NAICS 72

Accommodation and Food Services in Elizabethtown, KY

Metro Market Score 72.6 (Difficult), ranked #272 of 298 metros. 289 establishments, 5,387 jobs.

Metro Market Score 72.6

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national accommodation and food services average.

⚡Rising Wages

Accommodation and Food Services employment in Elizabethtown contracted year-over-year, placing the growth trend in the bottom 10% at 6.4. Declining job counts can indicate consolidation, population shifts, or reduced local demand. Due diligence on the local economy is especially important here.

Industry Concentration

69.8

LQ: 1.15

Rank #208 of 298 metros

Wage Competitiveness

37.6

$23,250 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 6.4

Employment growth index

Rank #280 of 298 metros

Wage Pressure

88.4

YoY wage change index

289 Accommodation and Food Services Firms in Elizabethtown

289

Establishments

-9.4% YoY

5,387

Total Employment

-4.9% YoY

$23,250

Average Annual Wage

+8.5% YoY

1.15

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Kentucky

#2 of 2

accommodation and food services metros in state

Kentucky state rank

#25 of 51

for accommodation and food services entry risk

vs State Median

0.0

matches median (72.6)

Elizabethtown vs Kentucky Statewide

How this metro's accommodation and food services market compares to Kentucky overall. The state ranks #25/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Elizabethtown	KY Statewide
Overall Score	72.6 Difficult	36.9 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#272 of 298 metros	#25 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in Elizabethtown

Information 42.0 Administrative and Support Services 43.1 Finance and Insurance 48.6 Other Services 50.7 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 52.0 Retail Trade 64.0 Construction 75.7

Accommodation and Food Services in Other Kentucky Metros

Lexington-Fayette 61.6 #204/298

Accommodation and Food Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Elizabethtown's 72.6 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 72.7 #273/298 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 72.8 #274/298 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 72.3 #271/298 Anchorage, AK 73.2 #275/298 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL 71.9 #270/298 Port St. Lucie, FL 71.9 #269/298 Boulder, CO 71.6 #268/298 Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL 73.7 #276/298 Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ 73.9 #277/298 Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ 71.3 #267/298

Accommodation and Food Services in States Bordering Kentucky

State-level entry risk for accommodation and food services in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

Ohio 29.3 #11/51 Tennessee 29.5 #13/51 Virginia 33.6 #16/51 West Virginia 33.7 #17/51 Indiana 37.9 #28/51 Illinois 39.5 #30/51 Missouri 47.2 #42/51

Browse Accommodation and Food Services in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for accommodation and food services across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Elizabethtown's accommodation and food services sector, the employment growth component (93.6) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Elizabethtown, KY MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment