top 12 jobs and growing industries in louisville, kentucky.

Can’t decide if you have a big-city spirit or a small-town soul? Why not look at job opportunities in a location that offers the best of both? Louisville is Kentucky’s largest city, with a population of around 624,000. But an expanding employment market, low living costs, renowned gastronomy and easy access to recreation in Kentucky’s 44 state parks all make Louisville small but mighty.

Let’s take a look at Louisville employment by occupational group. Thanks to the city’s long-standing manufacturing tradition, transportation and material moving accounts for the largest proportion of total employment at 13.7 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is followed by office and administrative support (13 percent), production (9.4 percent) and sales (8.5 percent).

Other industries to watch in Louisville include healthcare, with major employers like Norton Healthcare and Humana, and advanced manufacturing, as the city looks to diversify into areas like electric vehicle battery production.

Here’s a rundown of the 12 best jobs in Louisville today, including remote roles and how much you could expect to earn. Randstad research shows that earnings in Louisville are close to the national average, so we’ve provided estimates from the middle of our salary ranges.

Many companies are looking to move their manufacturing activities back to the U.S., so as to shorten transportation times, reduce supply chain risk and build buffer inventories. Cities like Louisville, with established manufacturing know-how and infrastructure, will benefit from this trend. And that means quality assurance specialists, who work in manufacturing to ensure that products meet design specifications, will be in high demand. In this role, expect to earn between $17 and $21 per hour, and up to $42 to $53 in a managerial position.

Nearly 10 percent of Louisville workers in business and financial occupations are human resources specialists. With the city’s drive to attract more businesses to the area, talent acquisition specialists will be needed to help recruit for roles across industries from food and beverage (F&B) and healthcare to tech. If you’re a graduate with great communication skills, this entry-level role could be for you, paying an expected salary of $55k to $72k per year.

Remote working is on the rise, and Louisville, where the cost of living is nearly 4 percent lower than the national average, is a top choice if you’re looking for a job that can be performed from anywhere. With 1,300 businesses just in the central business district, plus thousands more large and small firms in the metropolitan area, there’s a growing demand for virtual assistants to help keep companies running. In a full-time role, expect to earn between $34k and $43k annually.

Louisville is an established center for healthcare, with renowned institutions like the UofL Health - Brown Cancer Center plus over 4,100 health-related organizations in the larger metropolitan area. Medical receptionists, whose duties include answering inquiries, collecting information and maintaining records, are professionals who are in demand for their communication and organizational skills. Average annual salaries for this healthcare job in Louisville range from $29k to $33k.

Computer and mathematical occupations comprise 2.7 percent of total Louisville employment, below the national average of 3.4 percent. This indicates potential to grow the city’s IT sector, and local agencies are busy spearheading initiatives like TechFirst and LouTechWorks to foster and attract new talent. Data scientists are in-demand tech professionals who analyze and make sense of digital information, earning an average annual salary of $89k to $116k.

Louisville’s food and beverage industry is thriving, with over 125 companies of all sizes involved in production, research and development, distribution and more. The industry employs over 15,000 people, generating annual revenues of $23 billion. In this field, operations managers play a crucial role in planning and implementing processes, with an eye on improving productivity and quality. Annual salaries range from $79k to $125k.