Powell County, Kentucky: commercial real estate data.
Powell County, Kentucky had an estimated 12,928 residents on July 1, 2024, down 1.5 percent since the 2020 census base of 13,131, across 179 square miles. County output reached $336.7 m in 2024, 212 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 4 7(a) approvals worth $1.3 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Powell County
How many people live in Powell County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202413,038
- Households4,790
- Average household size2.72
- Median household income$40,309
- Median age39.3
- Median gross rent$747 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$141,100
- Home value to household income3.5 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income22.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher13.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over8,807
- Population under 183,230
- Share under 1824.8 percent
- Population 65 and over2,113
- Share 65 and over16.2 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 647,695
- Civilian labor force5,059
- Unemployment rate5.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over51.6 percent
- Rank by population among Kentucky counties83rd of 120
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2283rd of 3,222
Powell County is the 83rd largest of 120 Kentucky counties by population. A median home costs 3.5 times median household income, which is moderately unaffordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 24.8 percent against 16.2 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Powell County
Is Powell County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 202412,928
- Census 2020 base population13,131
- Population change since the 2020 census base-1.55 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-75
- Births, 2024172
- Deaths, 2024193
- Natural change, 2024-21
- Net domestic migration, 2024-53
- Net international migration, 2024-1
- Total net migration, 2024-54
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20247
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2373rd of 3,144
The county has lost 1.55 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. The population fell in 2024 from both sources: deaths exceeded births and more people left than moved in.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Powell County
Where are people moving to Powell County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving250
- People arriving, from those returns475
- Tax returns filed by households leaving274
- Net household movement-24
- Adjusted gross income arriving$9.7 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$36,000
- Average income of an arriving household$38,752
- Average income of a leaving household$35,226
- Largest single originClark County (34 households)
- Largest single destinationMontgomery County (48 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clark County | 34 | 70 | $1.2 m |
| Fayette County | 34 | 52 | $2.3 m |
| Montgomery County | 31 | 54 | $771,000 |
Households arriving report $3,526 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around. The largest single source of arrivals is Clark County, 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.
Powell County
What is the Powell County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$336.7 m
- County GDP, 2023$315.7 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20246.7 percent
- GDP change over five years37.6 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Kentucky areas BEA publishes92nd of 120
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2643rd of 3,127
- GDP per resident$25,821
Output grew 6.7 percent in the latest year and 37.6 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.
Powell County
Employment by industry in Powell County
- Covered employment, annual average3,017
- Establishments reporting303
- Average annual pay$40,158
- Average weekly wage$772
- Accommodation and food services, employment416
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$23,072
- Manufacturing, employment384
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$45,627
- Retail trade, employment368
- Retail trade, average annual pay$26,920
- Health care and social assistance, employment287
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$43,978
- Transportation and warehousing, employment95
- Administrative and support and waste management services, employment95
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 416 | 29 | $23,072 |
| Manufacturing | 384 | 16 | $45,627 |
| Retail trade | 368 | 52 | $26,920 |
| Health care and social assistance | 287 | 44 | $43,978 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 95 | 9 | $64,474 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 95 | 15 | $52,222 |
| Wholesale trade | 79 | 12 | $49,094 |
| Other services, except public administration | 61 | 13 | $28,918 |
Accommodation and food services is the largest private sector at 416 jobs, 13.8 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Powell County
How many businesses are in Powell County?
- Establishments, all industries212
- Employment at those establishments1,878
- Annual payroll$68.4 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents16.3
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Powell County
Building permits in Powell County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20241
- Declared construction value permitted$302,641
- Single family units authorized1
- Multifamily units authorized0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$302,641
- Units authorized per 1,000 households0.2
Single-family homes are 100.0 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Powell County
SBA loans in Powell County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded4
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$1.3 m
- Average 7(a) approval$320,775
- Median 7(a) approval$147,050
- Largest single approval$860,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)38
- Jobs per approval9.5
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active2
- Distinct industries receiving approvals4
- Median 7(a) term138 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer25.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms1
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter2
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Most active lenderCommunity Trust Bank, Inc. (3)
- 504 approvals recorded1
- 504 gross approval dollars$529,000
- Average 504 approval$529,000
- Median 504 approval$529,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval35.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved66.2
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$1.8 m
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Powell County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Powell County
Do SBA loans in Powell County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded2
- Paid in full2
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full2
- Status: Exempt from disclosure1
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed1
Only 2 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Powell County
SBA lending by place in Powell County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending2
- Stanton, approvals2
- Slade, approvals2
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Stanton | 2 | $989,000 |
| Slade | 2 | $294,100 |
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Powell County
How large is Powell County?
- Land area179 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Kentucky counties112th of 120
- Width, east to west20.3 mi
- Height, north to south14.8 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land73
- Establishments per square mile1.18
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.
Powell County
Flood risk in Powell County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Powell County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 210194
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book3
- Of those, participating in the NFIP3
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Powell County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Powell County (community 210194), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Powell County in radon zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 100.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Powell 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 Powell County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202413,038
- Households4,790
- Average household size2.72
- Median household income$40,309
- Median age39.3
Common questions
Powell County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Powell County, Kentucky?
The Census Bureau estimates 12,928 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 13,038, in 4,790 households, ranking 83rd of 120 Kentucky counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Powell County's population growing?
The population has fallen 1.55 percent since the 2020 census base of 13,131, to 12,928 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 172 births against 193 deaths, with net migration of -54. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Powell County?
$40,309. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $141,100, which is 3.5 times income, and median gross rent is $747 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Powell County?
212 establishments, employing 1,878 people with an annual payroll of $68.4 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Powell County?
Accommodation and food services is the largest private sector at 416 jobs, 13.8 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 3,017 jobs at an average annual pay of $40,158, or $772 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Powell County?
4 7(a) approvals totaling $1.3 m since FY2020, across 2 lenders, with a median approval of $147,050, plus 1 504 approvals worth $529,000 since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Powell County?
1 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $302,641. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Powell 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 Powell County come from?
The largest single origin is Clark County, with 34 households. Arriving households report an average income of $38,752 against $35,226 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Powell 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 Powell County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Powell County
Cities and places in Powell.
2 Census places lie wholly or partly in Powell County. All 2 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanton | city | 3,218 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Clay City | city | 1,204 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
A further 2 of the county's 4 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Powell County, the largest being Slade (2). Those are postal cities, unincorporated areas and cities outside the county, so no place row claims them; they are counted in the county total above.
Nearby