NAICS 23

Construction in Owensboro, KY

Metro Market Score 44.5 (Moderate), ranked #144 of 342 metros. 341 establishments, 2,294 jobs.

Metro Market Score 44.5

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Moderate

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national construction average.

Construction wages in Owensboro run well below the metro average (competitiveness index: 5.8), and year-over-year wage pressure is low at 29.6. For labor-intensive operations, this cost advantage could improve unit economics significantly.

Industry Concentration

37.4

LQ: 0.89

Rank #128 of 342 metros

Wage Competitiveness

5.8

$57,275 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 7.6

Employment growth index

Rank #317 of 342 metros

Wage Pressure

29.6

YoY wage change index

341 Construction Firms in Owensboro

341

Establishments

-5.8% YoY

2,294

Total Employment

-5.8% YoY

$57,275

Average Annual Wage

+2.7% YoY

0.89

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Kentucky

#3 of 6

construction metros in state

Kentucky state rank

#19 of 51

for construction entry risk

vs State Median

-5.2

better than median (49.6)

Owensboro vs Kentucky Statewide

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

Measure	Owensboro	KY Statewide
Overall Score	44.5 Moderate	39.8 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#144 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 Owensboro

Administrative and Support Services 45.2 Retail Trade 56.8 Healthcare and Social Assistance 59.2

Construction in Other Kentucky Metros

Bowling Green 32.6 #57/342 Louisville-Jefferson County 39.1 #99/342 Lexington-Fayette 49.6 #186/342 Paducah 57.3 #264/342 Elizabethtown 75.7 #339/342

Construction Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Owensboro's 44.5 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Texarkana, TX 44.4 #143/342 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA 44.4 #142/342 Janesville-Beloit, WI 44.4 #141/342 Elkhart-Goshen, IN 44.3 #140/342 Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC 44.2 #139/342 Santa Fe, NM 44.1 #138/342 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL 44.9 #145/342 Corvallis, OR 45.0 #146/342 Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL 43.9 #137/342 Utica-Rome, NY 43.9 #136/342

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 Owensboro's construction sector, the employment growth component (92.4) 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 Owensboro, KY MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment