Palavir · State of US Industries, 2026 Edition
State of Accommodation and Food Services in Kentucky, 2026 Edition
NAICS 72
May 28, 2026
1. Market sizing (2022)
Establishments
8,608
Employees
172,542
Annual payroll
$3.44B
2. National context
Kentucky accounts for 1.12% of the 771,856 US establishments in this sector and ranks 29th out of 51 reporting states.
3. Workforce wages
KY avg annual wage
$19,964
US avg annual wage
$25,598
Kentucky sector wages are -22.0% versus the national average for NAICS 72.
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 Accommodation and Food Services. 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 | 1,860 | 40,040 |
| #2 | Fayette County | 880 | 20,296 |
| #3 | Kenton County | 349 | 7,298 |
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