NAICS 23

Construction in Elizabethtown, KY

Metro Market Score 75.7 (Difficult), ranked #339 of 342 metros. 315 establishments, 2,164 jobs.

Metro Market Score 75.7

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national construction average.

💰High-Cost Market⚡Rising Wages

Wage costs in Elizabethtown's construction sector are well above the metro average, with wage competitiveness at 93.0 and rising pressure at 87.1. New entrants should factor higher labor costs into their financial projections for this market.

Industry Concentration

22.5

LQ: 0.80

Rank #77 of 342 metros

Wage Competitiveness

93.0

$89,389 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 2.0

Employment growth index

Rank #336 of 342 metros

Wage Pressure

87.1

YoY wage change index

315 Construction Firms in Elizabethtown

315

Establishments

-12.3% YoY

2,164

Total Employment

-15.8% YoY

$89,389

Average Annual Wage

+26.4% YoY

0.80

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Kentucky

#6 of 6

construction metros in state

Kentucky state rank

#19 of 51

for construction entry risk

vs State Median

+26.1

worse than median (49.6)

Elizabethtown vs Kentucky Statewide

How this metro's construction market compares to Kentucky overall. The state ranks #19/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Elizabethtown	KY Statewide
Overall Score	75.7 Difficult	39.8 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#339 of 342 metros	#19 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 Accommodation and Food Services 72.6

Construction in Other Kentucky Metros

Bowling Green 32.6 #57/342 Louisville-Jefferson County 39.1 #99/342 Owensboro 44.5 #144/342 Lexington-Fayette 49.6 #186/342 Paducah 57.3 #264/342

Construction Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Elizabethtown's 75.7 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 74.5 #338/342 Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA 76.9 #340/342 Bellingham, WA 77.4 #341/342 Napa, CA 73.6 #337/342 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 73.5 #336/342 Oshkosh-Neenah, WI 73.3 #335/342 Great Falls, MT 73.0 #334/342 Barnstable Town, MA 72.9 #333/342 Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA 71.4 #332/342 Vallejo, CA 80.4 #342/342

Construction in States Bordering Kentucky

State-level entry risk for construction in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

Tennessee 34.8 #10/51 Indiana 35.0 #11/51 Virginia 39.0 #18/51 Ohio 41.7 #24/51 Illinois 49.1 #34/51 West Virginia 49.5 #35/51 Missouri 54.6 #43/51

Browse Construction in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for construction 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 construction sector, the employment growth component (98.0) 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