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Kentucky is an Auto State

160.4K Jobs

Powered by Kentucky’s Auto Industry

Industry Impact

Every Job Tells a Story

Kentucky’s auto industry supports an estimated 160,409 jobs — from assembly lines to engineering labs, supply chain logistics to dealership floors.

139.5K

New Vehicles Sold

$72,342

Average labor income per auto job

$11.60B

Annual Labor Income

6%

Share of Kentucky Jobs Supported

7%

of Economy

$19.82B

State GDP

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and IHS Markit / S&P Global Mobility — Kentucky, 2024.

Automaker Facilities

Built in Kentucky

Facility Organization City State Type
Bowling Green Assembly General Motors Company Bowling Green Kentucky Assembly
Kentucky Truck Plant Ford Motor Company Louisville Kentucky Assembly
Louisville Assembly Plant Ford Motor Company Louisville Kentucky Assembly
TMMK Toyota Georgetown Kentucky Assembly
Magna Operations Magna Bowling Green Kentucky Parts Manufacturing
Explore Nationwide Facilities
Source: Alliance for Automotive Innovation — Member Facility Directory, Kentucky, 2024.

Tax Revenue Generation

$1.47B

in state tax revenue generated by the automotive industry’s economic activity.

9%

of total state tax revenue

$811.74M

Federal income taxes

$1.16B

Vehicle use tax / licenses / fees

$393.31M

New vehicle sales taxes

$94.91M

Parts & services sales tax

$91.33M

Corporate profits taxes

$230.09M

Used vehicle sales taxes

Source: Multi-industry contribution analysis of the economic impact of automotive manufacturing, selling, repairing, renting, and additional maintenance modeled using IMPLAN economic analysis data software, 2023 data year.

Vehicles Sold

139.5K

2024 Vehicle Sales

$6.56B

The average age of Kentucky vehicles is 13.8 years

Compared to the national average of 12.2 years

Source: Compiled by Alliance for Automotive Innovation with data provided by S&P Global Mobility, sales figures represent new vehicle registrations between January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2024; average age compiled by Alliance for Automotive Innovation with data provided by S&P Global Mobility, vehicles in operation as of December 31, 2024; New vehicle sales revenue derived from NADA Data.

New vehicle purchases and registrations

139.5K

new vehicles sold across Kentucky in 2024

Purchases ByBody Style

  • 80.8K UVs (57.87%)
  • 31.6K Pickups (22.63%)
  • 21.9K Cars (15.73%)
  • 5.3K Vans/Minivans (3.77%)

Purchases ByPowertrain

  • 134.1K ICE / Hybrid (96.09%)
  • 4.3K Electric (3.09%)
  • 1.1K Plug-in Hybrid (0.82%)

Source: Registration figures compiled by Alliance for Automotive Innovation with data provided by S&P Global Mobility as of December 31, 2024; new purchase figures compiled by Alliance for Automotive Innovation with data provided by S&P Global Mobility representing new vehicle registrations between January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024.

Activity at Ports

Kentucky’s Auto Trade Footprint

Kentucky ports moved $17.34M in automotive trade in 2024 alone, led by exports to Japan. Past-decade totals reach $132.16M.

2024 Imports

2024 Exports

$7.97M

Vehicles & parts entering KY ports

$9.37M

Vehicles & parts shipped from KY ports

Past Decade Totals

$78.40M

Vehicles & parts entering KY ports

$53.76M

Vehicles & parts shipped from KY ports

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. International Trade Statistics — Kentucky ports of entry, 2024.

Fueling

Kentucky’s Fueling Network

Gasoline still anchors the network statewide, with 352 public EV charging stations across Kentucky.

Gasoline Stations

2,734

EV Level 2 Charging Ports

653

EV DC Fast Charging Ports

309

Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Alternative Fuels Data Center — Kentucky, 2024.

Consumers

69% of Kentucky households own their homes, and 77% of workers drive alone to work.

Median Household Income

$61.1K

Owner Occupied Housing

69%

Rental Occupied Housing

31%

Commutingto Work

  • Drove Alone to Work (77%)
  • Carpooled (10%)
  • Worked from Home (9%)
  • Other (3%)
  • Public Transit (1%)

HousingType

  • Single-Family (68%)
  • Mobile / RV / Boat (11%)
  • 2-4 Units (7%)
  • 5-9 Units (5%)
  • 20+ Unit Buildings (4%)
  • 10-19 Units (4%)
  • 1-Unit (Attached) (3%)

Source: Figures compiled by Alliance for Automotive Innovation with data provided U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 2023.

Employment

Jobs Across the State

Headquarters, assembly plants, R&D centers, and supplier operations across the state — led by Kentucky’s largest automotive employers.

Source: Alliance for Automotive Innovation — Member Facility Directory, Kentucky, 2024.

  • 9,700

    Employees

    Toyota

    TMMK

  • 8,500

    Employees

    Ford Motor Company

    Kentucky Truck Plant

  • 4,600

    Employees

    Ford Motor Company

    Louisville Assembly Plant

  • 2,325

    Employees

    Magna

    Magna Operations

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