Kentucky

Population

Growing. Up 2.2% since 2020.

4,606,864

people, the 26th-largest of the 50 states and D.C.

Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among the 50 states and D.C. computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates

The workday

About 1 in 11 jobs here go to people who live in another state.

9.1%

of 1,951,113 jobs located in Kentucky are filled by people who live in another state.

Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Unemployment, 2026

The low came in April: 4.2%.

4.5%

in September 2026, the latest month released. A year earlier it was 4.4%.

BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, monthly, through September 2026. Not seasonally adjusted, so compare with the same month a year earlier. Sources: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics

Rent

Median rent is up 66% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.

$967

a month. The U.S. median is $1,413.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Room to build

Local wages can carry more rent than the median charged today.

$1,066–$1,599

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $967 median

Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year

Building

75% of the housing here was built before 2000.

• 134,014 homes permitted in ten years, 2016–2025
• 40% of those were in multifamily buildings
• 75% of all homes were built before 2000

Census Building Permits Survey, 2016–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year

Home value

A median home costs 38% less than the U.S. median.

$205,600

median home value in Kentucky.

• $205,600 Kentucky
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year