19 counties · Boom Town Index

Kentucky

Avg BTI Score
41 / 100
Population
2.6M
+0.5% avg growth
National Rank
#32 of 51

State Overview

Kentucky's economy in 2025-2026 is experiencing continued, albeit modest, growth, driven by significant private sector investments and a focus on key industries like automotive, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing. The state recorded its second-best year for new private sector investments in 2025, totaling $10.5 billion and projected to create nearly 9,600 full-time jobs. Major employers such as Toyota in Georgetown and GE Appliances in Louisville are expanding operations, contributing to job creation and rising incentivized hourly wages.

The housing market in Kentucky shows signs of strengthening, with increasing inventory and steady price appreciation. However, a statewide housing shortage, estimated at 206,000 units in 2024, remains a concern, with legislative efforts to address affordability and supply facing challenges. Migration data indicates a modest net population gain for Kentucky, primarily fueled by international immigration, with people moving from neighboring states like Ohio, Tennessee, and Indiana. Growth corridors are evident along the I-64, I-65, and I-75 interstate systems, with counties like Jefferson, Fayette, and Warren experiencing population increases.

Median Household Income
$64,136
State median across 19 counties
Median Home Value
$207,700
Income-to-home ratio: 0.34
Building Permits
12,788
Total residential permits
Natural Amenity
5.4 / 10
#38 of 49 · USDA scale

Kentucky Counties

19 counties
Rank County BTI Score Safety Proj. Growth GDP Pop Growth Income Ratio Home Price Climate P/R
01 Bullitt County 87 B- +0.9% +2.9% +0.9% +8.8% 6.2x +1.7% -0.9 11x
02 Daviess County 84 C+ +2.0% +1.0% +0.4% +11.0% 3.7x +2.0% -1.2 11x
03 Kenton County 81 B +1.9% +2.1% +0.5% +11.0% 3.6x +2.0% -1.6 12x
04 Jessamine County 79 B- +1.9% +5.4% +0.7% +7.2% 5.3x +3.4% -2.0 13x
05 Fayette County 70 D +1.6% +1.8% -0.0% +7.4% 3.5x +3.1% -2.4 14x
06 Scott County 61 B- +1.5% +6.6% +1.8% +10.5% 3.5x +3.2% -1.9 13x
07 Jefferson County 42 F +1.0% +0.1% -0.2% +7.6% 2.8x +2.5% 0.3 14x
08 Warren County 42 C+ +1.0% +6.5% +1.6% +9.5% 3.5x +1.1% -0.7 15x
09 Christian County 36 D +1.2% -1.1% +0.5% +6.5% 1.7x +1.7% -0.6 10x
10 McCracken County 36 C+ +1.3% +2.5% +0.3% +9.6% 2.2x +3.5% -0.9 12x
11 Campbell County 34 B+ +0.5% +2.7% +0.1% +9.8% 5.1x +3.3% 0.4 12x
12 Boone County 32 A +1.0% -0.6% +1.1% +5.4% 2.6x +2.0% 0.3 11x
13 Madison County 22 B+ +1.2% +5.4% +0.8% +8.7% 5.3x +2.1% -0.1 17x
14 Franklin County 21 C +1.7% +3.7% +0.3% +5.8% 2.6x +0.5% -0.3 14x
15 Hardin County 20 C+ -0.1% -0.3% +0.8% +7.1% 3.6x -0.5% -0.7 12x
16 Pulaski County 15 B- +0.9% +1.9% +0.7% +14.3% 3.9x -5.1% 0.6 14x
17 Oldham County 12 B- +0.7% +8.8% +0.6% +6.8% 10.4x +2.4% -0.8 27x
18 Laurel County 9 C +0.4% +2.3% +0.6% +15.2% 3.8x +2.2% 1.2 15x
19 Pike County 3 B- -1.2% -0.3% -1.2% +11.8% 2.8x -13.7% -0.2 10x

Capital Investment in Kentucky

Tracked Projects · Public Records
$72.9B
Total tracked investment
58,121
Jobs announced
68
Projects across 17 counties

Where the money is going

Data Centers $51.0B 70%
Manufacturing $9.2B 13%
Energy $8.5B 12%
Commercial/Residential $2.1B 3%
Infrastructure $1.3B 2%
Industrial/Logistics $608M 1%

Top counties by investment

  1. 01 Pike County $35.4B
    4 projects · 36,240 jobs
  2. 02 Hardin County $6.4B
    6 projects · 5,600 jobs
  3. 03 Oldham County $6.1B
    3 projects · 176 jobs
  4. 04 Warren County $5.6B
    5 projects · 2,650 jobs
  5. 05 Fayette County $5.3B
    4 projects · 500 jobs
  6. 06 Pulaski County $5.1B
    6 projects · 1,330 jobs

Largest projects in Kentucky

Project County Amount Status
SoftBank AI Data Center & Natural Gas Power Plant
SoftBank · Data Centers · 35,000 jobs
 Pike County $33.0B Under Construction
Project Lincoln: OC Data Center
Western Hospitality Partners - Kentucky LLC · Data Centers · 176 jobs
 Oldham County $6.0B Proposed
BlueOval SK Battery Park
Ford Motor Company and SK Innovation · Manufacturing · 5,000 jobs
 Hardin County $5.8B Under Construction
AWS Data Center Campus
Amazon Web Services (AWS) · Data Centers · 100 jobs
 Fayette County $5.0B Planned
Amazon Data Center
Amazon · Data Centers · 200 jobs
 Warren County $3.0B Planned
Pulaski County Data Center (Project Goose/Poseidon)
Undisclosed Developer · Data Centers
 Pulaski County $3.0B Proposed
EV Battery Gigafactory
Envision AESC · Manufacturing · 2,000 jobs
 Warren County $2.0B Under Construction
Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility
Global Laser Enrichment (GLE) · Energy · 240 jobs
 McCracken County $1.8B Planned
→ Methodology · How We Tracked $4T Across 858 Counties

Source: public records, corporate announcements, state EDC filings. Tracking projects with $25M+ in announced investment or 500+ jobs. Some figures are estimates where exact totals weren't disclosed.

Kentucky shaded relief terrain map
SRTM 30m shaded relief
State Spotlight · 2026-04-29

Kentucky housing inventory rises as legislative reforms stall

Driving economic expansion

Private sector investment continues to fuel Kentucky's economy, with $10.5 billion in new projects announced in 2025. This includes significant expansions by Toyota in Georgetown and GE Appliances in Louisville, alongside a new uranium enrichment facility in McCracken County. These investments are concentrated in automotive, aerospace, and advanced materials sectors.

Current housing market

Kentucky's housing market is seeing increased inventory, with new listings in March 2026 jumping 38.5% month-over-month statewide. The median sales price reached $276,400 in March 2026, a 4.3% increase year-over-year. While home values are appreciating at a sustainable pace, a significant portion of sales still occur below asking price, indicating a balanced market.

Migration patterns

Kentucky experienced modest net population growth from July 2024 to July 2025, primarily due to international migration. Domestically, Ohio, Tennessee, and Indiana were the top states for movers to Kentucky in 2024. Conversely, some eastern and western Kentucky counties, such as Pike and Floyd, continue to see population decreases.

Headwinds

A substantial housing shortage, estimated at 206,000 units in 2024, persists across Kentucky, posing a barrier to workforce participation and economic development. Legislative efforts in the 2026 session to address housing supply and affordability, including Senate Bill 9, ultimately collapsed due to disagreements over regulatory reforms and short-term rental provisions. Additionally, workforce challenges and lower educational attainment in some regions continue to affect the state's long-term economic opportunity.

Key facts

  • Kentucky announced $10.5 billion in private sector investments in 2025, projected to create nearly 9,600 jobs. (LINK nky, January 2026)
  • The median home sale price in Kentucky was $276,400 in March 2026, up 4.3% year-over-year. (whas11.com, April 2026)
  • Kentucky's population increased by 18,492 residents from July 2024 to July 2025, reaching 4,606,864. (U.S. Census Bureau, March 2026)
  • The 2026 Recommended Highway Plan proposes nearly $9.5 billion for over 1,350 infrastructure projects. (WDRB, March 2026)
  • The average incentivized hourly wage in Kentucky was $29.58 in 2025, the highest on record. (LINK nky, January 2026)
Updated 2026-04-29 · grounded research
15 sources
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  2. expansionsolutionsmagazine.com
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  8. kentucky.com
  9. weku.org
  10. kychamberbottomline.com
  11. siteselection.com
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  13. commercelexington.com
  14. wdrb.com
  15. americaninfrastructuremag.com