Palavir · State of US Industries, 2026 Edition
State of Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation in Kentucky, 2026 Edition
NAICS 71
May 28, 2026
1. Market sizing (2022)
Establishments
1,349
Employees
19,194
Annual payroll
$566.2M
2. National context
Kentucky accounts for 0.83% of the 162,960 US establishments in this sector and ranks 31st out of 51 reporting states.
3. Workforce wages
KY avg annual wage
$29,499
US avg annual wage
$47,463
Kentucky sector wages are -37.8% versus the national average for NAICS 71.
4. Federal exclusion overlay (state-wide)
OIG LEIE individuals + entities
1,741
SAM debarred/excluded
2,247
Exclusion counts are state-wide across all NAICS, not specific to Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation. Sourced from OIG LEIE and SAM exclusion lists, as of 2026-05-27.
5. Top 3 counties by establishment count
| Rank | County | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Jefferson County | 339 | 6,110 |
| #2 | Fayette County | 192 | 3,235 |
| #3 | Kenton County | 51 | 755 |
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