Lexington’s government and its economic development partners work on economic development every day to ensure there are good-paying jobs for our residents, and to keep our quality of life high for everyone. For me, it’s a top priority – it’s my job to ensure our economy continues to thrive.

Our investments in economic development have helped put money in the pockets of our residents. Between 2020 and 2024, economic growth helped raise the median household income by nearly $11,000. Per capita personal income increased during the same period by over $13,000.

One reason for our strong economic strength is our workforce. Labor Day is the perfect time to celebrate the members of our strong, growing workforce, the economy they help us build, the high quality of life they help us maintain, and the bright future they help us create.

 Over the past year we have had more people working in our county than at any time in our history. Over the past six years, our workforce has grown by over 12 percent, from 154,856 in July 2020, to 173,944 in July 2026.

The strength and the quality of  the Lexington workforce has helped our community attract new businesses to town, including the recent addition of BOS Innovation System, with its focus on industrial automation and robotics. BOS opened its North American Headquarters in Lexington earlier this month, bringing 111 new full-time jobs to the community.

Because of the strong skills and hard work of our residents, the GDP in Lexington increased by $7.7 billion, or 36%, between 2020 and 2024.

Lexington’s government helps develop our workforce by investing in workforce development training for all skill levels. 

In 2025, Lexington opened its workforce development center in Davis Park. The center provides our workforce team and its partners with a dedicated space for job training programming. This year, Lexington will spend over $400,000 to provide people with the job skills they need, and our economy needs, to succeed.  

Workforce training helps us grow the economy by ensuring our employers have a skilled workforce they can rely on. Our investment in workforce training helps people at all income levels. Since 2015, the percentage of the population below the poverty line has decreased by nearly 4%, dropping from 18.9% to 14.9%. We still have work to do, but we’ve made progress.

Lexington also grows its economy by investing in new businesses. The Lexington JOBS Fund, a unique local incentive program, has assisted more than two dozen companies, such as the highly successful Lexington-based Space Tango. Our support of Space Tango and other companies has resulted in the creation of 300 jobs. Currently, there is approximately $1.83 million still available in this fund.

We also developed the Lexington Public Infrastructure Fund to spur economic growth by assisting developers with the public infrastructure portion of their projects, as long as new job creation is part of the project. Recently, we invested in the Railyard on Delaware Avenue, assisting a developer who is creating jobs, as well as affordable housing.  This project was also assisted by funds from the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet. Over $5 million has been awarded to this fund, with $1.6 million still available.

Growing a strong economy also means planning for the future – we  need good jobs for our children and our grandchildren.

Our new Legacy Business Park will be complete later this year and is projected to be home to more than 1,000 workers, and over $100 million in payroll when it is fully built out.

We have also worked with the City of Berea, and the Madison and Scott County governments to establish the Central Kentucky Business Park Authority. The Authority is developing the 300-acre Triple Crown Business Park that began construction in May.

Thanks to $20 million from the Kentucky General Assembly, we are purchasing an additional 700+ acre site for job creation, as well. Once completed, the revenues from the Authority will be split evenly among the three counties, allowing us to invest more in public safety, job creation and quality of life programs for our residents.

The Lexington economy, one of the most diverse in the country, is built on a strong workforce, attracting new businesses, investing in local businesses, and looking to the future. 

Kevin Atkins is Chief Development Officer in Lexington.