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Kentucky

Overall Rank

40

Ease of doing business

theboardiQ Economic Relevance Score, ranks States of USA based on 11 parameters - F500 Cos Representation | Trade Surplus or Deficit | GDP | Agriculture | Innovation | Manufacturing | Employment | Tax | Cost of Living | Disposable Income and Education

Population
% of overall Population
US Overall
4,588,372
1.3%
340,110,988
david-whipple-mU-wz7JlJMc-unsplash_Ravid.jpg
david-whipple-mU-wz7JlJMc-unsplash_Ravid.jpg

The radar represents multivariate data of the overall rank and 11 quantitative variables (ranking amongst 50 states) mapped onto the "0" axis - closer to "0", implies better performance

Strengths
Strategic Location; Manufacturing; Bourbon Industry; Equine Industry; Logistics/Distribution
Weaknesses
Healthcare Challenges; Educational Attainment; Economic Diversification; Poverty
Opportunities
Advanced Manufacturing; Tourism Growth; Renewable Energy; Logistics Expansion
Threats
Economic Fluctuations; Changes in Manufacturing; Healthcare Costs; Environmental Concerns

Ranking Quantitative Variables

1 Fortune 500 representation

F500 Cos
2

The map represents number of Fortune 500 companies present in each State

2 Trade (Exports | Imports)



Exports

In Millions ($) - 2025

Exports
% of US Exports
US Exports
$3,798
2.32%
$164,026

Imports

In Millions ($) - 2025

Imports
% of US Imports
US Imports
$6,864
2.16%
$317,306

The map represents Trade Surplus / Deficit Rankings of each State in 2025

3 GDP

Source - BEA and Wikipedia - A comprehensive measure of the economies of each state and the District of Columbia. GDP estimates the value of the goods and services produced in a state. Figures are in Millions $

GDP Overall Rank
Nominal GDP (2024)
GDP Per Capita
% of Capital
29
291,108
$64,110
1.01

4 Innovation

Source - TCGen - The data includes per capita R&D investment, per capita venture capital investment, small businesses created, patent creation rate, and the SBA amount funded.  Total Innovation Rank Index based on the following indexes: Financial Incentives Index (average) Innovation Vitality Index (average)

Innovation Overall Rank
Total Innovation Rank
Financial Incentives Index
Innovation Vitality Index
46
1
0
2

5 Agriculture

Source - USDA Economic Research Service - The data includes Farm Income and Wealth Statistics - Cash receipts by commodity State ranking

Agriculture Overall Rank
All Commodities
24
2

6 Tax

Source - Tax Foundation - The State Tax Competitiveness Index compares each state on more than 150 variables in the five major areas of taxation (corporate taxes, individual income taxes, sales and excise taxes, property and wealth taxes, and unemployment insurance taxes and then adds the results to yield a final, overall ranking

Tax Overall Rank
Corporate Tax Rank
Individual Income Tax Rank
Sales Tax Rank
Property Tax Rank
22
18
23
18
27

7 Manufacturing

Source - Site Selection Group utilizes GeoCision® to score and rank states based on their competitiveness for corporate investment (Best States for Manufacturing). The data is based on 3 broad categories: Workforce & Market Alignment Operating Costs Geographic Positioning

Mfg Overall Rank
Mfg Overall Index
Workforce & Market Alignment
Operating Costs
Geo Positioning
5
113
105
117
119

8 Employment

Source - US News - It evaluates three metrics: unemployment rate, job growth and labor force participation. While the labor force participation rate measures the percentage of the population that is either employed or actively looking for a job, the unemployment rate measures the percentage of the labor force that is out of work.

Employment Overall Rank
50

9 Education

Source - World Population Review (Public Schools) and US News (Higher Education) - The School Quality subcategory evaluates states across 12 indicators, including % of teachers who meet all state licensing requirements, annual per-pupil spending, pupil-to-teacher ratio, schools that require health education. The Student Safety subcategory evaluates states across 15 indicators, including bullying rate, instances of crimes such as robbery or sexual assault, and the prevalence of illegal drug sales on school property. The Student Success subcategory evaluates states across 15 indicators, including SAT scores, ACDT scores, expulsion rates, dropout and graduation rates, and rates of students who go on to attend college. Higher Education - It comprises metrics reflecting the share of citizens in each state holding college degrees, as well as college graduation rates, the cost of in-state tuition and fees, and the burden of debt that college graduates carry.

Edu Overall Rank
Edu Weighted Average
Higher Edu
School Overall Rank
School Quality
Student Safety
Student Success
38
33
36
30
26
30
36

10 Cost of Living

Source - Forbes - Cost of living refers to the average amount one can expect to spend on essential expenses while maintaining a reasonable lifestyle in a particular location during a specific period

Cost of Living
Cost of Living Overall Rank
$35,508
11

11 Disposable Income

Source - Forbes - While Cost of Living is important - Disposable Income is equally relevant. Hawaii took the spot for cost of living. With an average annual expenditure of $55,491, its residents have just $9,550 to spend per year on average. Consequently, Hawaii ranked as the state with the lowest disposable income.

Disposable Income
Disposable Income Overall Rank
$18,510
42

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265 Garnet Dr 

Livermore, CA 94550

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