Official Federal Data
Fayette County, Kentucky
FIPS 21067 · Lexington-Fayette, KY · Population 323,725
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$69,479 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.8% ▼
Unemployment
4% national
$28.9B ▲
GDP
48.3% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$69,479 ▲
Per Capita
$43,790 ▲
Mean Household
$101,608 ▲
Poverty Rate
14.9% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Fayette County$69,479
Kentucky$63,726
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 21%
18-34 · 28.6%
35-54 · 24.7%
55-64 · 11%
65+ · 14.7%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
92.1%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +2.5 pts
48.3%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +12.6 pts
21%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▲ +6.9 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
323,725
Population
180,600
Labor Force
Employed
171,716
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.8% ▼ 0.2 pts YoY
Mean Commute 6 min below national avg
20.9 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
12.2%
Key Takeaways
- Elevated poverty: At 14.9%, the rate is in economically distressed territory and supports federal funding narratives (CDFI, NMTC, EDA).
- Talent advantage: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment exceeds the national average by 12.6 pts, supports knowledge-economy and tech attraction.
- Young population: Median age of 35 is materially below the U.S. norm, a workforce pipeline asset.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 27,469 workers (19.8% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $67,543.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $28.9B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services averages $93,147 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $26,380, a 3.5x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Retail Trade Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
3,373
Cluster Employment
1.72x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related
2.25x 1,728
Animal Production and Aquaculture
2.14x 766
Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry
1.99x 1,004
Couriers and Messengers
1.98x 2,961
Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Misc. Retailers
1.72x 3,373
Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing
1.50x 652
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.09x
Crop Production
65 employed
0.15x
Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing
67 employed
0.18x
Air Transportation
134 employed
0.19x
Wood Product Manufacturing
101 employed
0.22x
Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation
166 employed
0.23x
Food Manufacturing
536 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related concentrates at 2.25x the national norm.
- Cluster depth: 6 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$293,500 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,164 ▲
Rent/Mo
53.8% ▼
Owner-Occ
6.2% ▼
Vacancy
4.2x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$883/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,079/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,272/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,743/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,940/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,737/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 4.2x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- Affordable rent tiers: 3 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,737/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
208,175 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 6 min below national avg
20.9 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
12.2%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
84.6%
of prime-age population
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
48.3% ▲
HS Diploma+
92.1% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
35,189/yr
8,890/yr
6,956/yr
5,751/yr
5,011/yr
4,485/yr
4,096/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
17.1%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
47.4%
Service
16.4%
Sales & Office
19.8%
Construction / Maint.
5.3%
Production / Transport
11.1%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 171,716 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Short commutes: 20.9-minute mean commute is a quality-of-life and labor-access advantage worth surfacing for site selectors.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 21,597 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Fayette County shows emerging potential for performing arts, spectator sports, and related attraction, with a 2.25x concentration and 1,728 jobs in this sub-sector.
The interconnected base across performing arts, spectator sports, and related, animal production and aquaculture, and support activities for agriculture and forestry creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Fayette County, Kentucky, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Fayette County, Kentucky?
323,725 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Fayette County, Kentucky?
$69,479 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Fayette County, Kentucky?
3.8% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Fayette County, Kentucky?
$28.9B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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