ExecutivePulse
Official Federal Data

Kenton County, Kentucky

FIPS 21117 · Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN · Population 171,288
9 Sources Updated June 22, 2026
$80,548
Median Income
$80,734 national
4%
Unemployment
4% national
$12.4B
GDP
37.4%
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
$80,548
Per Capita
$43,733
Mean Household
$108,303
Poverty Rate
11.8%
Median Income Comparison
Kenton County$80,548
Kentucky$63,726
National$80,734

Population Profile

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
65+: 15.7% (26,958 residents) 55-64: 12.8% (21,938 residents) 35-54: 25.2% (43,250 residents) 18-34: 22.9% (39,162 residents) Under 18: 23.3% (39,980 residents) 38 Median Age
Cohorts
Under 18 · 23.3%
18-34 · 22.9%
35-54 · 25.2%
55-64 · 12.8%
65+ · 15.7%
Race & Ethnicity
White86.1%
Black or African American3.9%
Asian1.2%
Hispanic or Latino(any race)4.9%
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+
92.9%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +3.3 pts
37.4%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +1.7 pts
13.2%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 0.9 pts

Employment Overview

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
171,288
Population
93,063
Labor Force
Employed
88,902
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
4% ▼ 0.3 pts YoY
Mean Commute 4 min below national avg
22.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
14.1%
Key Takeaways
  • Broadly in line with U.S. norms across income, poverty, and education.

Economy & Industry

Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis

$12.4B
Gross Domestic Product · 2024
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis · CAGDP1 Regional GDP

Top Industries by Employment

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics · Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages 2025 Annual
Top industries by employment in Kenton County, Kentucky, with employment, share of top sectors, and average wage
IndustryEmploymentShare of Top 10Avg Wage
1Health Care and Social Assistance
13,118 23.1%
$72,983
2Accommodation and Food Services
7,549 13.3%
$26,689
3Manufacturing
7,228 12.7%
$93,785
4Retail Trade
5,916 10.4%
$38,143
5Transportation and Warehousing
5,326 9.4%
$86,318
6Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
4,376 7.7%
$105,326
7Finance and Insurance
4,144 7.3%
$120,643
8Administrative and Support and Waste Management
3,669 6.5%
$50,631
9Management of Companies and Enterprises
3,133 5.5%
$120,490
10Wholesale Trade
2,325 4.1%
$104,957
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Key Takeaways
  • Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 13,118 workers (23.1% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $72,983.
  • Economic scale: Regional GDP of $12.4B (2024).
  • Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $120,643 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $26,689, a 4.5x 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.

Location Quotient Analysis

Concentrated Industries
Source: BLS QCEW · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector · Location Quotient vs. national employment share
Same source as the Top Industries table above, sub-sector view surfaces the specialization the supersector view masks (e.g., Plastics & Rubber Manufacturing inside the Manufacturing supersector).
Securities, Commodity Contracts, Investments
4.58x
2,449
Support Activities for Transportation
3.75x
1,487
Food Manufacturing
2.86x
2,454
Warehousing and Storage
2.68x
2,462
Machinery Manufacturing
2.58x
1,360
Management of Companies and Enterprises
2.49x
3,133
Electrical Equipment, Appliance Manufacturing
2.27x
475
Air Transportation
2.21x
611
Hospitals
2.18x
5,884
Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers
1.64x
909

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
5,884
Cluster Employment
2.18x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Securities, Commodity Contracts, Investments
4.58x 2,449
Support Activities for Transportation
3.75x 1,487
Food Manufacturing
2.86x 2,454
Warehousing and Storage
2.68x 2,462
Machinery Manufacturing
2.58x 1,360
Management of Companies and Enterprises
2.49x 3,133
Electrical Equipment, Appliance Manufacturing
2.27x 475
Air Transportation
2.21x 611
Hospitals
2.18x 5,884
Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers
1.64x 909

Attraction Opportunities

LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.21x
Miscellaneous Manufacturing
62 employed
0.25x
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
213 employed
Key Takeaways
  • Top specialization: Securities, Commodity Contracts, Investments concentrates at 4.58x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy and supports supply-chain attraction strategy.
  • Cluster depth: 10 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.
Kenton County's Top Sectors by Workforce Share
Each rectangle's area is proportional to that sector's share of total private-sector employment across all NAICS supersectors. Hover for exact employment.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW 2025 Annual · Private sector, NAICS supersectors

Housing & Affordability

Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026

Housing Overview

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$244,400
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,069
Rent/Mo
70.7%
Owner-Occ
8%
Vacancy
3.0x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average

HUD Fair Market Rents

Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$958/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,051/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,353/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,785/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,976/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,014/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
  • In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.0x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
  • High home ownership: 70.7% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
  • Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,014/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
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
104,350
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 4 min below national avg
22.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
14.1%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
84.4%
of prime-age population
Labor force participation rate: 70.9% of working-age population (18-64) 71% Participation
▲ vs 2019

Education & Talent Pipeline

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
37.4%
HS Diploma+
92.9%
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
35,189/yr
University of Kentucky 8,890/yr
University of the Cumberlands 6,956/yr
University of Louisville 5,751/yr
Bluegrass Community and Technical College 5,011/yr
Western Kentucky University 4,485/yr
Jefferson Community and Technical College 4,096/yr

Aging Workforce

Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
21%
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
44.3%
Service
13.9%
Sales & Office
19.6%
Construction / Maint.
7%
Production / Transport
15.2%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 88,902 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

Kenton County shows meaningful potential for securities, commodity contracts, investments attraction, with a 4.58x concentration and 2,449 jobs in this sub-sector.

The interconnected base across securities, commodity contracts, investments, support activities for transportation, and food 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
Illustrative example

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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 Kenton County, Kentucky, from federal data sources.

What is the population of Kenton County, Kentucky?

171,288 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the median household income in Kenton County, Kentucky?

$80,548 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Kenton County, Kentucky?

4% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).

What is the GDP of Kenton County, Kentucky?

$12.4B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).