AreaProfile

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN

Metro Area Profile

1,372,558 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metropolitan area.

65
Area Score
Top 45% of 361 published profiles

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
Opportunity266th of 361 published metros44
GrowthTop 47% of 440 published metros53
Housing affordabilityTop 35% of 441 published metros96
ClimateTop 19% of 441 published metros76
Physical resilience248th of 441 published metros53
AccessTop 20% of 441 published metros97
Economic stabilityTop 29% of 441 published metros73
The quick read

Employment conditions sit below most comparable published metro profiles: unemployment is 5.2% and the Opportunity signal places Louisville/Jefferson County in the bottom 26%.

A major airport is 4 miles away, giving the area unusually direct access to the national air network.

Its Area Score of 65 places Louisville/Jefferson County in the top 45% of published metro profiles.

At a glance

Population
1,372,558
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$73,863
Top 30% nationally
Density
347/sq mi
3960.8 sq mi of land
Median age
39.4
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Metro area
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
Nearest major airport
SDF
4 mi · Louisville Muhammad Ali Intl
Median home value
$248,700
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 5.2% is lower than 16% of the 361 measured US metros.

Employment fell 1.4% over the past year, to 671,854 employed residents.

33% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 76% of measured US metros.

MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Median household income ±$772$73,863Top 30%2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$434$41,207Top 23%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate12.3%Bottom 38%2024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute25.8 minTop 31%2024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher32.9%Top 24%2024 ACS 5-Year
Employment671,854Top 12%June 2026
Employment change (3 years)0.6%Top 45%June 2026
Employment change (year over year)-1.4%Bottom 30%June 2026
Labor force708,401Top 12%June 2026
Labor force participation64.8%Top 21%2024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$62,310Top 41%2025 OEWS
Median annual wage$48,370Top 45%2025 OEWS
Metro employment685,190Top 12%2025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)0.8%Top 11%June 2026
Unemployment rate5.2%Top 16%June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032026/012026/065.33.0
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 5.2% in June 2026.
Largest occupations — Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand29,400$46,830
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators20,920$48,440
Registered Nurses18,180$84,850
Retail Salespersons17,540$30,660
General and Operations Managers16,830$89,140
Stockers and Order Fillers16,410$37,610

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $1,116 takes 18% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 3.4 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.

Rent as a share of income
18.1%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.4×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,116
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$248,700
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Home price to income3.37Top 44%2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate68.9%Bottom 44%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±288602,727Top 5%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$9$1,116Top 29%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$1,784$248,700Top 36%2024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income18.1%Bottom 49%2024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate7.4%Bottom 19%2024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
53/ 100
Top 47% of 440 published city profiles
Permitting is increasing, measured from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 2% since 2020, reaching 1,394,234 in 2024.

At 4.1 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metros.

Units permitted
5,605
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
4.1
Top 41% nationally
Year over year
−7%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
33.7%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
202020212022202320241394k1362k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population.

Weather & climate

7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 88°F and January a low of 27°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 48.1 inches.

20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station LOUISVILLE BOWMAN FLD, 2.1 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND5.2"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation48.1"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low27°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high88°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months71991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing44°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.

Physical risk

53 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding and earthquake.

EarthquakeElevated
Inland floodingElevated

Low or minimal exposure: tornado, strong wind, cold wave, lightning, winter weather, heat wave, ice storm, hail, wildfire, landslide, hurricane, drought.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Taxes

AreaProfile does not yet publish tax comparisons. No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, methodology transparency and update cadence, and the product rule is to omit a dimension rather than estimate it. The Area Score is calculated without a tax component and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Nothing on AreaProfile is individualized tax advice.

Access

3 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 4 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Louisville Muhammad Ali IntlSDF4 mi11,887 ft
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky IntlCVG80 mi10,000 ft
Owensboro/Daviess County RgnlOWB87 mi8,000 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
65
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)

Profile recalculated August 29, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.