Owsley County, Kentucky
A county in Kentucky, ranked 119 of 120 by population.
CountyFIPS 21189
- Population
- 3,932
- -102 (-2.5%) since 2020
- Land area
- 197.4
- square miles. A further 0.4% of the total area is water
- Population density
- 19.9
- people per square mile, computed rather than published
- County seat
- Booneville
- Seat of county government.
- Established
- 1843
- 182 years ago
- Largest city
- Booneville city
- Population 154.
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; Wikidata (CC0), Wikidata. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
Satellite view
Aerial imagery of Owsley County with its boundary drawn on top. A map shows you the shape; this shows you what is inside it, and which side of the line a place falls on.
Where Owsley County ranks
Position among the 120 counties of Kentucky, and among all 3,144 US counties and county-equivalents. Computed from the figures on this page.
| Measure | Value | In Kentucky | Nationally |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 3,932 | 119th of 120 | 2,890th of 3,144 |
| Land area | 197.4 sq mi | 102nd of 120 | 2,998th of 3,144 |
| Population density | 19.9 per sq mi | 118th of 120 | 2,248th of 3,144 |
| Median household income | $22,188 | 120th of 120 | 3,143rd of 3,143 |
Full data for Owsley County
| Measure | Value | Source and vintage |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 3,932 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| Population in 2020 | 4,034 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| 2020 estimates base? | 4,054 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| Land area | 197.4 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Water area | 0.89 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Total area | 198.3 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Population density? | 19.9 per sq mi | Computed: Vintage 2025 estimates divided by 2025 Gazetteer land area |
| Median household income | $22,188 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Median home value | $80,100 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Median age | 47.7 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Households | 1,567 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Housing units | 2,052 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates, released 29 January 2026. Population density is computed here, not published: it divides the Vintage 2025 population estimate by the 2025 Gazetteer land area, which are two different Census products. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
How the population changed
The Census Bureau publishes the components behind an estimate, not just the total. For the year to July 2025:
- Births minus deaths
- -42
- 45 births, 87 deaths
- Net migration
- +44
- More people moved in than moved out.
Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
The 5 areas bordering Owsley County
Ordered by the length of the border actually shared, which the Census Bureau publishes in its county adjacency file and which no other county reference presents.
| Bordering area | State | Shared border | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee County | Kentucky | 25 mi | 7,297 |
| Clay County | Kentucky | 23 mi | 19,465 |
| Breathitt County | Kentucky | 18 mi | 12,558 |
| Jackson County | Kentucky | 15 mi | 13,325 |
| Perry County | Kentucky | 9.0 mi | 26,555 |
Source: US Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2025 County Adjacency File, released 15 September 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
All 120 counties of Kentucky
Open the interactive Kentucky county map, or jump straight to any of them.
- Adair County
- Allen County
- Anderson County
- Ballard County
- Barren County
- Bath County
- Bell County
- Boone County
- Bourbon County
- Boyd County
- Boyle County
- Bracken County
- Breathitt County
- Breckinridge County
- Bullitt County
- Butler County
- Caldwell County
- Calloway County
- Campbell County
- Carlisle County
- Carroll County
- Carter County
- Casey County
- Christian County
- Clark County
- Clay County
- Clinton County
- Crittenden County
- Cumberland County
- Daviess County
- Edmonson County
- Elliott County
- Estill County
- Fayette County
- Fleming County
- Floyd County
- Franklin County
- Fulton County
- Gallatin County
- Garrard County
- Grant County
- Graves County
- Grayson County
- Green County
- Greenup County
- Hancock County
- Hardin County
- Harlan County
- Harrison County
- Hart County
- Henderson County
- Henry County
- Hickman County
- Hopkins County
- Jackson County
- Jefferson County
- Jessamine County
- Johnson County
- Kenton County
- Knott County
- Knox County
- Larue County
- Laurel County
- Lawrence County
- Lee County
- Leslie County
- Letcher County
- Lewis County
- Lincoln County
- Livingston County
- Logan County
- Lyon County
- Madison County
- Magoffin County
- Marion County
- Marshall County
- Martin County
- Mason County
- McCracken County
- McCreary County
- McLean County
- Meade County
- Menifee County
- Mercer County
- Metcalfe County
- Monroe County
- Montgomery County
- Morgan County
- Muhlenberg County
- Nelson County
- Nicholas County
- Ohio County
- Oldham County
- Owen County
- Owsley County
- Pendleton County
- Perry County
- Pike County
- Powell County
- Pulaski County
- Robertson County
- Rockcastle County
- Rowan County
- Russell County
- Scott County
- Shelby County
- Simpson County
- Spencer County
- Taylor County
- Todd County
- Trigg County
- Trimble County
- Union County
- Warren County
- Washington County
- Wayne County
- Webster County
- Whitley County
- Wolfe County
- Woodford County
Data on this page last rebuilt 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.