Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Owenton’s best subject grades are an A+ for safety, an A for cost of living, and an A− for history; its weakest is a D for schools. On safety, just 12 of Kentucky’s 180 towns do better. The median household income is $55K, and 15% of residents live below the poverty line. Of the 143 Kentucky towns we compare, none has a higher average trip to work than Owenton. Owenton has 7 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Owen County Courthouse and Jail and Central Owenton Historic District. Owenton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Owenton beats most towns.
Owen County Courthouse and Jail
Census counts: 143 in 1830, a low of 94 in 1860, 1,682 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1950 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far Owenton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Owenton, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Owenton.
At 1.8 per 1,000 residents, Owenton’s property crime rate is below both Kentucky’s towns (8.3) and U.S. towns (9.9). Owenton’s violent crime rate is 0 per 1,000 residents.
| Owenton | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.8 per 1,000 residents | 8.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Owenton beats the Kentucky average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 13% of Owenton adults binge drink, where Kentucky’s towns sit at 14% and U.S. towns at 16%. 19% of adults smoke cigarettes in Owenton.
| Owenton | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Owenton | KY |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 7.3% | 5.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 25.2% | 18.9% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.6% | 4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Owenton home is worth about $154,000, down 7.6% in a year, 33% below the Kentucky typical home. The median rent in Owenton is $726 a month.
| Owenton | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $726 a month | $934 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 58% | 59% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 69% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Owenton has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 24° and about 7 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Owenton for work: only 9% work in town. Since 2013, Owenton has lost 287 jobs, to 596 in 2023. The top destinations are Frankfort (9%), Georgetown (3%) and Lexington (3%).
| Owenton | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $55,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 8.9% | 15% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The biggest park or preserve is Owen County Park, at 48 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Owen County Park | — | 48 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Owenton; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Owenton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
1,327 counted in 2010 and 1,682 in 2020; an estimated 1,690 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
7 places in Owenton on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Owenton.
City in Kentucky, United States
Owenton is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Owen County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 census, Owenton had a population of 1,682. It is located at the junction of U.S. Route 127 and Kentucky Route 22, about halfway between Louisville and Cincinnati.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
5 notable people were born here, including Abraham Owen Smoot and Joseph L. Rhinock.
