Owsley County, Kentucky: commercial real estate data.
Owsley County, Kentucky has a population of 3,971 across 197 square miles, down 3.1 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $68.9 m in 2024, 42 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 1 7(a) approvals worth $350,000.
88 sourced county values · tier FULL · 9 sections
Owsley County
How many people live in Owsley County
- Population3,971
- Households1,567
- Average household size2.53
- Median household income$22,188
- Median age47.7
- Median gross rent$448 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$80,100
- Home value to household income3.6 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income24.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher7.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree2.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over2,963
- Population under 18766
- Share under 1819.3 percent
- Population 65 and over816
- Share 65 and over20.5 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 642,389
- Civilian labor force1,296
- Unemployment rate12.6 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over40.4 percent
- Rank by population among Kentucky counties119th of 120
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents2966th
Owsley County is the 119th largest of 120 Kentucky counties by population. A median home costs 3.6 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 20.5 percent against 19.3 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Owsley County
Is Owsley County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-3.08 percent
- Census 2020 base population4,053
- Births, 202450
- Deaths, 202493
- Natural change, 2024-43
- Net domestic migration, 2024-12
- Net international migration, 20240
- Total net migration, 2024-12
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 202462
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2756th
The county has lost 3.08 percent of its population since the 2020 census base.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Owsley County
Where people moving to Owsley County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving52
- People arriving, from those returns120
- Adjusted gross income arriving$1.7 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$31,942
- Largest single originOwsley County Non-migrants (1,100 households)
- Largest single destination (1,100 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owsley County Non-migrants | 1,100 | 2,451 | $47.4 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 52 | 120 | $1.7 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Owsley County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Owsley County
What the Owsley County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$68.9 m
- County GDP, 2023$65.7 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20245.0 percent
- GDP change over five years30.2 percent
- Rank by GDP among Kentucky counties119th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents3081st
- GDP per resident$17,355
Output grew 5.0 percent in the latest year and 30.2 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Owsley County
Who employs people in Owsley County
- Covered employment, annual average728
- Establishments reporting93
- Average annual pay$40,488
- Average weekly wage$779
- Sector 72, employment14
- Sector 72, average annual pay$12,908
- Sector 81, employment10
- Sector 81, average annual pay$29,948
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 72 | 14 | 4 | $12,908 |
| Sector 81 | 10 | 4 | $29,948 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 14 jobs, 1.9 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job exceeds median household income, which usually means single earner households and a wage base that can carry rent.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Owsley County
What businesses operate in Owsley County
- Establishments, all industries42
- Employment at those establishments401
- Annual payroll$14.0 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents10.6
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Owsley County
How much SBA lending happens in Owsley County
- 7(a) approvals recorded1
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$350,000
- Average 7(a) approval$350,000
- Median 7(a) approval$350,000
- 10th percentile approval$350,000
- 90th percentile approval$350,000
- Largest single approval$350,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)8
- Jobs per approval8.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active1
- Distinct industries receiving approvals1
- Median 7(a) term84 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer0.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms0
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter1
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countOffices of All Other Miscellaneous Health Practitioners (1)
- Most active lenderCommunity Trust Bank, Inc. (1)
The average approval of $350,000 sits close to the median of $350,000, so lending here is fairly evenly sized rather than driven by a few large deals. Only 0.0 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Owsley County
Do SBA loans in Owsley County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure1
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 0 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Owsley County
How big is Owsley County
- Land area197 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Kentucky counties102nd of 120
- Width, east to west19.7 mi
- Height, north to south19.3 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land20
- Establishments per square mile0.21
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No 504 approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2010 onward.
- The Building Permits Survey does not carry a 2024 record for this county.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Owsley County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Owsley County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population3,971
- Households1,567
- Average household size2.53
- Median household income$22,188
- Median age47.7
Common questions
Owsley County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Owsley County, Kentucky?
3,971, in 1,567 households, ranking 119th of 120 Kentucky counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Owsley County growing?
The population has fallen 3.08 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 50 births against 93 deaths, with net migration of -12. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Owsley County?
$22,188. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $80,100, which is 3.6 times income, and median gross rent is $448 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Owsley County?
42 establishments, employing 401 people with an annual payroll of $14.0 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Owsley County?
Average annual pay is $40,488, or $779 a week, across 728 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Owsley County?
1 7(a) approvals totalling $350,000 since FY2020, across 1 lenders, with a median approval of $350,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is the radon zone for Owsley County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Owsley County come from?
The largest single origin is Owsley County Non-migrants, with 1,100 households. Arriving households report an average income of $31,942 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Owsley County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Owsley County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.