Is Louisville's economic situation really that bad? (Lexington, Jackson: low income, homes)

[Rawlings]

I am a young guy, decent work experience, and I've got a BA from one of the country's top colleges. Yet, I've heard that the job situation in Louisville is terrible and that it's tough to sustain a family on the low income that you get in the Ville. Is that true? Is it any different in Lexington?

I guess that I've always figured that if you've got a college degree you can raise a family. Is that the case in Louisville? Does income match the cost of living, typically?

Is Lexington a better bet?

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by Rawlings

I am a young guy, decent work experience, and I've got a BA from one of the country's top colleges. Yet, I've heard that the job situation in Louisville is terrible and that it's tough to sustain a family on the low income that you get in the Ville. Is that true? Is it any different in Lexington?

I guess that I've always figured that if you've got a college degree you can raise a family. Is that the case in Louisville? Does income match the cost of living, typically?

Is Lexington a better bet?

Huh? Who is saying all this stuff about Louisville? Louisville has a very good, nice and stable economy. It is MUCH easier to find higher paying jobs in Louisville than Lexington! It wouldn't surprise me if Humana alone has more high paid executives than in all of Lexington. Once again, the cities are not comprable, Louisville just has a lot more big companies, more wealth...its a bigger city! If you like Lexington, compare it to Madison or Knoxville. All three are fine towns in their class. If you like Louisville, look at it against Nashville and Jacksonville. Do some research on the city before you believe heresay!

[Rawlings]

Originally Posted by stx12499

Huh? Who is saying all this stuff about Louisville? Louisville has a very good, nice and stable economy. It is MUCH easier to find higher paying jobs in Louisville than Lexington! It wouldn't surprise me if Humana alone has more high paid executives than in all of Lexington. Once again, the cities are not comprable, Louisville just has a lot more big companies, more wealth...its a bigger city! If you like Lexington, compare it to Madison or Knoxville. All three are fine towns in their class. If you like Louisville, look at it against Nashville and Jacksonville. Do some research on the city before you believe heresay!

Lol. That's why I'm asking! Louisville struck me as quite vibrant with a growing economy. But I've heard bad things about the economy and just wanted to check up. I've already done an initial search for jobs and I don't think I'd have a huge problem. I guess I'm most concerned about them paying poorly. I mean, homes there are much cheaper than in Denver. But if you're making 15% lower a year in KY then what's the point?

Is Lousville economically closer to southern boomtowns like Nashville and Atlanta or rusting towns like Pittsburgh and Cleveland?

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by Rawlings

Lol. That's why I'm asking! Louisville struck me as quite vibrant with a growing economy. But I've heard bad things about the economy and just wanted to check up. I've already done an initial search for jobs and I don't think I'd have a huge problem. I guess I'm most concerned about them paying poorly. I mean, homes there are much cheaper than in Denver. But if you're making 15% lower a year in KY then what's the point?

Is Lousville economically closer to southern boomtowns like Nashville and Atlanta or rusting towns like Pittsburgh and Cleveland?

Louisville is somewhat in between. Louisville is growing faster and building way more amenities and creating more job growth than Cleveland or Pittsburgh, even though its a smaller city.

Nashville is growing very fast for its size. This comes with problems of sprawl and traffic. For the average person, I would consider the economies of Nashville and Louisville to be similar.

Atlanta is THE boomtown in the US right now. In fact, the latest census estimates show that no metro area has gained more people in the last 6 years. Atlanta added nearly 900k people to its MSA last year. To put that in perspective, Louisville is only 1.22 million people in the entire metro area. We are also cheaper, friendlier, and have WAY less traffic than Atlanta.

So, I would compare Louisville most to Nashville out of those cities. Louisville is a very old city (which can be charming), but it is no Midwest rustbelt town.