State rental market reference · Data updated October 18, 2026
Kentucky rental market for DSCR investors: rent, taxes and insurance by county
What a rental in Kentucky rents for, what it costs to carry, and whether it stays rented, from official data for all 120 counties. Read it before you price a deal here.
Kentucky at a glance
What does a rental rent for?
$1,199 a month
HUD's FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent where most of Kentucky's renters live, from $909 (Henderson County) to $1,442 (Bracken County). It is the government figure for a modest 2-bedroom unit, utilities included, not the rent for a house.
What will property taxes cost?
0.75% of value a year
Homeowners in Kentucky pay a median $1,544 a year on a median home value of $205,600 (Census ACS 2020–2024). A rental can be taxed at a different rate than an owner's home; the local tax bill is the real number.
What will insurance cost?
$1,280 a year
The median that homeowners with a mortgage in Kentucky report paying for homeowners insurance (Census ACS 2020–2024). It is not a landlord quote: a rental policy usually costs more, and flood cover is extra.
Will it stay rented?
4.6% rental vacancy
Share of Kentucky's rental homes vacant and for rent (Census ACS 2020–2024), across 574,561 renter households. Lower means rentals fill faster.
Are jobs growing?
Employment up 0.5% in a year
Employed residents in August 2026 against a year earlier; unemployment 4.3% (BLS, not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month a year apart).
Is new supply coming?
14,940 homes permitted in 2025
About 8.2 new homes per 1,000 households; 59% single-family (Census Building Permits Survey). More new homes means more competition for tenants and buyers.
How often does it flood?
11,882 flood claims since 2005
National Flood Insurance Program claims on properties in Kentucky since 2005, $352.0 million paid (FEMA). Claims show where water has reached insured buildings; they are not a flood map, so check the FEMA flood zone for the address.
What it means for a DSCR rental in Kentucky
A lender's DSCR is the monthly rent divided by the full monthly payment: principal, interest, property taxes, insurance and any HOA dues. Many lenders accept 1.00x; 1.20x leaves a cushion.
Take a home at Kentucky's median value of $205,600, bought with 25% down on a 7.5% 30-year loan, with the state's typical tax rate and insurance:
- Principal and interest ($154,200 loan)
- $1,078
- Property taxes
- $129
- Insurance
- $107
- Full monthly payment
- $1,313
- Rent for a 1.20x DSCR
- $1,580 a month
The government 2-bedroom figure where most of Kentucky's renters live is $1,199 a month, below the $1,580 that home needs. A house usually rents for more than a 2-bedroom unit, so price the house you are looking at with its own rent. The last column of the table below gives the same figure for each county.
Rules and costs a landlord faces in Kentucky
Each line quotes the official source it comes from and the date it was last checked. These are general rules, not legal advice; local rules can add to them.
- Where do you insure when private insurers decline?
Kentucky FAIR Plan.
The Kentucky FAIR Plan ... The Plan offers two basic dwelling policies to protect homes and personal belongings for hazards such as fire, lightning, wind, hail, explosion, smoke, vandalism, as well as others.
Kentucky Department of Insurance, checked October 18, 2026
Market hubs in Kentucky
DSCRInfo does not publish a monthly market hub in Kentucky yet. The figures above and the table below cover every county; the market hubs cover other states.
Kentucky by county
All 120 counties, most renter households first. "Rent for 1.20x" is the monthly rent a home at that county's median value needs on the example loan above. A dash means the source publishes no reliable figure there.
| County | 2-bed FMR | Property tax | Insurance / yr | Rental vacancy | Jobs, 1 yr | Permits | Flood claims | Rent for 1.20x |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County | $1,276 | 0.86% | $1,350 | 6.3% | +0.2% | 3,001 | 2,551 | $1,910 |
| Fayette County | $1,416 | 0.87% | $1,310 | 3.8% | +1.1% | 1,052 | 159 | $2,230 |
| Warren County | $1,199 | 0.65% | $1,320 | 4.7% | +0.4% | 1,453 | 69 | $1,920 |
| Kenton County | $1,442 | 0.98% | $1,240 | 6.3% | +0.5% | 681 | 91 | $1,900 |
| Hardin County | $1,087 | 0.66% | $1,260 | 4.2% | -0.3% | 432 | 313 | $1,700 |
| Madison County | $993 | 0.73% | $1,250 | 4.6% | +1.4% | 813 | 121 | $1,750 |
| Daviess County | $1,138 | 0.84% | $1,310 | 4.2% | +0.5% | 253 | 163 | $1,560 |
| Christian County | $1,307 | 0.65% | $1,220 | 4.5% | +0.7% | 175 | 288 | $1,330 |
| Boone County | $1,442 | 0.86% | $1,280 | 4.3% | +0.5% | 756 | 23 | $2,110 |
| Campbell County | $1,442 | 1.01% | $1,250 | 6.8% | +0.6% | 182 | 116 | $1,970 |
| McCracken County | $1,131 | 0.75% | $1,450 | 4.2% | +0.5% | 170 | 215 | $1,470 |
| Franklin County | $1,145 | 0.79% | $1,220 | 3.2% | +2.5% | 96 | 436 | $1,660 |
| Pulaski County | $924 | 0.63% | $1,220 | 4.8% | +0.9% | 129 | 24 | $1,280 |
| Laurel County | $943 | 0.57% | $1,310 | 8.7% | -1.9% | 21 | 12 | $1,230 |
| Jessamine County | $1,416 | 0.73% | $1,290 | 2.8% | +1.3% | 512 | 94 | $2,010 |
| Henderson County | $909 | 0.90% | $1,390 | 3.2% | -0.2% | 112 | 276 | $1,380 |
| Scott County | $1,416 | 0.66% | $1,250 | 1.9% | +1.0% | 393 | 56 | $2,130 |
| Barren County | $916 | 0.68% | $1,200 | 5.3% | +0.1% | 204 | 5 | $1,360 |
| Pike County | $1,095 | 0.69% | $1,000 | 2.9% | +1.4% | 14 | 970 | $880 |
| Boyd County | $1,006 | 0.88% | $1,130 | 3.4% | +0.2% | 12 | 194 | $1,050 |
| Calloway County | $1,155 | 0.65% | $1,280 | 4.3% | +0.0% | 20 | 15 | $1,400 |
| Hopkins County | $959 | 0.77% | $1,310 | 5.2% | +0.6% | 201 | 53 | $1,140 |
| Shelby County | $1,149 | 0.77% | $1,410 | 3.4% | +0.2% | 269 | 19 | $2,290 |
| Bullitt County | $1,276 | 0.83% | $1,380 | 9.8% | +0.0% | 654 | 115 | $1,900 |
| Whitley County | $909 | 0.64% | $1,210 | 1.3% | +0.6% | 52 | 6 | $1,030 |
Show the other 95 counties
| County | 2-bed FMR | Property tax | Insurance / yr | Rental vacancy | Jobs, 1 yr | Permits | Flood claims | Rent for 1.20x |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clark County | $1,416 | 0.71% | $1,190 | 1.9% | +1.0% | 166 | 138 | $1,560 |
| Nelson County | $1,022 | 0.79% | $1,310 | 5.4% | +0.1% | 222 | 65 | $1,820 |
| Bell County | $909 | 0.81% | $1,090 | 4.3% | +0.8% | 41 | 190 | $740 |
| Floyd County | $925 | 0.76% | $980 | 1.4% | +0.9% | 2 | 995 | $790 |
| Knox County | $909 | 0.66% | $1,220 | 4.5% | -1.0% | 0 | 33 | $950 |
| Boyle County | $925 | 0.82% | $1,400 | 3.9% | +0.6% | 94 | 12 | $1,630 |
| Rowan County | $977 | 0.55% | $1,160 | 4.6% | +1.0% | 8 | 207 | $1,220 |
| Montgomery County | $1,004 | 0.73% | $1,170 | 1.7% | +0.5% | 53 | 47 | $1,330 |
| Graves County | $909 | 0.66% | $1,430 | 2.5% | +0.6% | 83 | 49 | $1,170 |
| Perry County | $1,010 | 0.70% | $1,070 | 7.7% | +0.3% | 0 | 153 | $750 |
| Taylor County | $909 | 0.69% | $1,030 | 0.9% | -0.4% | 9 | 6 | $1,320 |
| Woodford County | $1,416 | 0.70% | $1,330 | 5.2% | +0.6% | 95 | 256 | $2,230 |
| Harlan County | $909 | 0.99% | $920 | 0.0% | +0.3% | 0 | 48 | $630 |
| Oldham County | $1,276 | 0.90% | $1,760 | 5.8% | +0.2% | 276 | 603 | $3,000 |
| Bourbon County | $1,416 | 0.71% | $1,330 | 9.9% | +0.3% | 109 | 189 | $1,740 |
| Greenup County | $1,006 | 0.87% | $1,140 | 10.2% | +0.1% | 21 | 322 | $1,070 |
| Johnson County | $909 | 0.66% | $1,230 | 1.0% | +1.3% | – | 161 | $960 |
| Meade County | $1,052 | 0.68% | $1,280 | 4.0% | +0.2% | 165 | 14 | $1,580 |
| Logan County | $913 | 0.61% | $1,330 | 6.4% | -0.3% | 69 | 22 | $1,270 |
| Simpson County | $1,122 | 0.60% | $1,320 | 0.8% | -2.8% | 396 | 21 | $1,710 |
| Grayson County | $909 | 0.57% | $1,240 | 3.2% | -1.2% | 36 | 6 | $1,250 |
| Muhlenberg County | $909 | 0.62% | $1,230 | 5.9% | +1.6% | 5 | 12 | $1,000 |
| Wayne County | $909 | 0.56% | $1,250 | 2.0% | -1.5% | – | 1 | $1,050 |
| Marshall County | $918 | 0.72% | $1,390 | 6.5% | +1.7% | 86 | 52 | $1,360 |
| Mason County | $1,001 | 0.65% | $1,080 | 3.8% | +0.8% | 26 | 8 | $1,230 |
| Grant County | $1,146 | 0.68% | $1,370 | 2.4% | +0.4% | 110 | 1 | $1,600 |
| Lincoln County | $909 | 0.72% | $1,050 | 7.2% | +0.4% | 88 | 5 | $1,140 |
| Mercer County | $909 | 0.83% | $1,310 | 0.8% | -0.1% | 132 | 75 | $1,570 |
| Russell County | $909 | 0.57% | $1,290 | 3.4% | +3.1% | 5 | 3 | $1,250 |
| Letcher County | $909 | 0.96% | $900 | 3.0% | +1.1% | 1 | 141 | $580 |
| Anderson County | $1,121 | 0.75% | $1,310 | 1.1% | +2.5% | 147 | 31 | $1,720 |
| Carter County | $909 | 0.49% | $1,240 | 2.8% | -0.2% | 3 | 177 | $1,020 |
| Harrison County | $909 | 0.66% | $1,180 | 3.9% | -0.1% | 68 | 28 | $1,520 |
| Ohio County | $909 | 0.62% | $1,110 | 2.3% | +2.7% | 3 | 9 | $950 |
| Allen County | $1,019 | 0.54% | $1,370 | 1.8% | -0.1% | 17 | 11 | $1,450 |
| Hart County | $909 | 0.66% | $1,120 | 1.7% | +1.9% | 272 | 10 | $1,130 |
| Estill County | $909 | 0.67% | $1,270 | 1.1% | +0.7% | 0 | 37 | $960 |
| Marion County | $909 | 0.69% | $1,290 | 3.1% | +0.9% | 56 | 6 | $1,300 |
| Clay County | $909 | 0.70% | $1,120 | 6.3% | +1.1% | 0 | 24 | $750 |
| Rockcastle County | $909 | 0.48% | $1,110 | 2.8% | -0.1% | – | 18 | $950 |
| Adair County | $909 | 0.64% | $1,150 | 3.4% | +1.9% | 6 | 1 | $1,160 |
| Union County | $971 | 0.89% | $1,270 | 7.4% | +1.0% | 0 | 12 | $880 |
| Powell County | $909 | 0.62% | $1,120 | 3.5% | +0.8% | 5 | 62 | $1,090 |
| McCreary County | $909 | 0.65% | $990 | 6.3% | +0.7% | 0 | 1 | $690 |
| Knott County | $983 | 0.74% | $1,140 | 0.7% | +2.4% | – | 113 | $660 |
| Breckinridge County | $909 | 0.58% | $1,190 | 3.2% | +1.4% | 14 | 14 | $1,200 |
| Caldwell County | $909 | 0.54% | $1,230 | 0.0% | +0.0% | 0 | 10 | $930 |
| Fleming County | $909 | 0.64% | $1,120 | 0.0% | +1.8% | 0 | 25 | $1,050 |
| Henry County | $1,276 | 0.81% | $1,380 | 3.3% | +0.2% | 68 | 8 | $1,540 |
| Carroll County | $1,072 | 0.76% | $950 | 1.1% | +1.6% | 1 | 36 | $1,090 |
| Lawrence County | $971 | 0.71% | $1,010 | 6.7% | +0.2% | – | 18 | $880 |
| Trigg County | $1,307 | 0.56% | $1,350 | 4.6% | +0.6% | 0 | 1 | $1,560 |
| Pendleton County | $1,442 | 0.80% | $1,210 | 1.0% | +0.3% | 0 | 25 | $1,250 |
| Monroe County | $909 | 0.77% | $1,240 | 3.6% | -2.2% | – | 2 | $940 |
| Garrard County | $941 | 0.69% | $1,240 | 3.7% | +1.7% | 0 | 18 | $1,550 |
| Casey County | $909 | 0.60% | $1,240 | 2.1% | +1.9% | 2 | 24 | $1,060 |
| Webster County | $909 | 0.88% | $1,360 | 10.7% | +1.1% | 5 | 6 | $950 |
| Breathitt County | $909 | 0.73% | $1,160 | 2.5% | +0.2% | 1 | 137 | $610 |
| Larue County | $1,087 | 0.60% | $1,320 | 3.6% | -0.4% | 59 | 5 | $1,400 |
| Butler County | $909 | 0.58% | $1,280 | 0.9% | +0.5% | 0 | 7 | $890 |
| Bath County | $909 | 0.65% | $860 | 1.0% | +0.5% | 0 | 51 | $990 |
| Magoffin County | $909 | 0.78% | $1,180 | 2.2% | +1.9% | – | 75 | $750 |
| Jackson County | $909 | 0.62% | $1,120 | 2.3% | -0.6% | 0 | 13 | $880 |
| Clinton County | $909 | 0.52% | $1,190 | 2.6% | +0.2% | 0 | 1 | $950 |
| Todd County | $1,054 | 0.55% | $1,320 | 6.7% | +1.2% | 40 | 11 | $1,270 |
| Washington County | $939 | 0.66% | $1,170 | 2.4% | +1.0% | 26 | 22 | $1,360 |
| Lewis County | $909 | 0.64% | $900 | 0.3% | -0.2% | 0 | 63 | $760 |
| Morgan County | $909 | 0.66% | $1,230 | 5.0% | +2.3% | 2 | 33 | $940 |
| Edmonson County | $1,199 | 0.55% | $1,330 | 1.3% | +0.1% | – | 0 | $1,230 |
| Green County | $909 | 0.65% | $1,150 | 5.5% | +3.0% | 4 | 3 | $980 |
| Fulton County | $909 | 0.80% | $1,280 | 1.5% | +0.9% | 7 | 17 | $690 |
| Metcalfe County | $909 | 0.67% | $980 | 4.3% | +1.5% | – | 0 | $870 |
| Spencer County | $1,276 | 0.66% | $1,430 | 0.9% | +0.1% | 85 | 36 | $2,440 |
| Hancock County | $962 | 0.66% | $1,250 | 2.9% | +0.5% | 15 | 9 | $1,110 |
| Gallatin County | $1,442 | 0.83% | $1,310 | 4.0% | +0.3% | 51 | 28 | $1,400 |
| Crittenden County | $909 | 0.57% | $1,200 | 7.4% | +0.1% | 1 | 14 | $990 |
| Ballard County | $1,180 | 0.73% | $1,490 | 2.3% | +0.3% | – | 18 | $1,170 |
| Bracken County | $1,442 | 0.92% | $1,140 | 6.6% | +0.6% | – | 18 | $1,020 |
| Nicholas County | $909 | 0.59% | $1,190 | 0.0% | -3.1% | 3 | 21 | $970 |
| Wolfe County | $909 | 0.55% | $1,080 | 0.0% | +1.7% | – | 0 | $630 |
| Trimble County | $1,175 | 0.66% | $1,380 | 3.7% | +1.5% | – | 18 | $1,330 |
| Livingston County | $1,220 | 0.61% | $1,240 | 1.7% | +0.6% | – | 21 | $990 |
| Lyon County | $909 | 0.63% | $1,490 | 1.3% | -4.9% | 5 | 0 | $1,460 |
| Cumberland County | $909 | 0.54% | $1,220 | 1.2% | +3.7% | 0 | 1 | $1,090 |
| McLean County | $1,138 | 0.64% | $1,170 | 3.4% | +0.2% | 2 | 63 | $1,150 |
| Leslie County | $909 | 0.82% | $1,080 | 1.1% | -0.7% | – | 13 | $600 |
| Menifee County | $909 | 0.51% | $970 | 1.0% | +0.7% | – | 17 | $950 |
| Martin County | $909 | 0.82% | $1,020 | 17.1% | +1.1% | – | 151 | $720 |
| Lee County | $996 | 0.84% | $1,110 | 5.7% | +1.5% | – | 23 | $710 |
| Owen County | $1,022 | 0.72% | $1,400 | 11.9% | +2.9% | 17 | 20 | $1,320 |
| Hickman County | $909 | 0.67% | $1,460 | 0.0% | -1.5% | – | 0 | $950 |
| Owsley County | $909 | 0.71% | $1,100 | 1.7% | +4.8% | – | 6 | $670 |
| Elliott County | $909 | 0.61% | $1,180 | 3.2% | +2.4% | – | 1 | $970 |
| Carlisle County | $932 | 0.78% | $1,270 | 5.8% | +0.1% | – | 1 | $980 |
| Robertson County | $909 | 0.54% | $1,470 | 0.0% | +0.9% | – | 0 | $1,280 |
Where these numbers come from
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rents, in effect from October 1, 2026: the rent and utilities of a modest 2-bedroom unit, set for housing vouchers. It is not a house rent. Where HUD publishes by town (New England), the county shows the range. HUD Fair Market Rents
- Property tax, insurance, vacancy and home value
- Census American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. Property tax is the median tax paid divided by the median home value of owner-occupied homes. Insurance is the median that owners with a mortgage report paying, not a landlord quote. Rental vacancy is homes vacant for rent divided by all rental homes. Figures from too few homes are left blank. American Community Survey
- Jobs
- BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics: employed residents in August 2026 against the same month a year earlier, not seasonally adjusted. BLS LAUS
- Permits
- Census Building Permits Survey: new housing units authorized in 2025, all building sizes. Building Permits Survey
- Flood claims
- FEMA National Flood Insurance Program claims with a loss in 2005 or later, and the net amount paid. Only insured buildings appear. Check a flood zone
These are screening figures for comparing places, not a quote, an appraisal or a loan offer. Kentucky total flood payments since 2005: $352.0 million.