ExecutivePulse
Official Federal Data

Pendleton County, Kentucky

FIPS 21191 · Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN · Population 14,723
9 Sources Updated June 22, 2026
$64,669
Median Income
$80,734 national
4.7%
Unemployment
4% national
$411M
GDP
15.4%
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Small population: 14,723 residents. These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year estimates, which carry a wide margin of error for places under 20,000 people. Read each value as an approximate range, and treat year-over-year changes as indicative rather than exact. A small shift can reflect survey sampling, not a real change on the ground.

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
$64,669
Per Capita
$31,070
Mean Household
$78,625
Poverty Rate
15.9% approx.
Median Income Comparison
Pendleton County$64,669
Kentucky$63,726
National$80,734

Population Profile

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
65+: 17.5% (2,573 residents) 55-64: 15.6% (2,298 residents) 35-54: 24.3% (3,573 residents) 18-34: 19.4% (2,852 residents) Under 18: 23.3% (3,427 residents) 42 Median Age
Cohorts
Under 18 · 23.3%
18-34 · 19.4%
35-54 · 24.3%
55-64 · 15.6%
65+ · 17.5%
Race & Ethnicity
White92.9%
Black or African American0.5%
Asian0.2%
Hispanic or Latino(any race)1.6%
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+
84.6%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▼ 5.0 pts
15.4%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 20.3 pts
4.4%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 9.7 pts

Employment Overview

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
14,723
Population
6,873
Labor Force
Employed
6,548
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
4.7% ▼ 0.2 pts YoY
Mean Commute 10 min above national avg
36.4 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
9.4%
Key Takeaways
  • Income gap: Households earn meaningfully less than the national median, which directly affects retail demand, housing absorption, and tax base.
  • Elevated poverty: At 15.9%, the rate is in economically distressed territory and supports federal funding narratives (CDFI, NMTC, EDA).
  • Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 20.3 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
  • Aging population: Median age of 42 is materially above the U.S. norm; succession planning and senior-services demand are real factors.

Economy & Industry

Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis

$411M
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 Pendleton County, Kentucky, with employment, share of top sectors, and average wage
IndustryEmploymentShare of Top 10Avg Wage
1Manufacturing
218 28.7%
$71,864
2Retail Trade
183 24.1%
$26,766
3Accommodation and Food Services
118 15.5%
$19,271
4Finance and Insurance
91 12.0%
$59,569
5Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
54 7.1%
$27,840
6Transportation and Warehousing
46 6.1%
$95,771
7Other Services (except Public Administration)
39 5.1%
$47,456
8Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
10 1.3%
$31,022
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Key Takeaways
  • Largest sector: Manufacturing employs 218 workers (28.7% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $71,864.
  • Economic scale: Regional GDP of $411M (2024).
  • Wage stratification: Transportation and Warehousing averages $95,771 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $19,271, a 5.0x 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.

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).
1.72x
556

Cluster Depth

Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Goods-Producing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
556
Cluster Employment
1.72x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
1.72x 556

Attraction Opportunities

LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
Key Takeaways
  • Top specialization: concentrates at 1.72x the national norm.
  • Attraction whitespace: 3 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Pendleton 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
$159,800
Median Home Value vs 2019
$793
Rent/Mo
74.7%
Owner-Occ
13.6%
Vacancy
2.5x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
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 (~$1,617/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
  • Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.5x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
  • High home ownership: 74.7% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
  • Elevated vacancy: 13.6% vacancy rate. In resort, rural, and seasonal markets much of this is recreational/seasonal (second homes), not available supply; confirm the vacancy-by-reason split before treating it as a redevelopment opportunity.
  • Affordable rent tiers: 3 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,617/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
8,723
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 10 min above national avg
36.4 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
9.4%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
78.1%
of prime-age population
Labor force participation rate: 60.8% of working-age population (18-64) 61% Participation
▲ vs 2019

Education & Talent Pipeline

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
15.4%
HS Diploma+
84.6%
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
26.3%
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
27.9%
Service
17.6%
Sales & Office
18.6%
Construction / Maint.
14.6%
Production / Transport
21.2%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 6,548 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
  • Succession risk is real: 26.3% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
  • 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

Pendleton County shows emerging potential for attraction, with a 1.72x concentration and 556 jobs in this sub-sector. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 26.3% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.

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 Pendleton County, Kentucky, from federal data sources.

What is the population of Pendleton County, Kentucky?

14,723 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

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

$64,669 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Pendleton County, Kentucky?

4.7% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).

What is the GDP of Pendleton County, Kentucky?

$411M (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).