State Ledger
State profile

Kentucky FIPS 21

Population
4,494,141
Median household income
$55,454
Nonfarm employment
2,037,700
Business establishments
94,402

Every figure above traces to a primary source · view data sources & methodology

State Highlights

Largest employer sector
Health care and social assistance
277,311 employees
Business concentration
16.2%
of private employment in Health care and social assistance
Home prices, 1 year
+4.7%
FHFA
Federal outlays per capita
$37,378.36
USASpending.gov

Economy & Labor

Total nonfarm employment

BLS Current Employment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted · persons · 20 months available · latest observation: August 2026
Employment ratio
45.7%
employed ÷ population
Unemployed population (ACS)
112,695
Vs. July
▲ 21,900
Business density
21.2 per 1,000
establishments per capita

Leading Industries

Leading industries by employment

Ranked by private-sector employment, same measure as the Business & Industry tab · see the full breakdown there
1 Health care and social assistance 277,311 employees
2 Manufacturing 257,247 employees
3 Retail trade 215,414 employees
4 Accommodation and food services 180,573 employees
5 Transportation and warehousing 133,203 employees

Leading Public Companies

Top 5 by latest reported revenue

SEC EDGAR / XBRL Company Facts · see the full listing on the Public Companies tab
HUMANA INC · HUM
$129.66B
Hospital & Medical Service Plans
BrightSpring Health Services, Inc. · BTSG
$12.91B
Services-Home Health Care Services
YUM BRANDS INC · YUM
$8.21B
Retail-Eating Places
SOMNIGROUP INTERNATIONAL INC. · SGI
$7.48B
Household Furniture
Texas Roadhouse, Inc. · TXRH
$5.88B
Retail-Eating Places

Population & People

Homeownership rate
67.8%
1.19M of 1.75M occupied homes are owner-occupied

Population by age

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimate (table B01001) · reconciles to total population
0–17
1.02M · 22.7%
18–24
418.7K · 9.3%
25–34
581.7K · 12.9%
35–44
560.9K · 12.5%
45–54
573.0K · 12.8%
55–64
603.0K · 13.4%
65–74
450.3K · 10.0%
75+
284.6K · 6.3%

Housing & Real Estate

Median home value
$155,100
Median gross rent
$826 / month
Vacancy rate
12.1%
Total housing units
1.99M
Owner-occupied homes
1.19M
Renter-occupied homes
563.2K
Home prices, 1 year
+4.7%
Home prices, 5 years
+45.9%
Latest FHFA period
2026 Q2

ACS: 2021 ACS 5-year · FHFA: 2026 Q2

ACS housing estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau — median home value reflects owner-reported value, not a current sale price. House-price changes are from the FHFA All-Transactions House Price Index, a measure of price appreciation over time, not a home-value estimate.

Federal Spending

Total federal outlays
$166.49B
Outlays per capita
$37,378.36
Total prime award value
$182.79B

Source: USASpending.gov · specific reporting period not published in this dataset