Owen County, Kentucky

KY · FIPS 21187 Republican

Located in Kentucky, Owen County has a population of 11,330 residents and a median age of 42.3 years, making it the #2,397 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 18.3%. The median home value is $168,700, and the median household income is $61,134, which is 19% below the national median.

11,330
Population
#2,397 of 3,222
$61,134
Median Income
-18.6% #1,977 of 3,222
42.3 years
Median Age
+8.7% #1,406 of 3,222
18.3%
Poverty Rate
+45.1% #2,488 of 3,222

Demographics

Owen County has a population of 11,330, making it the #2,397 most populous county in the US. The median age is 42.3 years, which is 8.7% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

98.5%
Native Born
1.5%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Owen County is $61,134, ranking #1,977 out of 3,222 counties — 18.6% below the national median. The poverty rate is 18.3% and unemployment stands at 7.0%.

Income#1,977
$61,134
-18.6%
vs nation
39th percentile
Per Capita#2,357
$30,369
-26.4%
vs nation
27th percentile
Poverty#2,488
18.3%
+45.1%
vs nation
23th percentile
Unemployment#2,795
7.0%
+31.8%
vs nation
13th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Owen County is $168,700 (-40.2% vs national). Renters pay a median of $830/mo and the homeownership rate is 88.0%.

Home Value#1,834
$168,700
-40.2%
vs nation
43th percentile
Rent#1,891
$830
-28.6%
vs nation
41th percentile
Homeownership#33
88.0%
+36.6%
vs nation
99th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Owen County, 18.3% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 45.7% below the national average, ranking #2,310 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
18.3% −45.7% vs nation
Rank #2,310 of 3,222
28th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Owen County is 72.6 years. 22.9% of adults report poor or fair health and 7.6% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#2,342
72.6
-3.3%
vs nation
24th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#2,407
22.9%
+17.1%
vs nation
23th percentile
Diabetes#1,949
11.6%
+4.2%
vs nation
38th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#2,508
40.8%
+9.4%
vs nation
20th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#1,288
5.5
-2.3%
vs nation
59th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#2,501
5.0
+12.4%
vs nation
21th percentile
Uninsured Rate#1,062
7.6%
-27.1%
vs nation
66th percentile
Physical Inactivity#2,129
28.6%
+8.4%
vs nation
32th percentile
Food Insecurity#1,638
14.4%
0.0%
vs nation
48th percentile

Substance Use

21.3% of adults in Owen County smoke , 38.8% are obese , and 15.8% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 50.6 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#2,580
21.3%
+18.6%
vs nation
18th percentile
Adult Obesity#1,695
38.8%
+2.4%
vs nation
46th percentile
Excessive Drinking#319
15.8%
-20.4%
vs nation
90th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#1,831
50.6
+56.4%
vs nation
13th percentile

Safety

The suicide rate is 18.9 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 32.6 per 100,000.

Suicide Rate#1,406
18.9
-4.2%
vs nation
45th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#1,496
18.4
+3.2%
vs nation
39th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#2,525
32.6
+60.8%
vs nation
11th percentile

Families & Children

18.9% of children in Owen County live in poverty . The teen birth rate is 29.4 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Teen Birth Rate#2,289
29.4
+34.6%
vs nation
24th percentile
Child Poverty#1,746
18.9%
-0.5%
vs nation
45th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Owen County is 64.8%. The mean commute time is 42.8 min, which is 55.1% above the national average.

Voter Turnout
64.8% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
42.8 min +55.1% vs nation
Rank #30 of 3,222
99th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Owen County voted Republican with a margin of 62.7%. The vote was 18% Dem / 80.7% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 4.2 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +62.7%
18% 80.7%
Dem 5,494 votes Rep
2020 REP +58.5%
20.1% 78.6%
Dem 5,458 votes Rep
2016 REP +53.6%
21.3% 74.9%
Dem 4,997 votes Rep
2012 REP +32.2%
33% 65.2%
Dem 4,555 votes Rep
2008 REP +26.8%
35.7% 62.5%
Dem 4,751 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Owen County, Kentucky

Owen County, Kentucky has a total population of 11,330, making it the 2,397th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Owen County is 42.3 years, which is 8.7% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Owen County is $61,134, which ranks #1,977 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 18.6% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 18.3%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 7.0%.

The median home value in Owen County is $168,700, 40.2% below the national median. Renters in Owen County pay a median gross rent of $830 per month. The homeownership rate is 88.0%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Owen County, 18.3% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 45.7% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 93.6% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 42.8 min.

Owen County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 93.7% of the population, followed by Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic or Latino (2.6%).

All data for Owen County, Kentucky comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.