• While overall employment in the Commonwealth of Kentucky increased 3.64% between 1997 and 2002, employment within the construction industry rose by 9.20%, creating 7,070 new construction jobs in 5 years.

• While the average worker in Kentucky brought home $28,629 in pay in 2002, the state’s construction workers made on average $31,414, 8.87% more than the average worker in Kentucky. 

• In the five years between 1997 and 2002, the average salary for employees in Kentucky increased by 19.45%, while the average salary for construction workers in Kentucky increased by 20.71%. 

• Construction workers in Kentucky saw a salary increase of 20.71% from 1997-2002, compared to the average salary increase construction workers across the United States, which increased by 14.97%. 

• Although the number of establishments in the construction industry decreased by 64 during the 5 year period, 7,070 new construction jobs were created in Kentucky between 1997 and 2002. 

• According to Union Membership and Coverage Database, available at www.unionstats.com, in 2006, only 10.6 percent of Kentucky’s private construction workforce belonged to a construction trade union.  That means that approximately 90 out of 100 Kentucky’s private construction workers do not belong to a labor union.

Data are from the U.S. Bureau of the Census except where noted.

• The dollar threshold amount for contract coverage under state prevailing wage laws in Kentucky is $250,000