The Town Files

The 25 Best Small Towns for First-Time Home Buyers in Kentucky

Ranked on The Town Files lifestyle rankings among 94 towns of 2,500–10,000 people in Kentucky. #1 is Wilder, KY.

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Numbers match the ranking.
The 25 Best Small Towns for First-Time Home Buyers in Kentucky1. Wilder100th pct2. Elsmere99th pct3. Bellevue99th pct4. Southgate99th pct5. Highland Heights98th pct6. Dayton97th pct7. Scottsville97th pct8. Oak Grove95th pct9. Russell Springs95th pct10. Princeton91st pct11. Cold Spring91st pct12. Morgantown88th pct13. Walton87th pct14. Providence86th pct15. Ludlow84th pct16. Eminence82nd pct17. Middlesborough81st pct18. Crittenden79th pct19. Hartford78th pct20. Brandenburg77th pct21. Calvert City74th pct22. Hebron72nd pct23. Flemingsburg70th pct24. Pioneer Village67th pct25. Hillview65th pct
  1. 25Hillview, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 65% of Kentucky towns

    8,622 people · Bullitt County · median home $186,300 · income $68,111 · Jan low 26°F · 4 in snow

  2. 24Pioneer Village, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 67% of Kentucky towns

    2,671 people · Bullitt County · median home $240,500 · income $84,167 · Jan low 26°F · 4 in snow

  3. 23Flemingsburg, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 70% of Kentucky towns

    2,953 people · Fleming County · median home $132,800 · income $35,493 · Jan low 23°F · 9 in snow

  4. 22Hebron, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 72% of Kentucky towns

    6,195 people · Boone County · median home $239,300 · income $106,719 · Jan low 23°F · 23 in snow

  5. 21Calvert City, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 74% of Kentucky towns

    2,514 people · Marshall County · median home $165,700 · income $48,906 · Jan low 26°F · 4 in snow

  6. 20Brandenburg, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 77% of Kentucky towns

    2,894 people · Meade County · median home $214,700 · income $49,844 · Jan low 23°F

  7. 19Hartford, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 78% of Kentucky towns

    2,668 people · Ohio County · median home $106,900 · income $61,445 · Jan low 24°F · 5 in snow

  8. 18Crittenden, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 79% of Kentucky towns

    4,023 people · Grant County · median home $223,800 · income $57,283 · Jan low 25°F · 15 in snow

  9. 17Middlesborough, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 81% of Kentucky towns

    9,405 people · Bell County · median home $99,900 · income $31,106 · Jan low 23°F · 9 in snow

  10. 16Eminence, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 82% of Kentucky towns

    2,705 people · Henry County · median home $192,600 · income $41,734 · Jan low 20°F

  11. 15Ludlow, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 84% of Kentucky towns

    4,385 people · Kenton County · median home $184,800 · income $65,284 · Jan low 22°F · 16 in snow

  12. 14Providence, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 86% of Kentucky towns

    2,892 people · Webster County · median home $60,300 · income $55,121 · Jan low 25°F · 9 in snow

  13. 13Walton, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 87% of Kentucky towns

    5,460 people · Boone County · median home $262,200 · income $77,917 · Jan low 23°F · 16 in snow

  14. 12Morgantown, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 88% of Kentucky towns

    2,505 people · Butler County · median home $114,000 · income $37,604 · Jan low 24°F · 7 in snow

  15. 11Cold Spring, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 91% of Kentucky towns

    6,216 people · Campbell County · median home $253,600 · income $75,000 · Jan low 24°F · 18 in snow

  16. 10Princeton, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 91% of Kentucky towns

    6,270 people · Caldwell County · median home $96,600 · income $47,411 · Jan low 27°F · 9 in snow

  17. 9Russell Springs, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 95% of Kentucky towns

    2,715 people · Russell County · median home $170,300 · income $38,697 · Jan low 25°F · 5 in snow

  18. 8Oak Grove, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 95% of Kentucky towns

    7,931 people · Christian County · median home $148,700 · income $49,354 · Jan low 28°F · 2 in snow

  19. 7Scottsville, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 97% of Kentucky towns

    4,299 people · Allen County · median home $160,700 · income $35,562 · Jan low 26°F · 8 in snow

  20. 6Dayton, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 97% of Kentucky towns

    5,666 people · Campbell County · median home $163,500 · income $65,992 · Jan low 24°F · 16 in snow

  21. 5Highland Heights, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 98% of Kentucky towns

    6,662 people · Campbell County · median home $169,700 · income $53,275 · Jan low 24°F · 17 in snow

  22. 4Southgate, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 99% of Kentucky towns

    3,648 people · Campbell County · median home $190,800 · income $54,421 · Jan low 24°F · 17 in snow

  23. 3Bellevue, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 99% of Kentucky towns

    5,548 people · Campbell County · median home $206,500 · income $71,166 · Jan low 24°F · 16 in snow

  24. 2Elsmere, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 99% of Kentucky towns

    9,159 people · Kenton County · median home $171,900 · income $60,503 · Jan low 23°F · 23 in snow

  25. 1Wilder, Kentucky

    Better for first-time buyers than 100% of Kentucky towns

    3,176 people · Campbell County · median home $159,900 · income $70,893 · Jan low 24°F · 18 in snow

Price vs ranking

Median home value vs ranking, Kentucky towns0255075100$60K$181K$301K$422K$543KMedian home valuePercentile
Orange squares are the 25 towns on this list; green dots are other towns on The Town Files in Kentucky.

More Kentucky rankings

Same ranking, other places

Methodology. We ranked 94 towns of 2,500–10,000 people in Kentucky (2020 Census population; towns with 2,500+ people have pages so far). Lifestyle measures are The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025), shown as percentiles. Only towns better than 60% of their peers on this measure qualify, so lists can be shorter than 25. Sources: