State

Kentucky

Kentucky has a quality-of-life score of 22 out of 100 (low), ranking #40 of 51 US states. It ranks best on frequent mental distress (low), pharmacies (high) and violent crime rate (low). It ranks worst on public EV charging ports (low), life expectancy (low) and preventable hospital stays (high).

22Low

Quality-of-life score: #40 of 51 states
Population: 4,606,864 (2025)
Land area: 39,486 mi²
Density: 116.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 21

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 77 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map Federal contracts here

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US states.

Safety50#26/51
Economy10#46/51
Housing90#6/51
Health18#42/51
Healthcare26#38/51
Environment23#38/49
Education18#42/51
Infrastructure14#44/51
Community16#43/51
Leisure & amenities18#42/51

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Kentucky ranks highest and lowest among US states (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Frequent mental distress · low16.4%
88/100United States 18.6%2022University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Pharmacies · high2.4 /10k
88/100United States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Violent crime rate · low212 /100k
84/100United States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of Investigation
Cost of buying a home today · low27.3%
84/100United States 34.1%Aug 2026Zillow Research
Drinking water violations · low0
84/100United States 02023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Drought exposure · low21%
82/100United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA

Weaknesses

Public EV charging ports · low2.6 /10k
4/100United States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyAggregated from counties
Life expectancy · low73.6 yrs
4/100United States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Preventable hospital stays · high3,415 /100k
6/100United States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Bachelor's degree or higher · low27.5%
8/100United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Median household income · low$64,481
8/100United States $81,6042024U.S. Census BureauModel-based estimate
Gyms and fitness centers · low1.0 /10k
10/100United States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 21% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+21 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
New business applicationsImproving
8.3 /1k (2020) → 13.9 /1k (2025)
+68%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Drug overdose deathsImproving
51.7 /100k (2021) → 23.1 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−55%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
78.4% (2015-2019) → 88.6% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
High ozone daysImproving
1 days (2017) → 1 days (2022)
−41%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Homicide rateImproving
9.1 /100k (2021) → 5.5 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−40%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k

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, Kentucky improved on 17 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 5. 6 moved within the margin of error and 3 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among states: 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

New businesses+68%8.3 /1k → 13.9 /1k
Restaurants+14%7.2 /10k → 8.2 /10k
High school++2.6 points86.3% → 88.9%
Arts & recreation+24%3.5 /10k → 4.4 /10k
Broadband+10 points78.4% → 88.6%

Declined5

Uninsured+0.5 points7.6% → 8.1%
Transit use−0.4 points1.0% → 0.6%
Rent / income+0.5 points27.6% → 28.1%
Price / income+0.4×2.8× → 3.2×
Rent burden+0.8 points44.6% → 45.4%

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Kentucky between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.5 /10k2020	4.4 /10k2025	+24%	Improved	89%
Average commute time	23.6 min2015-2019	24.0 min2020-2024	+0.4 min	Little change	34%
Average weekly wage	$9772020	$1,2022025	+23%	Improved	50%
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.2%2015-2019	27.6%2020-2024	+3.3 points	Improved	52%
Broadband subscriptions	78.4%2015-2019	88.6%2020-2024	+10 points	Improved	83%
Child poverty rate	20.9%2019	18.9%2024	−2 points	Improved	77%
Distance to an airport	43 mi2020	43 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	51%
Drug overdose deaths	45.2 /100k2020	23.1 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−49%	Improved	87%
Effective property tax rate	0.82%2015-2019	0.74%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	26%
Firearm deaths	20.0 /100k2020	16.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−16%	Improved	75%
Grocery stores	1.6 /10k2020	1.6 /10k2025	+2.5%	Within the margin of error	68%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.9 /10k2020	1.1 /10k2025	+13%	Improved	54%
High school diploma or higher	86.3%2015-2019	88.9%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Improved	97%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.2×2020-2024	+0.4×	Declined	60%
Homicide rate	9.0 /100k2020	5.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−39%	Improved	72%
Income adjusted for local prices	$48,5132019	$64,6152024	+33%	Improved	60%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4792015-2019	0.4772020-2024	−0.002	Within the margin of error	81%
Median household income	$52,2562019	$64,4812024	+23%	Improved	44%
New business applications	8.3 /1k2020	13.9 /1k2025	+68%	Improved	89%
Pharmacies	2.5 /10k2020	2.4 /10k2025	−4.2%	Within the margin of error	74%
Poverty rate	16.0%2019	15.4%2024	−0.6 points	Improved	73%
Public libraries	0.6 /10k2019	0.6 /10k2024	−0.7%	Within the margin of error	79%
Public transit commuters	1.0%2015-2019	0.6%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Declined	56%
Rent as share of income	27.6%2015-2019	28.1%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Declined	57%
Rent-burdened households	44.6%2015-2019	45.4%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Declined	60%
Restaurants and bars	7.2 /10k2020	8.2 /10k2025	+14%	Improved	93%
Students per teacher	16.4×2019	15.4×2024	−1.0×	Improved	70%
Suicide rate	17.8 /100k2020	18.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+1.1%	Within the margin of error	70%
Traffic deaths	17.2 /100k2015-2019	17.0 /100k2020-2024	−1.3%	Within the margin of error	81%
Unemployment rate	6.5%2020	4.6%2025	−1.9 points	Improved	15%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.6%2019	8.1%2024	+0.5 points	Declined	10%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 51 states 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; Small Area Health Insurance Estimates; Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates; Public Libraries Survey; Common Core of Data; 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 51 states 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.

States like Kentucky five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Kentucky 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, Kentucky itself moved +0.1 points in standing on average over the same 31 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

4,534,824 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

1,814,469 households (±5,224)

Kentucky
United States share

Under $25k20%356,306
$25k–50k20%369,965
$50k–75k17%309,416

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,814,469 households (±5,224)

Kentucky
United States share

Own68%1,239,908
Rent32%574,561

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+1.1 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

2,017,413 workers (±8,366)

Kentucky
United States share

Drive alone77%1,544,436
Carpool9.3%187,507
Public transit0.6%12,256

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 Kentucky employ 463,430 people. 2 pay a median above the US median and 8 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Kentucky 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, Hand57,930 jobs	57,930	$42,770US $40,240	+6%	1.53×
General and Operations Managers52,100 jobs	52,100	$79,370US $105,770	−25%	1.16×
Retail Salespersons51,250 jobs	51,250	$29,650US $35,410	−16%	1.02×
Registered Nurses50,300 jobs	50,300	$81,040US $97,550	−17%	1.16×
Stockers and Order Fillers47,730 jobs	47,730	$36,810US $37,330	−1%	1.31×
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators47,320 jobs	47,320	$47,950US $44,650	+7%	2.62×
Cashiers44,550 jobs	44,550	$28,590US $32,880	−13%	1.12×
Fast Food and Counter Workers41,860 jobs	41,860	$27,130US $31,200	−13%	0.84×
Customer Service Representatives38,630 jobs	38,630	$38,700US $44,770	−14%	1.16×
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers31,760 jobs	31,760	$56,340US $58,640	−4%	1.2×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Kentucky.

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.

Kentucky has 94,402 employer establishments, 207 for every 10,000 residents (0.84× the US rate of 248), with 1,708,602 paid employees at an average annual pay of $54,805. The Census Bureau also counts 346,066 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 94,402; 346,066 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 207; US 248
Paid employees: 1,708,602
Average annual pay: $54,805; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Kentucky by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	8,700	19.1	0.92×About typical	108,303	$72,227	13,515
Restaurants and other eating places	6,987	15.4	0.84×About typical	153,390	$20,035	1,697
Specialty trade contractors	5,532	12.2	0.79×Fewer than typical	53,685	$64,254	30,614
Lessors of real estate	3,726	8.2	0.66×Fewer than typical	13,773	$51,215	32,980
Limited-service restaurants	3,499	7.7	0.96×About typical	81,154	$18,054	698
Religious organizations	3,267	7.2	1.29×More than typical	23,641	$26,121	—
Offices of physicians	2,833	6.2	0.96×About typical	40,637	$106,389	2,522
Full-service restaurants	2,808	6.2	0.80×About typical	64,028	$22,695	671
Building equipment contractors	2,403	5.3	0.88×About typical	30,142	$67,612	5,291
Offices of other health practitioners	2,365	5.2	0.86×About typical	15,914	$44,987	6,356
Construction of buildings	2,233	4.9	0.65×Fewer than typical	15,863	$70,966	12,395
Services to buildings and dwellings	2,162	4.8	0.70×Fewer than typical	22,494	$35,660	24,875

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 4,549,953 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.
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 $8.6B on contracts performed in Kentucky: $1,860 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $8.6B; −18% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1,860; US $1,994
Sole-source: 7.9%; US 30%
Single offer: 1.9%; US 8.8%

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$5.6B66%
Department of the Army$1B12%
U.S. Special Operations Command$684.7M8.0%
Defense Logistics Agency$270.9M3.2%
United States Mint$188M2.2%
Department of Veterans Affairs$169M2.0%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$146.8M1.7%
Federal Acquisition Service$59.4M0.7%

Top recipients

HUMANA GOVERNMENT BUSINESS INC$5.6B66%
LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION$602.6M7.0%
THALLE - BAUER LLC$345.2M4.0%
WIELAND ROLLED PRODUCTS NORTH AMERICA, LLC$188M2.2%
BAE SYSTEMS LAND & ARMAMENTS L.P.$159.2M1.9%

Spending by fiscal year

6.8BFY2017
8.8BFY2018
10.1BFY2019
10.4BFY2020
11.8BFY2021
11.9BFY2022
12.5BFY2023
12.3B

Top industries (NAICS)

Insurance carriers · 5241$5.6B66%
Other support services · 5619$608.8M7.1%
Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$370M4.3%
Nonferrous metal (except aluminum) production and processing · 3314$188M2.2%
Forging and stamping · 3321$145.9M1.7%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$138.3M

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
THE PURPOSE OF MODIFICATION P00003 - CLIN 0002 CONSTRUCTION IS TO DO THE FOLLOWING: 1. FY 09 RDTE FUNDS ARE HEREBY OBLIGATED IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,518,599.00 TO SUPPORT CONTINUED EFFORTS FOR PHASE IV LONG LEAD EQUIPMENT UNDER ESTABLISHED CLIN 0002AA. MIPR: W91CPT90770019 01 PRON: DE9R0019DE AMD 02 2. FY 08 MCD FUNDS ARE HEREBY OBLIGATED IN THE AMOUNT OF $43,020,072.00 TO SUPPORT CONTINUED EFFORTS FOR PHASE IV DESIGN EFFORTS UNDER NEWLY ESTABLISHED CLIN 0002AC. MIPR: W31RY091057705 PRON: PD8R7705PD AMD 01$5B
BECHTEL PARSONS BLUE GRASS, A JOINT VENTURE· Madison County, KY

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Explore contracts in Kentucky

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 $177.4B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Kentucky: $38,509 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $177.4B; +9% vs FY2025
Per resident: $38,509; US $12,955
Loan face value: $2.4B; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.1%; counted, never named

Top programs

93.774 · Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance$58.1B33%
93.773 · Medicare Hospital Insurance$37.2B21%
93.770 · Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage$29.3B17%
93.778 · Grants to States for Medicaid$17.4B9.8%
96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$16B9.0%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$3.3B1.8%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$2.5B1.4%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$1.9B1.1%

Top recipients (organizations)

HEALTH SERVICES KENTUCKY CABINET FOR$20.3B11%
FRANKFORT, KY
KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION$1.2B0.7%
FRANKFORT, KY
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY$1.1B0.6%
FRANKFORT, KY
KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AFFAIRS$408.7M0.2%
FRANKFORT, KY
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY RESEARCH FOUNDATION, THE

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$142.7B80%
Department of Health and Human Services
Social Security Administration$22.5B13%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$2.9B1.6%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Food and Nutrition Service$1.8B1.0%
Department of Agriculture
Department of Education

Assistance by fiscal year

130.5BFY2021
138.4BFY2022
146.8BFY2023
150.7BFY2024
162.8BFY2025
177.4BFY2026

County aggregates

85%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Explore grants in Kentucky

Public money & outcomes

Federal money per resident by fiscal year next to how the place changed, and, when its money jumped, how it compares with similar counties. A comparison, not cause and effect.

Federal money per resident in Kentucky, and how its outcomes moved, each next to the United States. Counties whose money jumped are compared on their own pages.

Money per resident

By federal fiscal year (October to September, named by the year it ends), obligations per resident. A year with no record counts as $0.

Kentucky
United States
partial year

Federal contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Kentucky and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Kentucky	United States
FY2017	$1,533	$1,436
FY2018	$1,967	$1,552
FY2019	$2,253	$1,654
FY2020	$2,301	$1,880
FY2021	$2,619	$1,810
FY2022	$2,622	$1,917
FY2023	$2,756	$2,079
FY2024	$2,685	$2,047
FY2025	$2,263	$2,165
FY2026	$1,860 (partial year)	$1,911

Construction contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Kentucky and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Kentucky	United States
FY2017	$65.32	$93.28
FY2018	$60.81	$105
FY2019	$81.78	$128
FY2020	$84.56	$145
FY2021	$317	$117
FY2022	$159

Contracts and grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Kentucky and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Kentucky	United States
FY2021	$7,948	$5,748
FY2022	$6,640	$5,221
FY2023	$7,448	$5,364
FY2024	$7,716	$5,501
FY2025	$7,344	$5,732
FY2026	$7,124

Transportation grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Kentucky and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Kentucky	United States
FY2021	$271	$298
FY2022	$320	$357
FY2023	$294	$301
FY2024	$301	$319
FY2025	$371	$360
FY2026	$301 (partial year)

Housing assistanceUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Kentucky and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Kentucky	United States
FY2021	$166	$239
FY2022	$149	$185
FY2023	$202	$229
FY2024	$250	$229
FY2025	$187	$249
FY2026	$139 (partial year)

HHS grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Kentucky and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Kentucky	United States
FY2021	$3,641	$2,304
FY2022	$3,029	$2,197
FY2023	$3,552	$2,274
FY2024	$3,589	$2,267
FY2025	$3,791	$2,397
FY2026	$4,257 (partial year)

SBA lending volumeUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Kentucky and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Kentucky	United States
FY2021	$740	$1,186
FY2022	$236	$465
FY2023	$22.41	$76.52
FY2024	$52.61	$120
FY2025	$77.03	$148
FY2026	$61.06 (partial year)

Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)

How outcomes moved

Calendar years. Charts share the same years as the money above. Levels are shown as percent change since 2016; rates are shown as the rate itself.

Kentucky
United States
Years with money loaded

Job growthpercent

Table view

Job growth, Kentucky and the United States, by year
Calendar years	Kentucky	United States
2014	1.5%	2.0%
2015	1.6%

When its money jumped

A county-year with at least 10,000 residents whose money per resident is at least twice its earlier average counts as a jump. Each is compared with up to five similar counties in the same region whose money did not jump.

Counties of Kentucky whose money per resident jumped. Open a county for its comparison with similar counties.

McCreary County, KYFederal contracts · FY2024$7,371 (4.4×)
Letcher County, KYContracts and grants · FY2024$2,449 (2.5×)
Washington County, KYTransportation grants · FY2024$1,357 (5.5×)
Perry County, KYContracts and grants · FY2024$1,843 (2.3×)
Washington County, KYContracts and grants · FY2024$1,438 (2.9×)

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Business Formation Statistics, Building Permits Survey, Cartographic Boundary Files, Gazetteer and metro delineations, Population Estimates Program, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission), Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System), Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordability. JSON · /api/v1/outcomes/places/21

See all comparisons

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Kentucky is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Counties of Kentucky

All 120 counties, best quality-of-life score first.

Neighboring states

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar states

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
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
Health Professional Shortage AreasHealth Resources and Services Administration · release 2026-10-03
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
Common Core of DataNational Center for Education Statistics · release 2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
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
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/21

Calendar years	Kentucky	United States
2014	−4.8%	−4.2%
2015	−1.7%	−1.3%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+2.5%	+3.3%
2018	+5.0%	+6.8%
2019	+8.3%	+10.5%
2020	+15.2%	+19.4%
2021	+19.9%	+26.1%
2022	+26.5%	+30.6%
2023	+32.0%	+35.0%
2024	+37.0%	+41.0%
2025	+41.7%	+46.8%

Calendar years	Kentucky	United States
2014	−5.3%	−5.5%
2015	−1.4%	−1.9%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+2.8%	+4.1%
2018	+5.9%	+8.9%
2019	+10.5%	+13.5%
2020	+19.8%	+20.8%
2021	+32.1%	+32.1%
2022	+33.9%	+35.4%
2023	+41.6%	+42.9%
2024	+48.2%	+49.5%

Calendar years	Kentucky	United States
2014	2.2/1k	3.3/1k
2015	2.4/1k	3.7/1k
2016	2.9/1k	3.7/1k
2017	2.8/1k	3.9/1k
2018	3.1/1k	4.1/1k
2019	2.6/1k	4.2/1k
2020	2.5/1k	4.4/1k
2021	3.3/1k	5.2/1k
2022	3.3/1k	5.0/1k
2023	3.4/1k	4.5/1k
2024	3.5/1k	4.3/1k
2025	3.2/1k	4.2/1k

Calendar years	Kentucky	United States
2014	−7.9%	−6.9%
2015	−3.1%	−3.2%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+3.7%	+4.7%
2018	+7.7%	+7.5%
2019	+12.1%	+14.0%
2020	+16.0%	+16.9%
2021	+19.1%	+21.0%
2022	+27.1%	+29.7%
2023	+31.1%	+34.9%
2024	+38.3%	+41.6%

Calendar years	Kentucky	United States
2014	19.0%	15.5%
2015	18.3%	14.7%
2016	18.2%	14.0%
2017	17.1%	13.4%
2018	16.7%	13.1%
2019	16.0%	12.3%
2020	14.9%	11.9%
2021	16.3%	12.8%
2022	16.3%	12.6%
2023	16.1%	12.5%
2024	15.4%	12.1%

Calendar years	Kentucky	United States
2014	6.4%	6.2%
2015	5.3%	5.3%
2016	5.1%	4.9%
2017	4.8%	4.4%
2018	4.2%	3.9%
2019	4.1%	3.7%
2020	6.5%	8.1%
2021	4.4%	5.4%
2022	4.0%	3.7%
2023	4.2%	3.6%
2024	4.8%	4.0%
2025	4.6%	4.3%

Calendar years	Kentucky	United States
2014	−8.9% (Dec 2014)	−10.8% (Dec 2014)
2015	−4.6% (Dec 2015)	−5.2% (Dec 2015)
2016	0.0% (Dec 2016)	0.0% (Dec 2016)
2017	+5.0% (Dec 2017)	+6.4% (Dec 2017)
2018	+11.6% (Dec 2018)	+12.6% (Dec 2018)
2019	+17.9% (Dec 2019)	+18.1% (Dec 2019)
2020	+31.2% (Dec 2020)	+29.3% (Dec 2020)
2021	+45.0% (Dec 2021)	+49.8% (Dec 2021)
2022	+58.7% (Dec 2022)	+64.7% (Dec 2022)
2023	+65.5% (Dec 2023)	+69.0% (Dec 2023)
2024	+73.3% (Dec 2024)	+73.4% (Dec 2024)
2025	+77.9% (Dec 2025)	+73.7% (Dec 2025)

Calendar years	Kentucky	United States
2014	9.9%	13.5%
2015	7.1%	10.9%
2016	6.0%	10.0%
2017	6.4%	10.2%
2018	6.7%	10.4%
2019	7.6%	10.8%
2020	6.9%	10.4%
2021	6.8%	10.2%
2022	6.6%	9.5%
2023	6.4%	9.5%
2024	8.1%	9.8%

Calendar years	Kentucky	United States
2014	5.7/1k	8.5/1k
2015	5.7/1k	8.7/1k
2016	6.1/1k	9.1/1k
2017	6.8/1k	9.8/1k
2018	7.6/1k	10.7/1k
2019	7.4/1k	10.6/1k
2020	8.3/1k	13.1/1k
2021	10.5/1k	16.2/1k
2022	10.3/1k	15.1/1k
2023	12.0/1k	16.2/1k
2024	11.8/1k	15.4/1k
2025	13.9/1k	16.6/1k

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends