Rowan County, Kentucky | |
|---|---|
 Rowan County Arts Center (formerlyRowan County Courthouse) in Morehead | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofKentucky | |
 Kentucky's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:38°11′N83°25′W / 38.19°N 83.42°W /38.19; -83.42 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Kentucky |
| Founded | 1856 |
| Named after | John Rowan |
| Seat | Morehead |
| Largest city | Morehead |
| Area | |
• Total | 286 sq mi (740 km2) |
| • Land | 280 sq mi (730 km2) |
| • Water | 6.5 sq mi (17 km2) 2.3% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 24,662 |
• Estimate (2024) | 24,675 |
| • Density | 88/sq mi (34/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 5th |
| Website | https://www.rcky.us/ |
Rowan County is acounty located in the northeastern part of theU.S. state ofKentucky, in theEastern Kentucky Coalfield region. As of the2020 census, the population was 24,662.[1] Itscounty seat isMorehead.[2]
The county was created in 1856 from parts of Fleming and Morgan counties, and named afterJohn Rowan, who represented Kentucky in theHouse of Representatives and theSenate.[3]
With regard to the sale ofalcohol, it is classified as amoist county in which alcohol sales are prohibited, but unlike adry county, it contains a "wet" city, Morehead, where packaged alcohol sales are allowed.[4]
It is believed that Rowan County was first explored by those of European descent in 1773 by a party of surveyors from Pennsylvania. The first settlement was established inFarmers, a town 10 miles west of Morehead. Its population rapidly increased due its fertile farming land and proximity to water sources. Additional settlers came to Rowan County fromVirginia in the late 18th century after being awarded land grants at the end of theAmerican Revolutionary War.Clearfield was the second settlement established in the county, being colonized by a Virginia aristocrat named Dixon Clack in the early 1800s. It accommodated the first sawmill in the county.[5]
In 1854, Morehead became the third community to be settled in the area. Colonel John Hargis founded the city after purchasing land in the county, naming it after governorJames Morehead.[6] Rowan County came into existence in May 1856, seceding fromMorgan County andFleming County. It was divided into four districts with Morehead being declared the county seat.[7] In 1896, a tax was levied on Morehead, sourcing it with the revenue needed to construct hard surface roads. The road system was extended to Farmers by 1920.[5] In 1961,Rowan County Senior High School was built.
In summer 2015, Rowan County attracted national attention when County ClerkKim Davis refused, on grounds of religion, to follow a court order requiring her to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.[8]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 286 square miles (740 km2), of which 280 square miles (730 km2) is land and 6.5 square miles (17 km2) (2.3%) is water.[9] Its highest point is "Limestone Knob" at about 1,409 feet (429 m) above mean sea level.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 2,282 | — | |
| 1870 | 2,991 | 31.1% | |
| 1880 | 4,420 | 47.8% | |
| 1890 | 6,129 | 38.7% | |
| 1900 | 8,277 | 35.0% | |
| 1910 | 9,438 | 14.0% | |
| 1920 | 9,467 | 0.3% | |
| 1930 | 10,893 | 15.1% | |
| 1940 | 12,734 | 16.9% | |
| 1950 | 12,708 | −0.2% | |
| 1960 | 12,808 | 0.8% | |
| 1970 | 17,010 | 32.8% | |
| 1980 | 19,049 | 12.0% | |
| 1990 | 20,353 | 6.8% | |
| 2000 | 22,094 | 8.6% | |
| 2010 | 23,333 | 5.6% | |
| 2020 | 24,662 | 5.7% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 24,675 | [10] | 0.1% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[11] 1790–1960[12] 1900–1990[13] 1990–2000[14] 2010–2020[1] | |||
As of thecensus of 2010, there were 23,333 people and 7,956 households residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 83.4 per square mile (32.2/km2). There were 10,102 housing units at an average density of 34 per square mile (13/km2). The racial make-up was 96.1%White, 1.5%Black orAfrican American, 0.1%Native American, 0.8%Asian, 0%Pacific Islander, and 1.0% from two or more races. 1.3% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 7,956 households, of which 19.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.40% weremarried couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.20% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.91.
The age distribution was 20.30% under the age of 18, 23.50% from 18 to 24, 25.90% from 25 to 44, 20.00% from 45 to 64, and 10.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. Both the unusually large portion of the population in the 18-to-24 range and the relatively low median age are mainly because of the presence ofMorehead State University. For every 100 females there were 94.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.10 males.
Themedian household income was $33,081. Males had a median income of $26,777 and females $20,104. Theper capita income was $13,888. About 15.90% of families and 21.30% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 20.80% of those under age 18 and 16.20% of those age 65 or over.
In 2014, the county had 14,263 registered voters.[15] Of these, 9,394 were Democrats, 3,929 were Republicans, and 626 listed themselves as members of other parties.[15]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 417 | 25.23% | 737 | 44.59% | 499 | 30.19% |
| 1916 | 941 | 51.17% | 881 | 47.91% | 17 | 0.92% |
| 1920 | 1,564 | 54.94% | 1,264 | 44.40% | 19 | 0.67% |
| 1924 | 1,326 | 53.60% | 1,092 | 44.14% | 56 | 2.26% |
| 1928 | 1,857 | 61.25% | 1,170 | 38.59% | 5 | 0.16% |
| 1932 | 1,622 | 36.12% | 2,844 | 63.34% | 24 | 0.53% |
| 1936 | 1,687 | 45.79% | 1,989 | 53.99% | 8 | 0.22% |
| 1940 | 1,944 | 45.85% | 2,294 | 54.10% | 2 | 0.05% |
| 1944 | 1,815 | 48.09% | 1,944 | 51.51% | 15 | 0.40% |
| 1948 | 1,502 | 41.21% | 2,097 | 57.53% | 46 | 1.26% |
| 1952 | 1,985 | 47.08% | 2,220 | 52.66% | 11 | 0.26% |
| 1956 | 2,470 | 50.85% | 2,380 | 49.00% | 7 | 0.14% |
| 1960 | 2,558 | 51.47% | 2,412 | 48.53% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 1,554 | 35.35% | 2,824 | 64.24% | 18 | 0.41% |
| 1968 | 2,017 | 45.23% | 1,898 | 42.57% | 544 | 12.20% |
| 1972 | 3,245 | 59.45% | 2,169 | 39.74% | 44 | 0.81% |
| 1976 | 2,244 | 38.24% | 3,541 | 60.34% | 83 | 1.41% |
| 1980 | 2,758 | 46.07% | 2,975 | 49.69% | 254 | 4.24% |
| 1984 | 3,698 | 57.16% | 2,748 | 42.47% | 24 | 0.37% |
| 1988 | 3,093 | 50.90% | 2,968 | 48.84% | 16 | 0.26% |
| 1992 | 2,469 | 33.94% | 3,558 | 48.91% | 1,247 | 17.14% |
| 1996 | 2,309 | 36.63% | 3,215 | 51.00% | 780 | 12.37% |
| 2000 | 3,546 | 49.07% | 3,505 | 48.51% | 175 | 2.42% |
| 2004 | 4,063 | 46.67% | 4,556 | 52.33% | 87 | 1.00% |
| 2008 | 3,907 | 47.92% | 4,074 | 49.96% | 173 | 2.12% |
| 2012 | 4,035 | 52.64% | 3,438 | 44.85% | 192 | 2.50% |
| 2016 | 5,174 | 58.48% | 3,295 | 37.24% | 379 | 4.28% |
| 2020 | 5,994 | 59.55% | 3,880 | 38.55% | 191 | 1.90% |
| 2024 | 6,224 | 63.04% | 3,484 | 35.29% | 165 | 1.67% |
Rowan County used to be known as a swing county. It voted Republican in 2000, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024 and Democratic in 2004 and 2008, but in most of those elections the winning candidate won by small margins. This changed in 2016 when RepublicanDonald Trump won the county with 58% of the vote to DemocratHillary Clinton's 37%, the largest margin of victory sinceJimmy Carter won the county in 1976. Trump won this county by a 28% margin in 2024 over DemocratKamala Harris, the largest margin of victory sinceLyndon B. Johnson won it in 1964. He became the first Republican presidential candidate to exceed 60% of the vote in this county sinceHerbert Hoover in 1928. Rowan County was one of four counties in Eastern Kentucky to vote forBarack Obama in 2008.
In 2015, localDemocratic-turned-Republican county clerkKim Davis became notorious for illegally refusing to issue marriage licenses. David Ermold, one of the gay men refused a marriage license by Davis, ran in the 2018 Democratic primary election to seek the nomination to unseat her.[17][18] Davis was defeated in the general election by Democratic nominee Elwood Caudill, garnering only 3,566 votes (about 45.86% of the two-party vote) to Caudill's 4,210 (about 54.14%).[19][20]
The county voted "No" on2022 Kentucky Amendment 2, an anti-abortion ballot measure, by 58% to 42%, and backedDonald Trump with 60% of the vote toJoe Biden's 39% in the2020 presidential election.[21]
| Elected officials as of January 3, 2025[22][23] | ||
| U.S. House | Hal Rogers (R) | KY 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Ky. Senate | Stephen West (R) | 27 |
| Ky. House | Richard White (R) | 99 |
In June and July 2015, the Rowan county clerk,Kim Davis, refused several residents their right to marry, a right guaranteed by theruling of the Supreme Court on June 26, 2015, that same-sex marriages are legal across the entirety of the United States. Privately held religious belief was given as the reason for non-compliance with the Court's ruling and with the state governor's executive order of June 26 instructing all state agencies and clerks to comply with it.[24] After Davis took her name off the county's marriage licenses[25] and allowed her deputies to issue them,GovernorMatt Bevin issued an executive order ensuring marriage licenses without the county clerk's name on them would be recognized as valid,[26] and thestate legislature changed the law to codify Governor Bevin's executive order by 2018.[19] After Davis lost re-election in 2018, Davis's successor, Elwood Caudill, vowed to treat everyone equally after taking an oath to uphold the law.[27]
Municipalities and communities ofRowan County, Kentucky,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
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| Other unincorporated communities | ||
| Counties | |
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| Cities and towns Over 10k | |
| Cities and towns 5k-10k | |
| Cities and towns 1k-5k | |
| Cities and towns under 1k | |
| Statistical areas | |
| See also | |
38°11′N83°25′W / 38.19°N 83.42°W /38.19; -83.42
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
