Owsley County, Kentucky

County in KY, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

3,971

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

47.7

years ∙ half population younger than 47.7, half older

Diversity Index

8.6%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

foreign-born population

100%Native

0% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Owsley County is a county in Kentucky, United States.

Location

County in KY, US

Co-ordinates

DEC37.423622° N, 83.691637° W

DMS37° 25′ 25.04″ N, 83° 41′ 29.89″ W

Population Density & area

20.12/sq mi (7.77/km²)

Total Area

198.3 sq mi (513.6 km²)

Land Area

197.4 sq mi (511.3 km²) · 99.55%

Water Area

0.9 sq mi (2.3 km²) · 0.45%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

50.5% male

Male 50.5%

Female 49.5%

males per 100 females

Owsley County 102.1

Kentucky 98.2

United States 98

Nativity

foreign-born population

100%Native

0% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Owsley County 0%

Kentucky 4.7%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

47.7

years ∙ half population younger than 47.7, half older

Owsley County

47.7

Kentucky

39.1

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

66.2

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Owsley County 66.2

Kentucky 66.4

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Owsley County	Kentucky	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	19.3%	22.6%	22%
Working age (18-64)	60.2%	60.1%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	20.5%	17.3%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	66.2	66.4	64.4
Child dependency ratio	32.1	37.6	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	34.2	28.8	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

95.5%

Black

Asian

0.2%

Hispanic

0.1%

Other

4.2%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

8.6%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Owsley County 8.6%

Kentucky 32.6%

United States 61.4%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Owsley County population

	Owsley County	Kentucky	United States
Hispanic or Latino	0.1%	5%	19.3%
Mexican	0.1%	2.5%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0%	0.5%	1.8%
Cuban	0%	0.8%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	0%	1.3%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	99.9%	95%	80.7%
One race	95.6%	91.1%	76.4%
White	95.5%	81.5%	57.4%
Black or African American	0%	7.6%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0%	0.1%	0.5%
Asian	0.2%	1.6%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0.1%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0%	0.3%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	4.3%	3.9%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

53.9% family

Family 53.9%

Non family 46.1%

% family households

Owsley County 53.9%

Kentucky 63.9%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.48

persons per household

Owsley County

2.48

Kentucky

2.43

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Owsley County population

	Owsley County	Kentucky	United States
Total households	1,567	1,814,469	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.48	2.43	2.53
Family households	845	1,159,005	82,990,528
Average family size	3.42	3.03	3.14
Married couple family	572	844,820	60,637,388
Other families	273	314,185	22,353,140
Male householder	96	95,673	6,572,819
Female householder	177	218,512	15,780,321
Non-family households	722	655,464	46,236,968
One-person households	648	540,419	37,140,836
Male householder	314	247,145	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	97	79,059	5,225,110
Female householder	334	293,274	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	240	151,346	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	74	115,045	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

2,052

housing units

Owsley County 2,052

Kentucky 2,023,116

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

76.4% occupied

Occupied 76.4%

Vacant 23.6%

vacancy rate

Owsley County 23.6%

Kentucky 10.3%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

63.9%

Single family houses

63.9%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

7.9%

Mobile homes

28.2%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

1992

Half of houses were built before 1992, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

4.2%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

15.8%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

49%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

30.9%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Owsley County	Kentucky	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	4.8	5.7	5.5
1–3 rooms	7.9%	10.4%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	76.7%	54.2%	51.6%
7+ rooms	15.2%	35.4%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	0.1%	1.7%	2.9%
1 bedroom	11.1%	8.2%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	46.7%	25.1%	25%
3 bedrooms	37.2%	45.2%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	4.8%	19.7%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1992	1983	1981
Total housing units	2,052	2,023,116	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

70.1% owners

Renter-occupied 29.9%

Owner-occupied 70.1%

homeownership rate

Owsley County 70.1%

Kentucky 68.3%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.5

Owner-occupied

2.44

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Owsley County 2.5

Kentucky 2.53

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Owsley County	Kentucky	United States
Total occupied units	1,567	1,814,469	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	20.5%	23.8%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	28.9%	38.4%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	24.1%	16.7%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	26.5%	21.1%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	98.9%	98%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	1%	1.4%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0.1%	0.6%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	16.3%	6.8%	8.4%
1 vehicle	30.8%	32.4%	33.1%
2 vehicles	33%	37.1%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	19.9%	23.7%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	11.6%	41.5%	51.4%
Electricity	58.5%	54.9%	41.3%
Solar	0%	0.1%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	14.4%	0.7%	3.9%
All other fuels	15.6%	2.3%	2%
No fuel used	0%	0.4%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	2.6%	0.5%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0.4%	0.8%	0.8%
No telephone service available	2.9%	1.1%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$80,100

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Owsley County

$80,100

Kentucky

$205,600

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

35.4%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

35.4%

Owners without a mortgage

16.9%

Renters

44.3%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Owsley County	Kentucky	United States
Property value
Median Value	$80,100	$205,600	$332,700
Under $100,000	60.5%	20.9%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	22.5%	27.6%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	11.6%	23.1%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	4.5%	20.1%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	1%	7.1%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	0%	1.2%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	25.6%	56.1%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	74.4%	43.9%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,014	$1,433	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$279	$469	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$448	$967	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

7.1%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Owsley County 7.1%

Kentucky 27.6%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

29.5%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Owsley County 29.5%

Kentucky 11.1%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

602

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

23.1%

K–12

65.4%

College / Undergraduate

11.1%

Graduate / Professional

0.3%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

24%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Owsley County

24%

Kentucky

36%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Owsley County	Kentucky	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	602	1,039,376	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	23.1%	5.5%	5.7%
K–12	65.4%	70.6%	67.6%
Kindergarten	11.8%	5.2%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	11%	21.4%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	21.6%	21.9%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	21.1%	22.2%	21.7%
College or graduate school	11.5%	23.8%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	11.1%	18.9%	21%
Graduate, professional school	0.3%	5%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	24%	36%	40.9%
School type
Public school	79.1%	81.9%	82%
Private school	20.9%	18.1%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

2,963

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

20.7%

9th-12th, no diploma

8.8%

HS graduate

42.9%

Some college no degree

17.7%

Associates degree

2.7%

Bachelors degree

Graduate or professional degree

2.1%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

44.3% · 55.7%

9th-12th, no diploma

22.9% · 77.1%

HS graduate

48% · 52%

Some college no degree

60.2% · 39.8%

Associates degree

35.8% · 64.2%

Bachelors degree

28.9% · 71.1%

Graduate or professional degree

43.5% · 56.5%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Owsley County	Kentucky	United States
Population (25+)	2,963	3,098,758	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	20.7%	4.3%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	8.8%	6.8%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	42.9%	32.6%	26%
Some college, no degree	17.7%	19.7%	19.1%
Associate's degree	2.7%	9%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	7.1%	27.6%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	5%	16.2%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	2.1%	11.3%	14.1%
High School or higher	70.4%	88.9%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$24,835

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$14,441

HS graduate

$29,583

Some college or associates

$22,039

Bachelors degree

$—

Graduate or professional degree

$—

Poverty Rate

2.5%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

74.3%

HS graduate

22.6%

Some college or associates

21.1%

Bachelors degree or higher

2.5%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Owsley County	Kentucky	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$24,835	$46,524	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$14,441	$29,659	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$29,583	$37,177	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$22,039	$43,534	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$—	$60,526	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$—	$70,952	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	74.3%	33.5%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	22.6%	17%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	21.1%	11.7%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	2.5%	4.7%	4.5%

Insights for Owsley County, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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