Official Federal Data
Jefferson County, Kentucky
FIPS 21111 · Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN · Population 783,022
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$69,866 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
4.5% ▼
Unemployment
4% national
$78.8B ▲
GDP
37% ▲
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
$69,866 ▲
Per Capita
$42,087 ▲
Mean Household
$97,866 ▲
Poverty Rate
14.3% ▲
Median Income Comparison
Jefferson County$69,866
Kentucky$63,726
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 22.3%
18-34 · 23.1%
35-54 · 24.9%
55-64 · 12.6%
65+ · 17.2%
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+
91.3%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +1.7 pts
37%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +1.3 pts
15.5%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▲ +1.4 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
783,022
Population
411,057
Labor Force
Employed
388,766
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
4.5% ▼ 0.1 pts YoY
Mean Commute 4 min below national avg
22.2 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
14.2%
Key Takeaways
- Elevated poverty: At 14.3%, the rate is in economically distressed territory and supports federal funding narratives (CDFI, NMTC, EDA).
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 76,365 workers (19.9% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $78,403.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $78.8B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $116,154 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $29,204, a 4.0x 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
Health Care & Social Assistance Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
29,461
Cluster Employment
1.72x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Couriers and Messengers
6.84x 23,622
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
2.80x 14,929
Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing
2.19x 2,210
Insurance Carriers and Related Activities
2.16x 17,217
Hospitals
1.72x 29,461
Printing and Related Support Activities
1.64x 1,733
Support Activities for Transportation
1.57x 3,941
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.04x
Crop Production
69 employed
0.06x
Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry
65 employed
0.17x
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing
57 employed
0.17x
Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
518 employed
0.31x
Air Transportation
542 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Couriers and Messengers concentrates at 6.84x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 7 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
$248,400 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,149 ▲
Rent/Mo
62.1% ▲
Owner-Occ
7.8% ▼
Vacancy
3.6x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$966/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,047/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,272/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,625/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,891/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,747/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.6x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- Affordable rent tiers: 4 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,747/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
474,429 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 4 min below national avg
22.2 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
14.2%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
82.4%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
37% ▲
HS Diploma+
91.3% ▲
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
20.8%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
41.3%
Service
14.1%
Sales & Office
20.2%
Construction / Maint.
6.2%
Production / Transport
18.2%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 388,766 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- 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
Jefferson County shows strong potential for couriers and messengers attraction, with a 6.84x concentration and 23,622 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.
The interconnected base across couriers and messengers, transportation equipment manufacturing, and beverage and tobacco product manufacturing 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 Jefferson County, Kentucky, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Jefferson County, Kentucky?
783,022 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Jefferson County, Kentucky?
$69,866 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Jefferson County, Kentucky?
4.5% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Jefferson County, Kentucky?
$78.8B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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