Demographics of Rowan County, Kentucky

Rowan County, Kentucky had 24,476 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: −238 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Rowan County, in four figures

24,476
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; −1.0%
Change since July 2020: −238 people.; 31.7 ±0.8
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $54,321 ±$7,317
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Rowan County, Kentucky's population shrank 1.0% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Rowan County, Kentucky's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

U.S. Census Bureau — Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change

About this chart

The figures

Rowan County, Kentucky's population shrank 1.0% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Rowan County, Kentucky's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	24,714	100.0	100.0
2021	24,565	99.4	100.2
2022	24,414	98.8	100.7
2023	24,467	99.0	101.6
2024	24,526	99.2	102.5
2025	24,476	99.0	103.1

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Population of Rowan County, Kentucky on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	24,714	+62	−5	0	+63
2021	24,565	−149	−45	0	−115
2022	24,414	−151	−43	+36	−145
2023	24,467	+53	+6	+28	+24
2024	24,526	+59	−17	−1	+78
2025	24,476	−50	−20	−6	−27

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 31.7 ±0.8: for men 30.8 ±0.8 and for women 32.1 ±0.8. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Rowan County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Kentucky	United States
Under 5	1,300 ±98	5.3% ±0.4	5.9% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	3,521 ±376	14.3% ±1.5	16.7% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	5,348 ±425	21.8% ±1.7	9.1% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	5,530 ±302	22.5% ±1.2	25.7% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	5,196 ±353	21.1% ±1.4	25.3% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	3,683 ±378	15.0% ±1.5	17.3% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $54,321 ±$7,317, and income per person $30,395 ±$3,529, in 2024 dollars. The median is $63,726 ±$429 in Kentucky and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Rowan County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Kentucky	United States
Under $25,000	2,624 ±489	27.4% ±5.0	19.6% ±0.3	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	1,868 ±354	19.5% ±3.7	20.4% ±0.3	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	1,795 ±383	18.7% ±4.0	17.1% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	1,005 ±278	10.5% ±2.9	12.8% ±0.2	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	1,399 ±318	14.6% ±3.3	15.9% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	471 ±159	4.9% ±1.7	7.1% ±0.2	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	430 ±160	4.5% ±1.7	7.2% ±0.1	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Rowan County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Kentucky	United States
All ages	5,220 ±893	24.2% ±4.1	16.1% ±0.3	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	1,416 ±369	31.2% ±7.2	20.3% ±0.4	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	2,637 ±390	21.7% ±3.0	15.4% ±0.3	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	1,167 ±370	23.9% ±7.1	13.4% ±0.3	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Rowan County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Rowan County	Kentucky	United States
Housing units	10,623 ±51	2,023,116 ±474	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	90.3% ±2.2	89.7% ±0.3	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	9.7% ±2.3	10.3% ±0.3	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	61.5% ±3.7	68.3% ±0.4	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	38.5% ±4.3	31.7% ±0.3	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$161,800 ±$12,413	$205,600 ±$1,096	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$825 ±$42	$967 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1992 ±3	1982 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Rowan County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Kentucky	United States
Hispanic or Latino	588 ±0	2.4% ±<0.1	5.0% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	22,983 ±5	93.5% ±<0.1	81.5% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	338 ±133	1.4% ±0.5	7.6% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	196 ±34	0.8% ±0.1	1.6% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0 to 50	0% to 0.2%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 24	0% to 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0 to 4	0% to < 0.1%	0.3% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	449 ±142	1.8% ±0.6	3.9% ±0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Rowan County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Kentucky	United States
Born in the state	18,209 ±561	74.1% ±2.3	67.3% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	5,982 ±543	24.3% ±2.2	27.1% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	0 to 243	0% to 1.0%	0.9% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	268 ±110	1.1% ±0.4	4.7% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	63 to 205	0.3% to 0.8%	1.9% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	49 to 219	0.2% to 0.9%	2.8% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Rowan County among the counties of Kentucky

48th of 120 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the Kentucky page.

Counties of Kentucky near Rowan County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Grant County	26,181	+4.7%
Carter County	26,149	−1.7%
Lincoln County	25,353	+4.6%
Anderson County	25,225	+5.5%
Harlan County	24,725	−7.6%
Rowan County	24,476	−1.0%
Ohio County	23,934	+0.8%
Mercer County	23,733	+4.8%
Bell County	22,829	−4.8%
Allen County	22,536	+9.5%
Johnson County	22,051	−2.6%

Elsewhere on the site

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Data retrieved September 25, 2026