Huntington, WV — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·West Virginia·Huntington

Cabell County · Huntington-Ashland · population 44,942

AffordabilityShrinking
Huntington, WV
Image: Wikipedia · Huntington, West Virginia
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
67
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Huntington stands

At or near all-time high. home values up 4.5% in the last year. population shrinking 1.0% per year. rents up 5.9% in the last year.

Median home $138,553
1-year +4.5%
5-yr CAGR +5.0%
vs 5-yr peak -0.1%
Population -1.0%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-03$139k$80k$101k$123k$144k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
32/100
Very 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
68/100
Strong remote-work fit
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
$1,011/mo$732$905$1,078202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent127130100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 11.4
Buy

At a 11.4 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Huntington on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 11.4 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
72 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
65 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
30 · w16%
Rent YoY
84 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
60 · w10%
Long thesis

Huntington offers a $138,553 median home with +5.0% annualized 5-year appreciation. Affordability + positive trend is one of the better risk/reward setups in US residential — small downside, room to compound.

Short thesis

Huntington's population is shrinking 1.0% 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 Huntington

Huntington is a city in Cabell County, West Virginia, with an estimated population of 44,942. It anchors the Huntington-Ashland metro area. The population has contracted 1.0% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in Huntington is $138,553 as of 2026-04, up 4.5% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.0% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Huntington average $1,011 per month, up 5.9% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 67 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Affordable AND rising: median home $138,553 with positive recent direction — rare combination most of the country can’t offer.
●Healthy 5-year run: +5.0% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Quiet strength: +4.5% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
●Held the highs: currently -0.1% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
●Hot rental market: rents up 5.9% YoY — landlords have pricing power, supports new investment math.

▼ Bear case

●Net out-migration: population shrinking 1.0% per year — services, schools, and tax base will follow.
○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Huntington (Wikipedia)

Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Cabell County and sits at the confluence of the Ohio and Guyandotte rivers in the southwestern part of the state. With a population of 46,842 at the 2020 census, Huntington is the second-most populous city in West Virginia. The Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area, spanning seven counties across West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio, has an estimated 368,000 residents.

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

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 Cabell County right now.

NWS active alerts (WV)West Virginia Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

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

Cities like Huntington

South Charleston, WV64 · RisingWeirton, WV68 · RisingFairmont, WV64 · RisingHurricane, WV67 · Rising

Run the numbers for Huntington

ToolCan I afford Huntington?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Huntington rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Huntington to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolHuntington 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)
41° / 23°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
83° / 60°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
178
~49% of year
Annual precip
44″ rain
32″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
Low
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Very low
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 Huntington 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 Huntington-Ashland area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
73%
Humid climate
Median household income
$55,200
West Virginia state median
Top industries (state-level)
HealthcareMining/CoalManufacturing

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.

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