Gov. Beshear: Kentucky Leads America’s Best Counties Rankings With 4 Counties in the Top 20 Per Capita
Mason, Muhlenberg, Scott and Shelby counties recognized for private-sector investment, job creation
FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 2, 2025) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear highlighted continued economic success across the commonwealth as four Kentucky counties were recognized in the top 20 per capita in Site Selection magazine’s America’s Best Counties ranking released this week.
Kentucky had more counties represented in the per capita list than any other state. They include Muhlenberg County in third place, Scott County in sixth, Shelby County in eighth and Mason County in 15th.
“This national recognition shows that Kentucky is an economic leader and we’re continuing to create new jobs and great opportunities for people and communities across our commonwealth,” Gov. Beshear said. “Congratulations to Muhlenberg, Scott, Shelby and Mason counties on being recognized among America’s best counties for economic growth since the start of 2024. We’re going to keep working hard to ensure companies across the globe continue to bet on our New Kentucky Home.”
The rankings are based on Site Selection’s point system, which considers the number of projects announced between January 2024 and March 2025, as well as capital investment and jobs created.
Projects that contributed to the strong placement of Kentucky’s four counties included:
Muhlenberg County
Site Selection’s rankings highlighted the proposed Repkon USA – Defense LLC project, which was awarded a U.S. Army contract to design, construct and commission a TNT facility in Graham to build what would be the first facility of its kind in the United States since the 1980s.
Biomass Engineering and Equipment (BE&E) broke ground last month on a $20 million facility to manufacture equipment for the agriculture, forest products and biomass sectors. The project will create 250 jobs and is the first to locate at Paradise Regional Industrial Park on a site that was approved in 2023 for $745,000 in state support through the Kentucky Product Development Initiative.
Scott County
In February 2024, Toyota increased its investment toward battery electric vehicle production to $1.3 billion and increased its job retention commitment by 700 full-time employees. In December, the company announced an additional $922 million investment to build an advanced paint facility at its largest global production facility in Georgetown.
Shelby County
In November, Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing announced the largest jobs announcement in Kentucky in more than two years with a nearly $712 million investment creating 1,572 skilled, high-tech positions. The largest investment and jobs announcement on record in Shelby County will establish production of self-contained energy storage systems for use in modular, containerized utility-scale batteries.
Mason County
Last July, Mitsubishi Electric US announced a $143.5 million investment in Maysville that will create 122 high-wage jobs. The project will repurpose an existing automotive-related manufacturing facility to produce highly efficient heat pump compressors. In 2023, the project was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy for a $50 million grant, which is pending final approval.
Earlier this year, Site Selection magazine ranked Kentucky in the top five nationally and second in the South Central region for economic development projects per capita in its 2024 Governor’s Cup rankings. Site Selection also placed Kentucky second in the South Central region and No. 6 nationally in its 2025 Prosperity Cup ranking, which recognizes state-level economic development agencies for their success in landing capital investment projects.
The latest recognition from Site Selection magazine builds on the best five-year period for economic growth in state history.
Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced more than 1,200 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling over $36 billion in announced investments, creating more than 62,000 jobs. This is the highest investment figure secured during the tenure of any governor in the commonwealth’s history and $15 billion more than the next highest total.
The robust job creation has been accompanied by rising wages across the commonwealth. Since 2022, the average incentivized hourly wage has topped $26 in three consecutive years for the first time.
Gov. Beshear has announced some of the largest economic development projects in state history, which have solidified Kentucky as the electric vehicle battery production capital of the United States: Ford Motor Co. and SK On’s transformative $5.8 billion, 5,000-job BlueOval SK Battery Park in Hardin County; AESC’s $2 billion, 2,000-job gigafactory project in Warren County; Toyota’s $1.3 billion investment in Scott County; and Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing’s $712 million investment, creating 1,572 jobs in Shelby County, among others.
The Governor’s administration also secured the largest General Fund budget surplus and Rainy Day Fund. In 2023, Kentucky recorded over 2 million jobs filled for the first time ever and has stayed above that number ever since.
Kentucky also secured rating increases from major credit rating agencies Fitch Ratings, S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service.
Gov. Beshear also announced a new initiative, called New Kentucky Home, to increase economic investment, attain and attract talent, and increase tourism across the state.
To see the full 2025 America’s Best Counties rankings, visit siteselection.com.
Information on Kentucky’s economic development efforts and programs is available at NewKentuckyHome.ky.gov. Fans of the Cabinet for Economic Development can also join the discussion at facebook.com/CEDkygov, on Twitter @CEDkygov, Instagram @CEDkygov and LinkedIn.
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Gov. Beshear: Site and Building Development Projects in 6 Counties Awarded Funding To Kick Off Latest Round of Kentucky Product Development Initiative
$35 million in funding available for projects statewide
FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 3, 2025) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear announced further investment in Kentucky’s build-ready, job-ready site development efforts as Boyle, Hopkins, Laurel, Montgomery, Pulaski and Taylor counties were approved for over $7 million in state funding to spur future investment and job creation.
“We’re making sure our local communities have the tools and support needed to secure major economic development projects that can create new jobs and opportunities for our people,” said Gov. Beshear. “We want folks to know our New Kentucky Home is the best place to do business, and programs like this help businesses get up and running fast so they’re set up for success. Congratulations to all of the communities and sites who received approval today and to those moving ahead in this process.”
The Kentucky Product Development Initiative, or KPDI, provides funding for local communities to boost investment in site and building upgrades to support future, well-paying jobs and economic growth across Kentucky.
The city of Danville, on behalf of the Danville-Boyle County Economic Development Corp., is planning the John H. Stigall road project, which will be an extension of the Boyle County Industrial Foundation’s existing industrial park. The new road will be built on the city’s dedicated right-of-way and provide access to an additional 89 acres for future development.
The Hopkins County Fiscal Court, on behalf of the Madisonville-Hopkins County Economic Development Corp., will be completing a due diligence study on an industrial site located in Hopkins County. The Madisonville-Hopkins County Economic Development Corp. is providing a 15% match to the KPDI funds.
The Laurel County Fiscal Court, on behalf of the London-Laurel County Economic Development Authority, is continuing the development of the McDaniel Industrial Park with the creation of a 1,400-foot entrance road. The London-Laurel County Economic Development Authority is providing a 20% match to the KPDI funds.
The Montgomery County Fiscal Court, on behalf of the Mt. Sterling-Montgomery County Industrial Authority, is performing site preparations at the Walters Industrial Park including fill placement/preparation for a detention pond, storm drainage and sanitary sewer and water.
The city of Somerset, on behalf of the Somerset-Pulaski Economic Development Authority, is continuing the development of the SPEDA Commerce Park. The project will consist of road and infrastructure improvements. The Somerset-Pulaski Economic Development Authority is providing a 17.5% match to the KPDI funds.
The Taylor County Fiscal Court, on behalf of the Campbellsville-Taylor County Industrial Development Authority, is constructing a new Build-Ready pad on 53.5 acres in the Heartland Commerce and Technology Park.
Currently, $35 million is available for projects entering the due diligence stage in the latest round of KPDI. The projects have been reviewed by a third-party, independent site selection consultant, which evaluated, scored and submitted project recommendations to the Cabinet for Economic Development. The cabinet will consider each project and complete the final stage of due diligence for a recommendation of funding approval by the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority in the coming months. Projects across 25 counties are moving on to the due diligence stage, and the projects announced today are the first approvals.
The two rounds of the previous iteration of the initiative – the KPDI Program of 2022 – concluded earlier this year, with 90 projects statewide approved for over $85 million in funding. Including local contributions, these projects are generating over $512 million in investments in Kentucky’s sites and buildings portfolio.
The initiative is a collaboration between the Cabinet for Economic Development and the Kentucky Association for Economic Development (KAED). It provides state support for potential upgrades to sites and buildings across the commonwealth to ensure Kentucky remains a prime location for growing companies across all industry sectors.
“The Kentucky Product Development Initiative is a transformational tool in our state’s economic development strategy,” Terri Bradshaw, president and CEO of KAED. “This latest round of funding represents a powerful investment in the future of our communities – enhancing our competitiveness, strengthening local economies, and accelerating job creation across the commonwealth. We are proud to partner with the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development in supporting these communities and we sincerely thank our sponsors, Gov. Beshear and the General Assembly for their continued commitment to economic development across Kentucky.”
To date, Gov. Beshear and the Kentucky General Assembly have approved up to $170 million in funding for the initiative.
Site and building development projects are first evaluated by an independent consultant based upon all facets a prospective company would consider, from workforce availability, access to all infrastructure and detailed information on costs associated with development. In turn, these projects will generate increased economic development opportunities and job creation for Kentucky residents. The initiative furthers the efforts of the pilot PDI program, which was established in 2019 and provided nearly $7 million in state funding for 20 site development projects statewide. Companies have announced economic development projects at 10 of the locations funded during the pilot PDI program projecting $4 billion of capital investment and 3,500 new, full-time jobs.
Investment in site development throughout Kentucky builds on the best five-year period for economic growth in state history.
Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced more than 1,200 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling over $36 billion in announced investments, creating more than 62,000 jobs. This is the highest investment figure secured during the tenure of any governor in the commonwealth’s history and $15 billion more than the next highest total.
The robust job creation has been accompanied by rising wages across the commonwealth. Since 2022, the average incentivized hourly wage has topped $26 in three consecutive years for the first time.
Gov. Beshear has announced some of the largest economic development projects in state history, which have solidified Kentucky as the electric vehicle battery production capital of the United States: Ford Motor Co. and SK On’s transformative $5.8 billion, 5,000-job BlueOval SK Battery Park in Hardin County; AESC’s $2 billion, 2,000-job gigafactory project in Warren County; Toyota’s $1.3 billion investment in Scott County; and Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing’s $712 million investment, creating 1,572 jobs in Shelby County, among others.
The Governor’s administration also secured the largest General Fund budget surplus and Rainy Day Fund. In 2023, Kentucky recorded over 2 million jobs filled for the first time ever and has stayed above that number ever since.
Kentucky also secured rating increases from major credit rating agencies Fitch Ratings, S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service.
Earlier this year, Site Selection magazine ranked Kentucky in the top five nationally and second in the South Central region for economic development projects per capita in its 2024 Governor’s Cup rankings. Site Selection also placed Kentucky second in the South Central region and No. 6 nationally in its 2025 Prosperity Cup ranking, which recognizes state-level economic development agencies for their success in landing capital investment projects.
Gov. Beshear also announced a new initiative, called New Kentucky Home, to increase economic investment, attain and attract talent, and increase tourism across the state.
Learn more about KPDI at kpdi.ky.gov.
Information on Kentucky’s economic development efforts and programs is available at NewKentuckyHome.ky.gov. Fans of the Cabinet for Economic Development can also join the discussion at facebook.com/CEDkygov, on Twitter @CEDkygov, Instagram @CEDkygov and LinkedIn.
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