Owensboro, KY

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

2024 Population

112,762

US Senator

Mitch McConnell

Republican Party

US Senator

Rand Paul

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

0.256% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

14.3%

3.15% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$68,002

3.57% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$195,400

Population & Diversity

Owensboro, KY is home to a population of 113k people, from which 97.6% are citizens.

As of 2024, 3.59% of Owensboro, KY residents were born outside of the country (4.04k people).

In 2024, there were 22.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (96.6k people) in Owensboro, KY than any other race or ethnicity. There were 4.23k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 3.54k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.6%

2024 Citizenship

97.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.6% of Owensboro, KY residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Owensboro, KY was 97.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Owensboro, KY compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Owensboro, KY

White (Non-Hispanic)
96.6k ± 534
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
4.23k ± 504
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
3.54k ± 579

4.09%

Hispanic Population

4.62k people

4.09% of the people in Owensboro, KY are hispanic (4.62k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Owensboro, KY as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for Kentucky.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
34,417 ± 4,537 people
Cuba
21,613 ± 3,601 people
India
11,987 ± 2,684 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Kentucky was Mexico, the natal country of 34,417 Kentucky residents, followed by Cuba with 21,613 and India with 11,987.

Foreign-Born Population

3.59%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

4.04k people

3.48%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

3.91k people

As of 2024, 3.59% of Owensboro, KY residents (4.04k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Owensboro, KY was 3.48%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Owensboro, KY compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
2,090 ± 336
Gulf War (1990s)
1,167 ± 312
Gulf War (2001-)
876 ± 239

Owensboro, KY has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.79 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Owensboro, KY.

Economy

The economy of Owensboro, KY employs 51.8k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Owensboro, KY were Manufacturing (9,900 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (7,655 people), and Retail Trade (5,631 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($90,313), Utilities ($70,878), and Manufacturing ($64,254).

Employment

Occupations

51.8k

2024 Value

± 1,905

0.754%

1 Year growth

± 5.02%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Owensboro, KY grew at a rate of 0.754%, from 51.4k employees to 51.8k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Owensboro, KY, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (6,598 people), Production Occupations (5,912 people), and Management Occupations (5,151 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Owensboro, KY.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Kentucky.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Kentucky (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

51.8k

2024 Value

± 1,905

0.754%

1 Year growth

± 5.02%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Owensboro, KY grew at a rate of 0.754%, from 51.4k employees to 51.8k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Owensboro, KY, are Manufacturing (9,900 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (7,655 people), and Retail Trade (5,631 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Owensboro, KY, though some of these residents may live in Owensboro, KY and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$52,196

Median earning men ± $2,461

$38,389

Median earning women ± $2,235

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Manufacturing ($70,598), Public Administration ($66,161), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($62,688).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($73,659), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($53,138), and Information ($52,961).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Kentucky.

Y-Axis

2.51%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.98M people employed in Kentucky. This represents a 2.51% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 14.4%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Kentucky.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

192
Retail Trade
173
Health Care and Social Assistance
158
Other Services (except Public Administration)

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$507k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$458k
Manufacturing
$167k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

The student population of Owensboro, KY in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 2,792 male students and 3,698 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Owensboro, KY are White (2,928 and 81.5%), Black or African American (190 and 5.29%), Hispanic or Latino (187 and 5.21%), and Two or More Races (143 and 3.98%).

The largest universities in Owensboro, KY by number of degrees awarded are Owensboro Community and Technical College (3,233 and 89.8%), Kentucky Wesleyan College (177 and 4.92%), and Brescia University (172 and 4.78%).

The most popular majors in Owensboro, KY are Electrician (527 and 14.6%), Liberal Arts & Sciences (400 and 11.1%), and Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training (356 and 9.89%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $31,840.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Owensboro, KY, the percentage of applicants admitted was 53.3%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 18%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 6,490 (43% men and 57% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 6,490 students enrolled in Owensboro, KY, 43% men and 57% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 4,739 records, of which 58.7% were women and 41.3% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Electrician
271 degrees awarded
Industrial Mechanics & Maintenance Technology
214 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
122 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years recipients in Owensboro, KY was Electrician with 271 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years from schools in Owensboro, KY according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Owensboro Community and Technical College
3,233 degrees awarded
Kentucky Wesleyan College
177 degrees awarded
Brescia University
172 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Owensboro Community and Technical College with 3,233 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 2,205 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Owensboro, KY, which is 1.58 times more than the 1,396 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 2,928 degrees mean that there were 15.4 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 190 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($31,840) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,272) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($2,149) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Owensboro, KY was $195,400 in 2024, which is 0.587 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $182,100 to $195,400, a 7.3% increase. The homeownership rate in Owensboro, KY is 69.2%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Owensboro, KY have an average commute time of 20.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Owensboro, KY is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$195,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$5,338

$31,354

Median Property Taxes

±$1,311

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Owensboro, KY the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Owensboro, KY compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

69.2%

Homeownership

2024

68.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 69.2% of the housing units in Owensboro, KY were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 67.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Owensboro, KY compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$68,002

Median Household Income

± $2,356

45.3k

Number of Households

± 1,723

In 2024, the median household income of the 45.3k households in Owensboro, KY grew to $68,002 from the previous year's value of $65,656.

The following chart displays the households in Owensboro, KY distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Owensboro, KY is from Kentucky.

0.446

2024 Wage GINI in Kentucky

0.449

2023 Wage GINI in Kentucky

In 2024, the income inequality in Kentucky was 0.446 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.585% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Kentucky was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Kentucky in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Kentucky across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (84%)
Carpooled (7.38%)
Worked At Home (6.12%)

In 2024, 84% of workers in Owensboro, KY drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (7.38%) and those who worked at home (6.12%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

20.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Owensboro, KY have a shorter commute time (20.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.49% of the workforce in Owensboro, KY have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Owensboro, KY compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Owensboro, KY distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Owensboro, KY have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

14.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Owensboro, KY (15.7k out of 110k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Owensboro, KY is White, followed by Two Or More and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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