Kentucky
#43of 5146C
Above: Mississippi (47). Below: Alaska (45).
Starting up
How many businesses get founded here, and what the state takes in tax.
55+0 vs median
- Business applications per 1,000 residents1.548 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsU.S. Census Bureau
- State tax collected per resident$3,77862 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsU.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections
Population health
One comparable public-health read, asked the same way of every state.
22-28 vs median
- Adult obesity, 202437.2%18 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsCDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
- Firearm-injury deaths per 100,000 (crude)19.226 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsCDC NCIPC, CDC NCIPC 2024
Productive base
Output per worker and how much of the job base is manufacturing.
56+5 vs median
- Output per worker$145,87520 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
- Manufacturing share of jobs12.3%92 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Labour market
How tight the market is, and which way it moved last month.
45-4 vs median
- Unemployment rate4.7%22 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Employment change, latest month+0.11%68 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Prosperity
What the average person in the state actually earns.
7-45 vs median
- Per-capita personal income$60,6736 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
- Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher27.9%8 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsU.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year
Things get built
Housing authorised per worker — a direct read on whether projects clear.
50-8 vs median
- Housing units authorised per 1,000 workers0.538 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsU.S. Census Bureau
- House price index (FHFA)588.462 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsFederal Housing Finance Agency
Fiscal standing
What the bond market thinks of the state as a counterparty.
76-16 vs median
- General-obligation ratingAa3 · Stable76 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsMoody's, indicative 2025
Openness
Whether you can get an answer out of the state without telephoning it.
56+5 vs median
- Open-data portal answers an APIYes · opengisdata.ky.gov100 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsCEFA probe, 2026-09
- Incentive, permit & finance datasets268 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsCEFA discovery, 2026-09
- Government or agency newsroom feeds10 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsCEFA probe, 2026-09