There’s a new star in manufacturing jobs creation, and it’s in the Bluegrass State, according to a Forbes statistical analysis.
Over the summer, Forbes ranked Louisville, Kentucky the No. 1 city in the nation for manufacturing growth. The Louisville area has seen manufacturing jobs increase by 30 percent since 2011, according to Forbes. The story noted that Rust Belt cities such as Louisville and Grand Rapids, Michigan have started to break out of job declines that peaked in the Great Recession.
The Kentucky manufacturing growth is fueled in part by Ford Louisville Assembly Plant and Ford Kentucky Truck Plant in the city, as well as Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky in nearby Georgetown. The three plants have created an enormous supplier chain that adds to the employment figures.
Louisville-Jefferson County, on the Kentucky-Indiana border, now boasts a total of 27, 000 manufacturing jobs in the area, or 12 percent of the local economy. While the slowdown in auto sales may temporarily stunt further growth, it is still an act many cities in the nation would like to follow.
Text by Dave Helms
