Rowan County, Kentucky: commercial real estate data.
Rowan County, Kentucky had an estimated 24,675 residents on July 1, 2024, up 0.1 percent since the 2020 census base of 24,654, across 280 square miles. County output reached $1.07 bn in 2024, 532 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 8 7(a) approvals worth $2.7 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Rowan County
How many people live in Rowan County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202424,578
- Households9,592
- Average household size2.56
- Median household income$54,321
- Median age31.7
- Median gross rent$825 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$161,800
- Home value to household income3.0 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher25.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree14.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over14,409
- Population under 184,821
- Share under 1819.6 percent
- Population 65 and over3,683
- Share 65 and over15.0 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6416,074
- Civilian labor force11,492
- Unemployment rate4.1 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over58.2 percent
- Rank by population among Kentucky counties46th of 120
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included1677th of 3,222
Rowan County is the 46th largest of 120 Kentucky counties by population. A median home costs 3.0 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 19.6 percent against 15.0 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Rowan County
Is Rowan County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 202424,675
- Census 2020 base population24,654
- Population change since the 2020 census base0.09 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024172
- Births, 2024290
- Deaths, 2024257
- Natural change, 202433
- Net domestic migration, 202485
- Net international migration, 202453
- Total net migration, 2024138
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-162
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1794th of 3,144
The county has grown 0.09 percent since the 2020 census base. The population grew in 2024 from both sources: births exceeded deaths and more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Rowan County
Where are people moving to Rowan County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving673
- People arriving, from those returns1,196
- Tax returns filed by households leaving719
- Net household movement-46
- Adjusted gross income arriving$26.1 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-2.8 m
- Average income of an arriving household$38,837
- Average income of a leaving household$40,206
- Largest single originCarter County (51 households)
- Largest single destinationCarter County (61 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carter County | 51 | 97 | $1.7 m |
| Fleming County | 51 | 108 | $1.4 m |
| Fayette County | 38 | 60 | $1.7 m |
| Morgan County | 34 | 57 | $1.2 m |
| Montgomery County | 31 | 54 | $1.3 m |
| Bath County | 28 | 61 | $694,000 |
| Elliott County | 25 | 51 | $776,000 |
| Pike County | 22 | 28 | $554,000 |
Households arriving report $1,369 less average income than households leaving, which drains spending power even where headcount holds up. The largest single source of arrivals is Carter 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.
Rowan County
What is the Rowan County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$1.07 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.01 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20245.7 percent
- GDP change over five years37.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Kentucky areas BEA publishes48th of 120
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes1794th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$43,457
Output grew 5.7 percent in the latest year and 37.4 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.
Rowan County
Employment by industry in Rowan County
- Covered employment, annual average10,490
- Establishments reporting808
- Average annual pay$48,895
- Average weekly wage$940
- Manufacturing, employment1,389
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$55,958
- Retail trade, employment1,347
- Retail trade, average annual pay$32,045
- Transportation and warehousing, employment480
- Transportation and warehousing, average annual pay$45,784
- Finance and insurance, employment243
- Finance and insurance, average annual pay$58,225
- Other services, except public administration, employment152
- Administrative and support and waste management services, employment144
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1,389 | 37 | $55,958 |
| Retail trade | 1,347 | 114 | $32,045 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 480 | 26 | $45,784 |
| Finance and insurance | 243 | 48 | $58,225 |
| Other services, except public administration | 152 | 48 | $24,224 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 144 | 33 | $40,416 |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | 94 | 30 | $37,000 |
| Information | 68 | 15 | $71,631 |
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 1,389 jobs, 13.2 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Rowan County
How many businesses are in Rowan County?
- Establishments, all industries532
- Employment at those establishments8,319
- Annual payroll$367.3 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents21.6
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. 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.
Rowan County
Building permits in Rowan County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 202445
- Declared construction value permitted$11.2 m
- Single family units authorized5
- Multifamily units authorized40
- Multifamily share of units88.9 percent
- Average declared value per unit$248,520
- Units authorized per 1,000 households4.7
Multifamily is 88.9 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Rowan County
SBA loans in Rowan County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded8
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$2.7 m
- Average 7(a) approval$343,688
- Median 7(a) approval$241,000
- Largest single approval$830,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)55
- Jobs per approval6.9
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active7
- Distinct industries receiving approvals7
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer25.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms2
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter5
- Franchise loans1
- Franchise share of approvals12.5 percent
- 504 approvals recorded2
- 504 gross approval dollars$636,000
- Average 504 approval$318,000
- Median 504 approval$318,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval7.5
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved23.6
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$3.4 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.
Rowan County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Rowan County
Do SBA loans in Rowan County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded5
- Paid in full5
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full5
- Status: Exempt from disclosure2
- Status: Cancelled1
Only 5 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.
Rowan County
How large is Rowan County?
- Land area280 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Kentucky counties73rd of 120
- Width, east to west21.3 mi
- Height, north to south24 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary7
- Residents per square mile of land88
- Establishments per square mile1.90
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.
Rowan County
Flood risk in Rowan County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Rowan County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 210203
- Community Rating System class of the county's own communityClass 10
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book3
- Of those, participating in the NFIP3
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Best Community Rating System class in the county A lower CRS class is a larger flood insurance premium discount.Class 10
- Communities carrying a CRS class1
- Radon levels in Rowan 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 Rowan County (community 210203), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries Community Rating System class 10, a flood insurance premium discount for policies written there. The EPA places Rowan 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. The best Community Rating System class among the county's communities is 10, which carries a flood insurance premium discount for policies written in that community. 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 Rowan 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 Rowan County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202424,578
- Households9,592
- Average household size2.56
- Median household income$54,321
- Median age31.7
Common questions
Rowan County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Rowan County, Kentucky?
The Census Bureau estimates 24,675 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 24,578, in 9,592 households, ranking 46th of 120 Kentucky counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Rowan County's population growing?
The population has grown 0.09 percent since the 2020 census base of 24,654, to 24,675 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 290 births against 257 deaths, with net migration of 138. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Rowan County?
$54,321. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $161,800, which is 3.0 times income, and median gross rent is $825 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Rowan County?
532 establishments, employing 8,319 people with an annual payroll of $367.3 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 Rowan County?
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 1,389 jobs, 13.2 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 10,490 jobs at an average annual pay of $48,895, or $940 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Rowan County?
8 7(a) approvals totaling $2.7 m since FY2020, across 7 lenders, with a median approval of $241,000, plus 2 504 approvals worth $636,000 since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Rowan County?
45 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $11.2 m. Multifamily was 88.9 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Rowan 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 Rowan County come from?
The largest single origin is Carter County, with 51 households. Arriving households report an average income of $38,837 against $40,206 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Rowan 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 Rowan 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.
Rowan County
Cities and places in Rowan.
3 Census places lie wholly or partly in Rowan County. All 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morehead | city | 6,870 | 8 | Wholly in this county |
| Lakeview Heights | city | 332 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Farmers | CDP | 206 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
Nearby