Real estate · County · Kentucky
Real estate businesses in Nelson County, KY
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for real estate businesses in Nelson County, KY, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 70 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #211 of 2,229 scored counties
#7 of 75 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 30
- 3 chain locations (10%)
- Official establishments
- 16
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $277M
- On rent and homeowner costs · $14,464 a household
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 213
- 2.1 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.7
- 59% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 49,036
- +4.8% since 2020
See the real estate businesses around any address in Nelson County
The site report maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Nelson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
For real estate businesses, Nelson County has a Groundwork market score of 70 (upper middle): #211 of 2,229 scored counties and #7 of 75 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for real estate businesses.
Households in Nelson County spend about $277M a year on rent and homeowner costs, or $14,464 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. Housing spending per office is 2.1 times the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate businesses take in.
There are 30 real estate businesses on map listings in Nelson County as of September 2026. Of those, 3 are chain locations, or 10%, against 6% across the U.S. That is 15.7 per 10,000 households, 59% below the U.S. rate of 38.5.
Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Nelson County in 2023. That is one for every 1,197 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Nelson County grew 4.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Nelson County compares
The same measures for Kentucky and the whole U.S. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.
| Measure | Nelson County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.7 | 27.4 | 38.5 |
| Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | 213 | 120 | 100 |
| Households per official establishment | 1,197 | 683 | 414 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +20.5% | +15.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs | $14,464 | $14,283 | $16,661 |
| Median household income | $69,562 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 70 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 18 → 16
- Employees, 2023
- 22
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $701K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 145Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 303 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 64The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Nelson County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Nelson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 49,036+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 19,150
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 419 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 114
- Median household income
- $69,562+15.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,639
- Median home value
- $238,000
- Jobs located here
- 18,213
- Daytime population
- 41,912Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Nelson County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the real estate businesses on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Nelson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardReal estate across Kentucky
Every Kentucky market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Kentucky for real estate businesses, numbered among those based in Kentucky, with Nelson County marked.
Top counties in Kentucky
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Harrison County, KY | 80 | 8 | 11.0 | 300 | +4.9% | #24 of 2,229 |
| 2Spencer County, KY | 80 | 12 | 16.4 | 233 | +7.7% | #28 of 2,229 |
| 3Lincoln County, KY | 76 | 9 | 9.3 | 328 | +4.6% | #84 of 2,229 |
| 4Grant County, KY | 73 | 7 | 7.6 | 429 | +4.7% | #136 of 2,229 |
| 5Hart County, KY | 72 | 8 | 10.8 | 278 | +4.3% | #161 of 2,229 |
| 6Woodford County, KY | 70 | 18 | 16.6 | 218 | +3.7% | #210 of 2,229 |
| 7Nelson County, KY | 70 | 30 | 15.7 | 213 | +4.8% | #211 of 2,229 |
| 8Anderson County, KY | 70 | 18 | 18.6 | 182 | +5.5% | #216 of 2,229 |
| 9Meade County, KY | 68 | 17 | 15.4 | 225 | +2.2% | #273 of 2,229 |
| 10Mercer County, KY | 67 | 13 | 14.2 | 230 | +4.8% | #301 of 2,229 |
Other business types in Nelson County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many real estate businesses are in Nelson County, KY?
As of September 2026, map listings count 30 real estate businesses in Nelson County. 3 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023. Official counts also show 145 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Nelson County, KY spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $277M a year, or $14,464 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 30 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 2.1 times the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate businesses take in. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,150 households in Nelson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Nelson County, KY compare with the U.S. for real estate businesses?
Nelson County has 15.7 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 59% below the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 213, where 100 is the U.S. At the U.S. ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, Nelson County would have about 64, against 30 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,197 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S.
How fast is Nelson County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Nelson County at 49,036 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 19,150 households. Median household income in Nelson County is $69,562, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 15.7%, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Nelson County scores 70 for real estate businesses (upper middle), #211 of 2,229 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Nelson County. It maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for real estate businesses · All 56 business types in Nelson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Nelson County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Nelson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.