NAICS 23

Construction in Lexington-Fayette, KY

Metro Market Score 49.6 (Challenging), ranked #186 of 342 metros. 1,533 establishments, 14,394 jobs.

Metro Market Score 49.6

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national construction average.

Construction conditions in Lexington-Fayette are mixed. The 49.6 market score puts it at #186 of 342, with no metric pulling sharply in either direction. Wages, growth, and competition are all within a normal range for this industry.

Industry Concentration

48.5

LQ: 0.96

Rank #166 of 342 metros

Wage Competitiveness

58.8

$74,178 avg wage

Growth Trend

46.2

Employment growth index

Rank #185 of 342 metros

Wage Pressure

33.3

YoY wage change index

1,533 Construction Firms in Lexington-Fayette

1,533

Establishments

+5.1% YoY

14,394

Total Employment

+1.4% YoY

$74,178

Average Annual Wage

+4.2% YoY

0.96

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Kentucky

#4 of 6

construction metros in state

Kentucky state rank

#19 of 51

for construction entry risk

vs State Median

0.0

matches median (49.6)

Lexington-Fayette vs Kentucky Statewide

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

Measure	Lexington-Fayette	KY Statewide
Overall Score	49.6 Challenging	39.8 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#186 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 Lexington-Fayette

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 38.0 Retail Trade 42.8 Finance and Insurance 45.0 Other Services 53.3 Information 57.3 Accommodation and Food Services 61.6

Construction in Other Kentucky Metros

Bowling Green 32.6 #57/342 Louisville-Jefferson County 39.1 #99/342 Owensboro 44.5 #144/342 Paducah 57.3 #264/342 Elizabethtown 75.7 #339/342

Construction Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Lexington-Fayette's 49.6 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Champaign-Urbana, IL 49.7 #187/342 Akron, OH 49.8 #188/342 Charleston-North Charleston, SC 49.8 #189/342 Cedar Rapids, IA 49.8 #190/342 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 49.4 #185/342 Binghamton, NY 50.0 #191/342 Boise City, ID 50.0 #192/342 Decatur, IL 50.0 #193/342 Sebring, FL 49.2 #184/342 Fayetteville, NC 49.2 #183/342

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 Lexington-Fayette's construction sector, the employment growth component (53.8) 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 Lexington-Fayette, KY MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment