Harrison County

Harrison County sits at a median home price of $239,357 with home values essentially flat, down just 0.17% year-over-year. The data provided does not include a median rent or gross rent-to-price ratio for Harrison itself, which means no cap rate or cash-on-cash return can be calculated from the available inputs, and the investment estimate confirms this with zeroed-out cash flow figures. That gap is the most important thing to understand about this market before going further: you cannot underwrite a rental here from this dataset alone without pulling local rent comps independently. What the data does tell you is that the affordability index sits at 79, which is reasonably accessible relative to national norms, and the overall score of 58 puts Harrison in the 46th percentile nationally out of 1,000 counties, ranking 73rd out of 120 Kentucky counties. That's a below-median position on both cuts, and the cash flow score of 0 is the primary drag.

The investor profile this county fits is narrow given the data gaps. The appreciation score of 49 is below median, and the flat price trend confirms there is no near-term price momentum story here. The stability score of 50 is likewise median at best. With a population of 18,803, this is a small rural county where liquidity is limited and tenant pools are thin. A cash-flow buyer cannot size a position without rent data, and the appreciation case is not supported by the numbers. The most likely fit, if any, is a deeply local value-add operator who already knows the submarket, has direct access to rent comps, and is buying at a discount to the $239,357 median rather than at it. At that median price with a 20% down payment of roughly $47,871 and a 6.85% rate, the mortgage alone is a meaningful carry, and generating positive cash flow will depend entirely on whether rents in Harrison's specific submarkets can support the payment plus operating costs.

No economic anchors or employer data were provided for Harrison County, so the demand-side story behind rental occupancy cannot be assessed from this dataset. Investors evaluating this market seriously should research the county's employment base independently, particularly given the small population, before committing capital.

On carry costs, the combined monthly tax and insurance estimate is $237, using a state-average effective property tax rate of 0.86% and an insurance rate of 0.33%. That property tax flag comes in as "normal," so the rate is not a penalty compared to high-tax states, but $237 per month is still a real line on the underwrite before you get to maintenance, vacancy, and management. The standard caveat applies: 0.86% is a state-average estimate from Tax Foundation 2024 data, and the actual rate at the county or township level in Harrison may differ. Pull the county assessor's data before finalizing any model.

The primary risks here are concentration and liquidity. A population of 18,803 means the rental market is small, vacancy in a single property can hurt materially, and exit options are limited if the investment thesis does not play out. There is no data in this set to assess regulatory risk or demographic trajectory, so those factors require independent due diligence.

Compared to the neighboring counties in the dataset, Harrison does not offer a compelling relative case. Warren County at a $286,155 median carries a rent-to-price ratio of 5.18%, which is a measurably better gross yield starting point, and Oldham County at $433,371 shows a 5.07% ratio against a much higher price point, suggesting stronger rent support for investors who can deploy more capital. Madison County at a 4.25% ratio and $276,671 median is a weaker yield comparison but still has actual rent data to underwrite against. McLean and Greenup counties come in at medians of $152,820 and $146,758 respectively, with higher overall scores of 60 and 62, and while their rent data is also absent here, their lower price points reduce the capital at risk. Harrison's advantage over neighbors is simply that it is cheaper than Madison, Warren, and Oldham, but without a confirmed rent-to-price ratio it is impossible to say whether that lower entry price translates to better returns. An investor should choose Harrison over these neighbors only if direct rent research uncovers yields that the aggregated data currently cannot confirm, and if they have a specific operational edge in that market.