Where are the jobs in Kentucky? Data on commuters give some indication
Before the pandemic turned the world of work upside down, the number of people commuting to Fayette County outnumbered those who live and work there, and more workers were making high wages.
Those are some key findings from the Kentucky Center for Statistics’ (KYSTATS) Commuting Patterns Report, which displays data for each county and allows users to track the flow of workers throughout the state.
The tool, created using a special dataset from the U.S. Census Bureau, includes data for 2002 to 2019. Notably, it doesn’t enable users to view commuter data after the pandemic.
Summing up the report’s findings in an email response, KYSTATS Executive Director Dr. Matt Berry wrote, “the KentuckianaWorks Local Workforce Area (LWA) has the highest percentage of people living and working in the area at 84%, with the Bluegrass LWA second at 81%.”
KentuckianaWorks encompasses Bullitt, Henry, Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer and Trimble counties. The Bluegrass LWA spans Anderson, Bourbon, Boyle, Clark, Estill, Fayette, Franklin, Garrard, Harrison, Jessamine, Lincoln, Madison, Mercer, Nicholas, Powell, Scott and Woodford counties.
Some other data highlights from Berry for Fayette County include:
95,731 people commute to Fayette County from other counties for work.
91,708 people live and work in Fayette County.
43,064 people commute from Fayette County for work.
According to Berry, most people are commuting into Fayette from Jessamine, Madison and Scott counties, while if they leave Fayette, most are going to Jefferson, Scott and Jessamine counties.
More high-wage workers in Fayette County
Between 2002 and 2019, the time period reflected in the data, more than 52,000 additional workers flowed into Fayette County as commuters.
What’s more, as many as 25,622 were classified as “high wage” workers commuting into the county, according to the report. Another 17,862 workers commuting into Fayette County were earning a “middle wage,” while 9,183 earned low wages.
The fastest-growing job during that time period in Fayette County was in the service sector, which added 36,000 positions. It was followed by the trade sector at 10,554 workers commuting into Fayette County, and then by 5,397 additional jobs in the goods producing and industry sectors.
100,000 more workers commute in to Jefferson County
Data from the KYSTATS report clearly shows Jefferson County remains a hive of economic activity, with 178,695 commuting to work in the county.
Among those commuting workers, the service industry dominates, with 63,445 additional workers traveling to clock in.
Nearly 70,000 commuting workers were earning a high wage, while roughly 30,000 made middle income wages and 15,000 were paid low wages.
Fewer people live and work in Eastern Kentucky
Only about 61% of workers in Eastern Kentucky live and work in the same county, according to the report.
That figure refers to counties encompassed by the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, which includes Bell, Breathitt, Carter, Clay, Elliott, Floyd, Harlan, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, Menifee, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Pike and Wolfe counties.
More information about the report’s methodology can be found online.
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