaying.

○The data is the data: Hornell 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

●Cooling: -3.0% over the trailing year — momentum has stalled.

●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

You have leverage. Negotiate price, ask for closing-cost credits, and don't waive inspection. Walk-away power is real in a Cooling market — use it.

Seller

Price aggressively (at or below recent sold comps) or be prepared to wait. Concessions — rate buydowns, closing costs, repair credits — are how deals close right now.

Investor

Cap rates are more attractive than they were 12 months ago but the appreciation tailwind is gone. Confirm tenant demand, vacancy rates, and exit liquidity before committing capital.

Local safety & alerts

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

NWS active alerts (NY)New York Emergency Management How to prepare (NWS)

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