Paducah, KY Housing Market
AI-powered market intelligence for the Paducah, KY-IL metro area.
PropertyIQ Scores
Paducah, KY Market Analysis
Market Overview
Paducah, KY is positioned as a weak market based on its PropertyIQ Score of 22 out of 100. The score is driven heavily by negative home value momentum: the 12-month momentum is -2.06%, and the 3-month momentum is -1.15%. Additional top score drivers include a median days on market of 61 days and a 16.7% share of listings with a price cut. Together, these figures point to a market where homes are selling more slowly, sellers are adjusting prices more often, and home values are under mild downward pressure rather than appreciating.
Compared with state benchmarks, Paducah is meaningfully less expensive but also has lower household incomes. The median home value in Paducah is $170,202, compared with the state average of $299,900. That places Paducah roughly 43% below the state median home value. The rent index is $1,098, below the state average of $1,227, and median household income is $62,286, below the state average of $81,702. Unemployment in Paducah is 5.1%, matching the state average exactly. Population growth data is not available, which limits a full demand-side assessment of the market.
Key Trends
One clear trend is negative home value momentum. The 12-month home value momentum of -2.06% and the 3-month momentum of -1.15% are both top score drivers, indicating that recent price movement has been soft. The key metrics also report a year-over-year median home value change of -$4. While that dollar figure is essentially flat, the momentum readings suggest that the broader trend has been slightly negative rather than expansionary.
A second trend is slower sales activity. The median days on market is 61 days, meaning the typical home is taking about two months to go under contract. At the same time, 16.7% of listings have had a price cut, which is roughly one in six active listings. With 306 homes for sale, these metrics indicate a market that is not turning over quickly. State benchmarks for days on market and price-cut share are not provided, but these are top score drivers for Paducah, so they are meaningful within the local scoring model.
A third trend is an affordability profile that differs from the state. Paducah’s median home value of $170,202 is about 43% below the state median of $299,900, and its rent index of $1,098 is about 10.5% below the state rent index of $1,227. However, median household income is $62,286, about 23.8% below the state average of $81,702. The local home price-to-income ratio is roughly 2.7, compared with about 3.7 at the state level, suggesting that homeownership is more attainable relative to local income even though incomes are lower overall.
A fourth trend is the potential rental yield. The annual rent index equates to $13,176 per year. Against the median home value of $170,202, that produces a gross rent yield of about 7.7% before expenses, vacancy, and maintenance. That is a notable data point for income-oriented investors, though it does not account for local costs or management conditions not provided in the data.
Who Is This Market For
Paducah is likely best suited for first-time buyers and income-focused investors rather than buyers seeking rapid appreciation. First-time buyers may find the lower median home value of $170,202 attractive compared with the state median of $299,900, and the local price-to-income ratio of about 2.7 is more favorable than the state ratio of about 3.7. At the same time, buyers should understand that price momentum is negative, days on market are elevated at 61 days, and 16.7% of listings have had price cuts, which may create negotiation opportunities but also signal soft demand.
Investors may be drawn to the rent index of $1,098 relative to the median home value of $170,202, which implies a gross rent yield of about 7.7% before expenses. That yield is a meaningful data point, but the market’s slower sales pace and negative home value momentum mean that exit liquidity could be weaker than in a higher-scoring market. Move-up buyers or those relying on short-term equity gains may find this market less supportive, given the lack of positive price momentum and the absence of population growth data to confirm rising demand.
Outlook
The near-term outlook for Paducah is cautious and broadly soft. Negative 12-month and 3-month home value momentum, a median days on market of 61 days, and a price-cut share of 16.7% all point to a market where sellers face more friction and buyers have some leverage. Unemployment at 5.1% matches the state average, which provides stability but does not offer a clear growth catalyst. The lower median home value and favorable rent yield may support some buyer and investor interest, but median household income remains below the state average and population growth data is unavailable. Based on the provided metrics, the data supports a flat-to-soft outlook rather than a strong rebound, with continued price pressure likely if current sales pace and price-cut trends persist.
AI-generated analysis based on current market data. Last updated September 3, 2026.
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Paducah, KY market data
Paducah, KY Housing Market Overview
Paducah, KY's median home value is $170K, down 2.1% over the past year. Homes here sell in a median 61 days. Its PropertyIQ Score of 22 sits below the state average of 50, marking a market positioned to lag its state over the next three years.
Understanding the Paducah, KY housing market requires looking beyond headline price figures. The PropertyIQ Score reads both sides of market strength: Zillow price momentum across 3- and 12-month windows, and Realtor.com flow signals — days on market and the share of listings with price cuts. Together they predict how this KY metro is set to perform relative to the rest of its state.
Southeastern markets benefit from manufacturing investment, logistics infrastructure, and relative affordability compared to national averages. The region's population growth — driven by both domestic migration and natural increase — supports sustained housing demand across metro and suburban areas. Within the Southeast, Paducah, KY's PropertyIQ Score of 22 runs below the Southeast norm.
For the Paducah, KY market, PropertyIQ calculates a single score each month from four inputs: twelve-month Zillow home-value momentum, three-month Zillow home-value momentum, median days on market from Realtor.com, and the Realtor.com price-reduced share. The score is computed nationally across all metros and calibrated so 50 equals the state average. Across the validation history, metro markets in the top score band have outperformed their state by roughly 1.7 percentage points more per year than bottom-band markets. Momentum here has been negative, with home values down 2.1% over the past year.
Explore the interactive map to see how Paducah, KY compares to neighboring metros, or view the full market dashboard for detailed analytics including time-series trends, score breakdowns, and AI-generated market reports.
Counties in the Paducah, KY metro area
ZIP codes in the Paducah, KY metro area
View all 23 →Top markets in KY
Market data through July 2026. Sourced from Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, U.S. Census Bureau, FRED, BLS, and BEA. Per-statistic source and date shown above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Paducah, KY a good place to buy real estate in 2026?
PropertyIQ doesn't label markets simply good or bad. Instead, the PropertyIQ Score measures a market's demand momentum against its own state, where 50 marks the state average. Paducah, KY currently scores 22, a weak-momentum reading that leaves it positioned to lag its state over the next three years. For buyers, cooling demand usually brings more inventory, longer sale times, and real leverage to negotiate on price. Backing that up, the median home value here is $170K, down 2.1% over the past year. So whether Paducah, KY is right for you comes down to your goals: a rising-momentum market can favor long-term appreciation but offers less room to negotiate, while a cooling one hands buyers more leverage. Treat the score as a timing signal to weigh alongside your budget, holding period, and plans for the property, not a verdict on the market's quality.
What is the PropertyIQ Score for Paducah, KY?
Paducah, KY's PropertyIQ Score is 22, indicating weak momentum on a 1-to-99 scale. The score distills four transparent inputs into a single number: Zillow home-value momentum over the past 12 months, Zillow home-value momentum over the past 3 months, the median days homes spend on the market from Realtor.com, and the share of listings with a price cut, also from Realtor.com. Rising values and faster sales push the score up, while slow sales and frequent price cuts pull it down. The scale is calibrated so 50 equals the state average, meaning a score above 50 predicts the market will outperform its state over the next three years and a score below 50 predicts underperformance. PropertyIQ computes the score across every US market nationally, then recenters it against each state, so 22 places Paducah, KY below its state benchmark.
Are home prices in Paducah, KY rising or falling?
Home prices in Paducah, KY are falling. Over the past year, the median home value declined 2.1%, reaching $170K. Over the latest three months, values slipped 1.2%, a sign near-term demand is softening. PropertyIQ derives these figures from Zillow's home-value index, which tracks the typical value across the market rather than only the homes that happened to sell, giving a steadier read than a raw median sale price. Both the 12-month and 3-month momentum readings feed directly into the PropertyIQ Score, so this price trend is one of the core signals behind Paducah, KY's current score. Keep in mind that appreciation can vary widely by neighborhood and price tier across the metro area, so treat these figures as the market-wide baseline rather than a guarantee for any single property.
How quickly do homes sell in Paducah, KY?
In Paducah, KY, homes sell in a median of 61 days from listing to pending sale, based on Realtor.com market data. Median days on market is one of the clearest real-time reads on local demand: when homes move quickly, buyers are competing and sellers hold the advantage, while lengthening timelines signal cooling interest and more room to negotiate. Alongside sale speed, about 17% of active listings here have taken at least one price cut — a complementary demand gauge, since a rising share of reductions often precedes slower sales and softer prices. Both median days on market and the price-cut share feed directly into the PropertyIQ Score, where faster sales and fewer cuts push the score higher. As a general guide, medians under about 30 days indicate a brisk, competitive market, while medians well beyond 60 days point to buyers regaining leverage. Actual time on market still varies by price band, property type, and season, so treat the median as a market-wide baseline.
How current is this metro area data?
This Paducah, KY market data is refreshed on a monthly cycle, with the latest figures current through July 2026. PropertyIQ ingests fresh data every month from a range of authoritative sources: home values and rents from Zillow, days on market and price-cut activity from Realtor.com, additional housing signals from Redfin, demographic and housing-stock data from the U.S. Census Bureau, mortgage and macroeconomic series from FRED, and employment figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The PropertyIQ Score itself is recomputed every month once the new source data lands, so the score and its four underlying inputs always reflect the most recent complete reporting period rather than a static snapshot. Because official housing data is typically released with a short lag, the current-through date usually trails the present by a few weeks, which is normal across the industry and not a sign the data is out of date.