City · Owen County, Kentucky

Owenton, Kentucky

Owenton is a city in Owen County, Kentucky. It has 1,511 residents. Owenton, Kentucky has a quality-of-life score of 26 out of 100 (low), ranking #11,573 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Kentucky it ranks #141 of 243 cities and towns. It ranks best on violent crime rate (low), property crime rate (low) and homicide rate (low). It ranks worst on access to exercise opportunities (low), restaurants and bars (low) and mental health providers (low).

26Low

Quality-of-life score: #11,573 of 15,651 cities and towns
Kentucky: #141 of 243 in KY
Population: 1,511 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 793.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 2158692

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 70 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety88#1,879/15,637
Economy13#13,660/15,631
Housing99#168/14,977
Health13#13,527/15,609
Healthcare17#13,012/15,650
Environment47#8,209/15,453
Education16#13,080/15,649
Infrastructure10#14,096/15,650
Community33#10,558/15,651
Leisure & amenities25#11,744/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Owenton, Kentucky ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Owen County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Violent crime rate · low0 /100k
100/100Kentucky 212 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationOwen County value
Property crime rate · low244 /100k
98/100Kentucky 1,262 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationOwen County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Kentucky 5.5 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataOwen County value
Rent-burdened households · low35.9%
92/100Kentucky 45.4%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Grocery stores · high2.6 /10k
91/100Kentucky 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOwen County value
Drought exposure · low2%
90/100Kentucky 21%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAOwen County value

Weaknesses

Access to exercise opportunities · low23.4%
1/100Kentucky 69.8%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOwen County value
Restaurants and bars · low3.5 /10k
3/100Kentucky 8.1 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOwen County value
Mental health providers · low35 /100k
3/100Kentucky 329 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOwen County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100Kentucky 2.6 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyOwen County value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Kentucky 1.0 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOwen County value
Job growth · low-3.9%
4/100Kentucky -0.4%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataOwen County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
1,686 (2015-2019) → 1,511 (2020-2024)
−10%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
47.3% (2015-2019) → 17.2% (2020-2024)
−30 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
56.6% (2015-2019) → 79.7% (2020-2024)
+23 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
53.6% (2015-2019) → 35.9% (2020-2024)
−18 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$29,964 (2015-2019) → $55,438 (2020-2024)
+85%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Poverty rateImproving
28.9% (2015-2019) → 14.9% (2020-2024)
−14 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Owenton, Kentucky improved on 6 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 5 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved6

Household income+85%$29,964 → $55,438
Poverty−14 points28.9% → 14.9%
Broadband+23 points56.6% → 79.7%
Rent burden−18 points53.6% → 35.9%
Rent / income−6.1 points31.0% → 24.9%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Owenton, Kentucky between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	26.2 min2015-2019	32.6 min2020-2024	+6.4 min	Within the margin of error	6%
Bachelor's degree or higher	6.5%2015-2019	13.3%2020-2024	+6.8 points	Improved	78%
Broadband subscriptions	56.6%2015-2019	79.7%2020-2024	+23 points	Improved	94%
High school diploma or higher	75.3%2015-2019	84.1%2020-2024	+8.9 points	Within the margin of error	94%
Home price to income ratio	2.9×2015-2019	2.5×2020-2024	−0.4×	Within the margin of error	92%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4452015-2019	0.3872020-2024	−0.058	Within the margin of error	87%
Median household income	$29,9642015-2019	$55,4382020-2024	+85%	Improved	97%
Poverty rate	28.9%2015-2019	14.9%2020-2024	−14 points	Improved	97%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	31.0%2015-2019	24.9%2020-2024	−6.1 points	Improved	86%
Rent-burdened households	53.6%2015-2019	35.9%2020-2024	−18 points	Improved	92%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Owenton, Kentucky five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Owenton, Kentucky in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Owenton, Kentucky itself moved +20.2 points in standing on average over the same 9 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,511 residents (±317)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

547 households (±105)

Owenton, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Under $25k30%†164
$25k–50k13%†71
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

547 households (±105)

Owenton, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Own58%317
Rent42%†230

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

632 workers (±152)

Owenton, Kentucky
Kentucky share

Drive alone78%493
Carpool12%†78
Public transit0.0%0

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Owen County, the county holding most of Owenton's residents.

Owen County has 133 employer establishments, 118 for every 10,000 residents (0.47× the US rate of 248; 0.57× Kentucky's), with 969 paid employees at an average annual pay of $41,169. The Census Bureau also counts 764 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 133; 764 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 118; US 248 · Kentucky 207
Paid employees: 969
Average annual pay: $41,169; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Owen County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Religious organizations	13	11.5	2.07×More than typical	37	$14,649	—
Specialty trade contractors	12	10.6	0.68×Fewer than typical	32	$50,250	127
Ambulatory health care services	9	8	0.38×Too few to compare	49	$44,020	13
Restaurants and other eating places	8	7.1	0.38×Too few to compare	125	$15,728	—
General merchandise stores	5	4.4	2.50×Too few to compare	42	$18,429	6
Automotive repair and maintenance	4	3.5	0.70×Too few to compare	2	$39,000	20
Building equipment contractors	4	3.5	0.59×Too few to compare	14	$39,286	21
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	4	3.5	1.12×Too few to compare	15	$57,733	25
Grocery and convenience stores	4	3.5	1.19×Too few to compare	45	$15,600	—
Truck transportation	4	3.5	0.70×Too few to compare	29	$58,414	43
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	3	2.7	1.00×Too few to compare	36	$31,222	5
Banks and credit unions	3	2.7	0.82×Too few to compare	19	$59,474	—

Rank places for an industry Open Owen County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 11,319 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Owenton is mostly in Owen County.

See federal money in Owen County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Owenton, Kentucky is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Thomas MassieR-KY-4 · 100% of residentsWith party 85%Missed 5.9%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Owen County33100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Owen County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2158692

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends