Which metro areas in Kentucky are adding jobs fastest?
Clarksville, TN-KY (+13.0%), Bowling Green, KY (+9.8%) and Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN (+7.5%) added private-sector jobs fastest among Kentucky metro areas between 2018 and 2023.
Data as of 2023 · updated
All 9 ranked Kentucky metro areas
| Rank | Metro area | Change 2018–23 | Jobs added | Private jobs 2023 | Residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clarksville, TN-KY | +13.0% | +9,466 | 82,188 | 349,001 |
| 2 | Bowling Green, KY | +9.8% | +6,005 | 67,065 | 197,180 |
| 3 | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | +7.5% | +45,410 | 648,726 | 1,402,509 |
| 4 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | +7.1% | +68,661 | 1,030,698 | 2,312,858 |
| 5 | Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | +5.7% | +6,285 | 116,763 | 365,965 |
| 6 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | +5.0% | +11,501 | 240,076 | 535,174 |
| 7 | Paducah, KY-IL | +5.0% | +1,963 | 41,520 | 102,259 |
| 8 | Owensboro, KY | −2.2% | −999 | 44,705 | 113,962 |
| 9 | Elizabethtown, KY | −9.0% | −3,861 | 38,811 | 128,666 |
How this is ranked
The change in paid employees of private employers in mid-March between 2018 and 2023 (Census Bureau County Business Patterns). Government jobs and the self-employed are not counted. Only metropolitan statistical areas of two or more counties are ranked (OMB Bulletin 23-01): a one-county area's figures are its county's, and micro areas are left out. Areas without a figure for the same period as the others are not ranked. An area that crosses a state line is ranked in each of its states.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns. Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how ranks and figures are built.
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Questions
Which metro area in Kentucky has the fastest job growth?
Clarksville, TN-KY: +13.0%, ahead of Bowling Green, KY (+9.8%) and Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN (+7.5%), of 9 Kentucky metro areas ranked.
How is this ranking calculated?
The change in paid employees of private employers in mid-March between 2018 and 2023 (Census Bureau County Business Patterns). Government jobs and the self-employed are not counted. Only metropolitan statistical areas of two or more counties are ranked (OMB Bulletin 23-01): a one-county area's figures are its county's, and micro areas are left out. Areas without a figure for the same period as the others are not ranked. An area that crosses a state line is ranked in each of its states.