The mover’s guide to Kentucky: Housing, Health and Jobs
It’s known for its famous fried chicken and the Derby, but beneath the trivia and tourism Kentucky is a home for almost 4.5m people.
We don’t quite have the scope to delve into each individual area of this state, but what we can do is provide a bit of insight on three separate issues that potential new movers to the area tend to ask.
Bearing this in mind, let’s take a look at just what Kentucky offers from a housing, health and jobs perspective.
The housing market
It was a well-known fact that during the 2008 crisis Kentucky struggled. In some ways, it’s still struggling, as it doesn’t attract a lot of new people.
For those that have taken the plunge and opted to move there, it presents an excellent opportunity from a housing perspective though. In comparison to other states, housing is much cheaper, with the average house price being less than $150,000, while the average rent is $1,073. There are also suggestions with the above Zillow data that the homes tend to be newer, which provides a lot more value for money when compared to other states in the country.
The health situation
While Kentucky scores high from a housing perspective, the same can’t necessarily said from a healthcare one. There have been some damning reports about the standard of healthcare in this state, such as the following:
- 3 in 10 Kentucky adults have poor health
- There is a higher chance of getting cancer in Kentucky
- Studies are being conducted to find out why Kentucky has such poor health statistics
Unfortunately, there’s little positive to say in this section. While we can’t quite go as far as saying that Kentucky has a shortage of thermometers or other basic medical equipment, it is clear there are underlying problems that the experts are trying to get to grips with.
Should this dissuade someone from moving there? There are plenty more variables to consider but if you do find yourself needing regular medical attention, this is an area worth investigating.
The jobs lowdown
On first glance, the jobs market in Kentucky is difficult to look at. It is regularly classed as one of the worst for jobs in the country – but this largely depends on how granular you look.
For example, let’s home in on the Louisville metropolitan area. The unemployment rate in this region is lower than the state average and much more in-line with what the rest of the country has. There are a lot more jobs going, with healthcare and tourism being two of the main industries. As such, rather than taking a look at the whole of Kentucky, it’s worth analyzing individual regions as they can turn the story on its head.
Another important point to mention is the current situation in Kentucky. We are in the middle of a pandemic, yet the Kentucky unemployment data is faring better than several states including California, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina and others.
