Pull up a map of Boone County and Burlington and Union sit close enough that you could bike between them on a Saturday morning. Same county government, same Boone County Schools, same twenty-minute pull to Cincinnati and CVG. Yet look at what each town's homes actually sold for this year and you'll find a gap wide enough to buy a second car, finish a basement, or cover three years of property tax on the other house.
That gap isn't a location problem. It's a product problem, and once you see what's driving it, comparing these two towns gets a lot more useful than just comparing numbers on a portal.
The numbers, side by side
Over the three months ending in May 2026, homes in Burlington sold at a median of $297,000, up 5 percent from the same stretch the year before, with homes averaging just 12 days on market. Meanwhile the median list price across Burlington's active inventory sat closer to $400,000 as of this past July, a noticeably wider list-to-sold spread than you'd expect in a market where homes move that fast.
Union tells a stranger story. In February 2026, homes there sold at a median of $442,000, up 9 percent year over year, but that number came from just six closed sales, and those six homes took an average of 206 days to sell. A year earlier, that same month saw eight sales close in 43 days. Listings across Union pushed the median list price to $534,000 by May 2026. Whatever number you land on for Union, it's coming from a thin slice of transactions, and thin samples swing hard.
| Burlington | Union | |
|---|---|---|
| Median sold price | $297,000 (3 mo. ending May 2026) | $442,000 (Feb 2026, 6 sales) |
| Median list price | ~$400,000 (Jul 2026) | ~$534,000 (May 2026) |
| Typical days on market | 12 days | 43 to 206 days, depending on the month |
| Dominant housing stock | 1800s courthouse core, acreage, custom builds | Builder subdivisions from national developers |
| School district | Boone County Schools | Boone County Schools |
What's actually for sale in each town
Burlington's town square was platted on 74 acres back in 1800, originally as Wilmington before the name changed to Burlington in 1816. The current Boone County Courthouse has stood on Washington Street since 1889, and the surrounding core was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Burlington Historic District in 1979. Walk or drive that square today and the housing stock around it reflects that age: older frame and brick homes, generous lots, and a steady supply of acreage listings a few minutes out, from five-acre wooded retreats to a recent 20-acre estate whose farmhouse had appeared in film and a national ice cream commercial. Buyers who want land, privacy, or a house with real history are shopping Burlington because that's where that inventory sits.
Union is a different kind of market entirely. Drive the corridors around Longbranch Road and Frogtown Road and you're mostly looking at subdivisions built in the last decade by national production builders. Fischer Homes' Ballyshannon community was built around its own middle school and sells across three tiers, the entry Maple Street collection and the step-up Designer and Masterpiece collections, so the neighborhood covers a wide span of budgets under one subdivision sign. Drees Homes has multiple projects in town: Aberdeen and Aberdeen Highlands offer patio and estate homes with prices for smaller patio models running roughly $386,000 to $440,000 and larger models reaching into the $460,000 to $490,000 range, while the Retreat at Union Promenade sells attached ranch townhomes from about $315,500 to $479,900. Triple Crown, built around its own golf course, hosts newer luxury sections like Justify and Affirm. The city of Union's own development page lists Union Pointe Centre, Union Promenade, Union Town Square, and Union Commons as active projects still filling in.
That's the mechanism. Burlington's median reflects a market of older, individually built homes and land. Union's median reflects a market of new construction carrying builder margins, HOA dues, and amenity packages like pools, clubhouses, and walking trails baked into the price from day one. You're not paying more to live in Union. You're paying more for a different kind of house.
Why the headline numbers deserve a second look
Burlington's spread between list and sold prices is the first flag worth sitting with. A market where the median list price runs $100,000 above the median sold price, even while homes move in 12 days, suggests sellers are testing higher numbers and buyers are negotiating them back down before closing. If you're selling in Burlington, that gap is your leverage lesson: price too aspirationally and you may still sell fast, but not at the number you listed.
Union's flag is different. A median built from six sales and a 206-day average holding period isn't a market signal so much as a warning that low monthly volume can make almost any given month's median look dramatic in either direction. The same data source showed 43-day sales the year before with the same low volume. If you're watching Union's numbers move sharply from one month's report to the next, the swing is more often about sample size than about the market suddenly repricing itself.
Same schools, different bet
Because Burlington and Union both fall under Boone County Schools, the price difference isn't a school-district premium. What you're actually weighing is a bet on housing stock and lifestyle. Buy in Burlington and you're betting on land, character, and a courthouse-square town that already has its identity settled, with Rabbit Hash's general store and the Ohio River a short drive away and outdoor spots like Gunpowder Creek Nature Park and the Boone Cliffs State Nature Preserve nearby. Buy in Union and you're betting on new mechanicals, builder warranties, and an amenity-heavy subdivision lifestyle in a town still filling in its own town square.
If you're choosing between them
Ask for sold comps, not list prices, in both towns, since Burlington's gap between the two numbers is real and Union's small sample size makes any single month's median a shaky reference point on its own. If acreage, well and septic systems, or an older home's maintenance history matter to your plans, get a home inspector who works Boone County's rural parcels regularly, since that's a different inspection than a five-year-old subdivision home. If HOA dues, builder collections, and quick move-in timing matter more, treat Union's builder communities as a set of separate micro-markets rather than one town, since Ballyshannon, Aberdeen, and Triple Crown price and move very differently from each other.
FAQ
Does Union's higher price mean better schools than Burlington? No. Both towns fall under Boone County Schools, so the price gap reflects housing stock and construction age, not school district differences.
Can I find new construction in Burlington or an older resale in Union? Both exist in smaller numbers. Burlington has some newer builds mixed into its older core, and Union still has a handful of resale homes from its earlier development phases. But the bulk of each town's current inventory runs the direction described above.
Which town has more room to negotiate on price? Burlington's data shows more room between list and sold prices right now. Union's negotiating room varies more by builder and by how close a given community is to selling out its current phase.
Boone County rewards buyers who know which of these two markets they're actually shopping before they fall for a number on a screen. If you want a read on what a specific Burlington or Union listing is really worth, or how your current home would price in either market, K2 Home Team can walk you through it. Schedule your free consultation and let's get you a number you can trust.
