Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety8#853/924
Economy74#241/925
Housing60#368/925
Health40#552/925
Healthcare81#177/923
Environment1#908/917
Education72#260/925
Infrastructure72#257/925
Community45#508/925
Leisure & amenities70#281/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Distance to an airport · low13 mi
94/100Kentucky 44 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Drought exposure · low4%
88/100Kentucky 21%United States 43%Nov 2025–Oct 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties
Average weekly wage · high$1,332
87/100Kentucky $1,202United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
New business applications · high16.5 /1k
85/100Kentucky 13.9 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Dentists · high81 /100k
83/100Kentucky 67 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Flu vaccinations · high49.4%
81/100Kentucky 43.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Property crime rate · high2,345 /100k
5/100Kentucky 1,262 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from countiesCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figure
Comfortable days · low22.7%
6/100Kentucky 23.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Homicide rate · high9.9 /100k
9/100Kentucky 5.5 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Median Air Quality Index · high52
9/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Days with unhealthy air · high2.7%
11/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high8.8 µg/m³
11/100Kentucky 8.2 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Drug overdose deathsImproving
61.5 /100k (2021) → 24.9 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−60%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
High ozone daysImproving
3 days (2017) → 1 days (2022)
−50%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
New business applicationsImproving
11.0 /1k (2020) → 16.5 /1k (2025)
+49%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
81.9% (2015-2019) → 90.8% (2020-2024)
+8.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Homicide rateImproving
16.7 /100k (2021) → 9.9 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−40%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
21.7% (Dec 2021) → 29.1% (Aug 2026)
+7.4 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area improved on 17 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 6. 4 moved within the margin of error and 4 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved17

Overdose deaths−57%57.9 /100k → 24.9 /100k
Restaurants+10%8.1 /10k → 8.9 /10k
Firearm deaths−22%24.7 /100k → 19.3 /100k
Grocery stores+11%1.3 /10k → 1.5 /10k
Suicides−6.5%17.0 /100k → 15.9 /100k

Declined6

Transit use−0.9 points1.8% → 0.9%
Rent burden+2.1 points44.4% → 46.5%
Rent / income+0.9 points27.7% → 28.6%
Traffic deaths+11%13.8 /100k → 15.3 /100k
Price / income+0.5×2.9× → 3.4×

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	4.3 /10k2020	5.1 /10k2025	+17%	Improved	69%
Average commute time	24.1 min2015-2019	24.1 min2020-2024	+0.0 min	Within the margin of error	64%
Bachelor's degree or higher	29.6%2015-2019	32.9%2020-2024	+3.3 points	Improved	63%
Broadband subscriptions	81.9%2015-2019	90.8%2020-2024	+8.8 points	Improved	49%
Child poverty rate	18.2%2015-2019	16.6%2020-2024	−1.6 points	Improved	40%
Distance to an airport	12 mi2020	12 mi2025	+0 mi	Little change	10%
Drug overdose deaths	57.9 /100k2020	24.9 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−57%	Improved	88%
Effective property tax rate	0.88%2015-2019	0.80%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	33%
Firearm deaths	24.7 /100k2020	19.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−22%	Improved	84%
Grocery stores	1.3 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	+11%	Improved	78%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.3 /10k2020	1.3 /10k2025	−1.7%	Little change	36%
High school diploma or higher	90.1%2015-2019	91.3%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Improved	37%
Home price to income ratio	2.9×2015-2019	3.4×2020-2024	+0.5×	Declined	43%
Homicide rate	14.8 /100k2020	9.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−33%	Improved	60%
Income adjusted for local prices	$55,4982019	$72,4642024	+31%	Improved	41%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4632015-2019	0.4632020-2024	−0.000	Within the margin of error	55%
Median household income	$59,1582015-2019	$73,8632020-2024	+25%	Improved	38%
New business applications	11.0 /1k2020	16.5 /1k2025	+49%	Improved	55%
Pharmacies	2.0 /10k2020	1.8 /10k2025	−9.2%	Declined	49%
Poverty rate	12.5%2015-2019	12.3%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Property crime rate	2,774 /100k2020	2,345 /100k2025	−15%	Improved	18%
Public libraries	0.4 /10k2019	0.4 /10k2024	−3.9%	Little change	30%
Public transit commuters	1.8%2015-2019	0.9%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Declined	17%
Rent as share of income	27.7%2015-2019	28.6%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Declined	39%
Rent-burdened households	44.4%2015-2019	46.5%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Declined	38%
Restaurants and bars	8.1 /10k2020	8.9 /10k2025	+10%	Improved	80%
Suicide rate	17.0 /100k2020	15.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−6.5%	Improved	72%
Traffic deaths	13.8 /100k2015-2019	15.3 /100k2020-2024	+11%	Declined	43%
Unemployment rate	6.6%2020	4.2%2025	−2.4 points	Improved	32%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.4%2015-2019	6.4%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Violent crime rate	564 /100k2020	413 /100k2025	−27%	Improved	69%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area itself moved +0.1 points in standing on average over the same 30 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,372,558 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

558,306 households (±2,199)

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area
United States share

Under $25k15%83,973
$25k–50k19%103,759
$50k–75k17%95,619

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

558,306 households (±2,199)

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area
United States share

Own69%384,757
Rent31%173,549

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+1.8 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

666,634 workers (±4,527)

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area
United States share

Drive alone75%497,610
Carpool8.4%56,008
Public transit0.9%6,187

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN employ 172,050 people. 4 pay a median above the US median and 6 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand29,400 jobs	29,400	$46,830US $40,240	+16%	2.26×
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators20,920 jobs	20,920	$48,440US $44,650	+8%	3.38×
Registered Nurses18,180 jobs	18,180	$84,850US $97,550	−13%	1.22×
Retail Salespersons17,540 jobs	17,540	$30,660US $35,410	−13%	1.02×
General and Operations Managers16,830 jobs	16,830	$89,140US $105,770	−16%	1.09×
Stockers and Order Fillers16,410 jobs	16,410	$37,610US $37,330	+1%	1.31×
Fast Food and Counter Workers15,540 jobs	15,540	$28,690US $31,200	−8%	0.92×
Customer Service Representatives13,630 jobs	13,630	$41,600US $44,770	−7%	1.19×
Cashiers12,630 jobs	12,630	$30,560US $32,880	−7%	0.93×
Home Health and Personal Care Aides10,970 jobs	10,970	$35,860US $35,800	0%	0.58×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN has 31,628 employer establishments, 229 for every 10,000 residents (0.92× the US rate of 248), with 648,726 paid employees at an average annual pay of $60,387. The Census Bureau also counts 119,231 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 31,628; 119,231 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 229; US 248
Paid employees: 648,726
Average annual pay: $60,387; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	2,991	21.7	1.04×About typical	45,339	$72,342	4,930
Restaurants and other eating places	2,233	16.2	0.88×About typical	52,055	$21,843	710
Specialty trade contractors	1,976	14.3	0.93×About typical	24,722	$68,558	7,769
Lessors of real estate	1,536	11.1	0.90×About typical	5,797	$60,376	12,072
Limited-service restaurants	1,062	7.7	0.96×About typical	25,018	$19,116	325
Offices of physicians	1,027	7.4	1.15×About typical	16,709	$106,172	945
Full-service restaurants	920	6.7	0.87×About typical	23,777	$25,032	264
Services to buildings and dwellings	859	6.2	0.92×About typical	8,468	$35,286	8,368
Construction of buildings	847	6.1	0.81×About typical	5,661	$68,276	3,652
Offices of other health practitioners	847	6.1	1.01×About typical	7,057	$47,222	2,348
Religious organizations	831	6	1.09×About typical	9,827	$30,302	—
Building equipment contractors	788	5.7	0.95×About typical	13,950	$72,496	1,247

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 1,378,949 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $6.5B on contracts performed in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area: $4,625 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $6.5B; −12% vs FY2025
Per resident: $4,625; US $2,007
Sole-source: 3.6%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.9%; US 8.7%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Defense Health Agency$5.6B87%
Department of the Army$225.5M3.5%
United States Mint$188M2.9%
Department of Veterans Affairs$94.1M1.5%
Defense Logistics Agency$78.4M1.2%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$63.4M1.0%
Department of the Navy$53.6M0.8%
USTRANSCOM$38.8M0.6%

Top recipients

HUMANA GOVERNMENT BUSINESS INC$5.6B87%
WIELAND ROLLED PRODUCTS NORTH AMERICA, LLC$188M2.9%
BAE SYSTEMS LAND & ARMAMENTS L.P.$159.2M2.5%
UNITED PARCEL SERVICE CO.$63.9M1.0%
DISMAS CHARITIES INC$60M0.9%

Spending by fiscal year

4.2BFY2017
6.3BFY2018
7.6BFY2019
7.7BFY2020
9BFY2021
8.6BFY2022
9BFY2023
9.1B

Top industries (NAICS)

Insurance carriers · 5241$5.6B87%
Nonferrous metal (except aluminum) production and processing · 3314$188M2.9%
Forging and stamping · 3321$145.9M2.2%
Couriers and express delivery services · 4921$63.7M1.0%
Other residential care facilities · 6239$60M0.9%
Other food manufacturing · 3119$53.2M0.8%

Largest awards

IGF::OT::IGF$51.3B
HUMANA GOVERNMENT BUSINESS INC· Jefferson County, KY· Health & medical· Jan 4, 2017 – Feb 10, 2026· HT940216C0001
TRICARE MANAGED CARE SUPPORT SERVICES CONTRACT, 5TH GENERATION EAST REGION$10B
HUMANA GOVERNMENT BUSINESS INC· Jefferson County, KY· Health & medical· Dec 22, 2022 – Jun 10, 2026· HT940223C0001
AWARD OF THE VA LOUISVILLE MEDICAL CENTER - LOUISVILLE, KY$971.9M
WALSH - TURNER JV II· Jefferson County, KY· Construction & real property· Aug 17, 2021 – Jun 12, 2026· W912QR21C0027
CIWS FY19/20 PRODUCTION

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $133.5B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area: $95,216 per resident (US $12,975).

Assistance · FY2026: $133.5B; +12% vs FY2025
Per resident: $95,216; US $12,975
Loan face value: $510M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.0%; counted, never named

Top programs

93.774 · Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance$58.1B43%
93.773 · Medicare Hospital Insurance$37.2B28%

Counties in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

States

The share of the area's residents living in each state.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

Louisville/Jefferson CountyPrincipal city631,818

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Kentucky

Areas based in Kentucky, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-10-06
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M31140

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved17

Declined6

Metro and micro areas like Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Counties in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN

States

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Kentucky

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved17

Declined6

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Top programs

What was bought

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

By type

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates