KY

Kentucky

FIPS 21 · Pop. 4,534,824
7 Sources Jun 05, 2026
4,534,824
Population
334,922,499 U.S.
$63,726
Median Income
$80,734 national
$295.4B
GDP
4.8%
Unemployment
5.2% national

County Map

Click a county to view its economic profile

Demographics & Population

Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 · 5-Year Estimates

Household Income

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$63,726
Per Capita
$35,821
Mean Household
$87,807
Poverty Rate
16.1%

Age & Race / Ethnicity

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003 · Median Age: 39
65+: 17.3% (784,676 residents) 55-64: 13.0% (590,324 residents) 35-54: 24.9% (1,128,629 residents) 18-34: 22.2% (1,006,219 residents) Under 18: 22.6% (1,024,976 residents) 39 Median Age
Cohorts
Under 18 · 22.6%
18-34 · 22.2%
35-54 · 24.9%
55-64 · 13.0%
65+ · 17.3%
Race & Ethnicity
White82.6%
Black or African American7.6%
Asian1.6%
Hispanic or Latino(any race)5.0%
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.

Educational Attainment

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
88.9%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▼ 0.7 pts
27.6%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 8.1 pts
11.3%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 2.8 pts

Employment Overview

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2024 5-Year Estimates
4,534,824
Population
2,166,165
Labor Force
Employed
2,047,296
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2024 annual
4.8%
Mean Commute 2 min below national avg
24.0 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
10.2%
Kentucky's median household income sits 21% below the national median. At 16.1%, its poverty rate runs 3.6 pts above the ~12.5% national level, relevant for federal funding eligibility narratives. Bachelor's-or-higher attainment of 27.6% trails the national average of 35.7%.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 5-Year Estimates (released December 2025). Figures reflect the most recent Census release, older news reports may cite prior vintages.
Key Takeaways
Auto-generated from benchmark deltas. Bullets only appear when the comparison is meaningful.

Economy & Industry

Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis

$295.4B
Gross Domestic Product · 2024
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis · SAGDP1 Regional GDP
$58,256
Per Capita Income

Top Industries by Employment

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics · Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages 2025 Annual
IndustryEmployment% of Top SectorsAvg Wage
1Health Care and Social Assistance
289,162 19.2%
$65,538
2Manufacturing
252,074 16.7%
$78,484
3Retail Trade
210,137 14.0%
$38,129
4Accommodation and Food Services
178,900 11.9%
$24,414
5Transportation and Warehousing
125,450 8.3%
$70,131
6Administrative and Support and Waste Management
114,787 7.6%
$47,832
7Construction
92,796 6.2%
$74,277
8Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
87,995 5.8%
$88,758
9Wholesale Trade
81,609 5.4%
$85,967
10Finance and Insurance
72,227 4.8%
$97,900
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Key Takeaways
Generated from BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.

Industry Concentration

Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.

Concentrated Industries
Source: BLS QCEW · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector · Location Quotient vs. national employment share
Same source as the Top Industries table above, sub-sector view surfaces specialization the supersector view masks.
Water Transportation
3.60x
3,149
Primary Metal Manufacturing
2.95x
13,639
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
2.87x
63,554
Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing
2.85x
11,962
Couriers and Messengers
2.70x
38,785
Electrical Equipment, Appliance Manufacturing
2.32x
12,819
Paper Manufacturing
2.21x
9,934
Mining (except Oil and Gas)
2.13x
5,113
Wood Product Manufacturing
1.81x
9,264
Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing
1.80x
16,129

Attraction Opportunities - Below-Average Industries

LQ < 0.5, below-average employment, potential attraction targets. Source: BLS QCEW · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector
0.14x
Web Search Portals, Libraries, and Archives
321 employed
0.23x
Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets
63 employed
0.24x
Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
3,066 employed
0.26x
Oil and Gas Extraction
395 employed
0.35x
Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation
2,558 employed
0.36x
Crop Production
2,433 employed
0.38x
Textile Mills
389 employed
0.38x
Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing
115 employed
Key Takeaways
Generated from BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
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Industry Employment Composition
Kentucky's Top Sectors by Workforce Share
Each rectangle's area is proportional to that sector's share of the top private supersectors. Hover for exact employment.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW 2025 Annual · Private sector, NAICS supersectors

Housing & Affordability

Census ACS

Housing Overview

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$205,600
Median Home Value
$967
Rent/Mo
68.3%
Owner-Occ
10.3%
Vacancy
3.2x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
Key Takeaways
Generated from Census ACS housing tables.

Workforce Pipeline

Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition

Labor Market Overview

Source: Census ACS 2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
2,725,172
Working Age (18-64)
Labor force participation rate: 79.5% of working-age population (18-64) 80% Participation
Mean Commute
24.0 min
Work From Home
10.2%

Education & Talent Pipeline

Source: Census ACS 2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
27.6%
HS Diploma+
88.9%
Top Institutions
Degrees, certificates, and other credentials awarded last academic year (College Scorecard).
University of Kentucky 8,890/yr
University of the Cumberlands 6,956/yr
University of Louisville 5,751/yr
Bluegrass Community and Technical College 5,011/yr
Western Kentucky University 4,485/yr
Jefferson Community and Technical College 4,096/yr

Aging Workforce

Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
21.7%
55+ of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.

Workforce by Occupation

Source: Census ACS 2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
37.6%
Service
15.3%
Sales & Office
20.0%
Construction / Maint.
8.7%
Production / Transport
18.4%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 2,047,296 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
Generated from ACS workforce data.

County Profiles

120 counties in Kentucky

Adair County FIPS 21001 Allen County FIPS 21003 Anderson County FIPS 21005 Ballard County FIPS 21007 Barren County FIPS 21009 Bath County FIPS 21011 Bell County FIPS 21013 Boone County FIPS 21015 Bourbon County FIPS 21017 Boyd County FIPS 21019 Boyle County FIPS 21021 Bracken County FIPS 21023 Breathitt County FIPS 21025 Breckinridge County FIPS 21027 Bullitt County FIPS 21029 Butler County FIPS 21031 Caldwell County FIPS 21033 Calloway County FIPS 21035 Campbell County FIPS 21037 Carlisle County FIPS 21039 Carroll County FIPS 21041 Carter County FIPS 21043 Casey County FIPS 21045 Christian County FIPS 21047 Clark County FIPS 21049 Clay County FIPS 21051 Clinton County FIPS 21053 Crittenden County FIPS 21055 Cumberland County FIPS 21057 Daviess County FIPS 21059 Edmonson County FIPS 21061 Elliott County FIPS 21063 Estill County FIPS 21065 Fayette County FIPS 21067 Fleming County FIPS 21069 Floyd County FIPS 21071 Franklin County FIPS 21073 Fulton County FIPS 21075 Gallatin County FIPS 21077 Garrard County FIPS 21079 Grant County FIPS 21081 Graves County FIPS 21083 Grayson County FIPS 21085 Green County FIPS 21087 Greenup County FIPS 21089 Hancock County FIPS 21091 Hardin County FIPS 21093 Harlan County FIPS 21095 Harrison County FIPS 21097 Hart County FIPS 21099 Henderson County FIPS 21101 Henry County FIPS 21103 Hickman County FIPS 21105 Hopkins County FIPS 21107 Jackson County FIPS 21109 Jefferson County FIPS 21111 Jessamine County FIPS 21113 Johnson County FIPS 21115 Kenton County FIPS 21117 Knott County FIPS 21119 Knox County FIPS 21121 Larue County FIPS 21123 Laurel County FIPS 21125 Lawrence County FIPS 21127 Lee County FIPS 21129 Leslie County FIPS 21131 Letcher County FIPS 21133 Lewis County FIPS 21135 Lincoln County FIPS 21137 Livingston County FIPS 21139 Logan County FIPS 21141 Lyon County FIPS 21143 Madison County FIPS 21151 Magoffin County FIPS 21153 Marion County FIPS 21155 Marshall County FIPS 21157 Martin County FIPS 21159 Mason County FIPS 21161 McCracken County FIPS 21145 McCreary County FIPS 21147 McLean County FIPS 21149 Meade County FIPS 21163 Menifee County FIPS 21165 Mercer County FIPS 21167 Metcalfe County FIPS 21169 Monroe County FIPS 21171 Montgomery County FIPS 21173 Morgan County FIPS 21175 Muhlenberg County FIPS 21177 Nelson County FIPS 21179 Nicholas County FIPS 21181 Ohio County FIPS 21183 Oldham County FIPS 21185 Owen County FIPS 21187 Owsley County FIPS 21189 Pendleton County FIPS 21191 Perry County FIPS 21193 Pike County FIPS 21195 Powell County FIPS 21197 Pulaski County FIPS 21199 Robertson County FIPS 21201 Rockcastle County FIPS 21203 Rowan County FIPS 21205 Russell County FIPS 21207 Scott County FIPS 21209 Shelby County FIPS 21211 Simpson County FIPS 21213 Spencer County FIPS 21215 Taylor County FIPS 21217 Todd County FIPS 21219 Trigg County FIPS 21221 Trimble County FIPS 21223 Union County FIPS 21225 Warren County FIPS 21227 Washington County FIPS 21229 Wayne County FIPS 21231 Webster County FIPS 21233 Whitley County FIPS 21235 Wolfe County FIPS 21237 Woodford County FIPS 21239

AI-Powered Insights

Machine learning analysis across 20+ federal data sources

Sample AI Insight - a preview of the kind of synthesis EP produces for paying customers

Kentucky shows meaningful potential for water transportation attraction, with a 3.60x concentration and 3,149 jobs in this sub-sector.

Cluster depth across water transportation, primary metal manufacturing, and transportation equipment manufacturing creates supply-chain attraction leverage, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.

Industry Shift Analysis

Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100

Prospect Match Scores

Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100

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Economic
Demographic
Housing
Workforce
Median Income
$63,726
vs $80,734 national
GDP
$295.4B
Unemployment
4.8%
vs 5.2% national
Top Employers by Sector
Health Care and Social Assistance
289,162
Manufacturing
252,074
Retail Trade
210,137
Accommodation and Food Services
178,900
Transportation and Warehousing
125,450
Census ACS, BLS QCEW, BEA, HUD · Auto-updatedPowered by ExecutivePulse
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Data Sources

All data from official federal APIs. Auto-refreshed on publication schedules.

Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2024
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2025
USAspending.govFY2026