Kentucky Ranks Sixth in U.S. for Immigrant Workforce Readiness, New Study Finds

Kentucky’s foreign-born population is younger and more concentrated in the working-age bracket than immigrant populations in many traditional gateway states, including California, New York and Florida.

Kentucky may not be widely recognized as an immigrant workforce hub, but new research suggests the state is better positioned than most of the country to benefit from the long-term economic contribution of its foreign-born population.

A study by The Mendoza Law Firm ranks Kentucky sixth among all 50 states for immigrant workforce readiness, with an Immigrant Worker Dependency Score of 83.0 out of 100.

The analysis found that 80.1% of Kentucky’s foreign-born residents are between the ages of 18 and 64, while the state’s median immigrant age is 40.5. That makes Kentucky’s immigrant population 3.7 years younger than the national average and places the state seventh nationwide for this measure.

Kentucky also leads six of its seven bordering states and ranks second in the Appalachian region, narrowly trailing Tennessee.

Kentucky Outperforms Most Neighboring States

Kentucky’s score of 83.0 places it immediately behind Tennessee, which received 84.5. However, Kentucky ranks ahead of Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia and Illinois.

National rank	State	Median immigrant age	Working-age population	Dependency score
5	Tennessee	39.9	79.6%	84.5
6	Kentucky	40.5	80.1%	83.0
10	Indiana	41.0	79.7%	81.2
13	Missouri	41.5	78.4%	78.9
18	Ohio	42.3	77.5%	75.9
30	Virginia	45.3	78.2%	67.2
31	West Virginia	44.6	74.3%	67.0
43	Illinois	48.1	75.8%	57.2

The largest differences appear between Kentucky and the neighboring Appalachian states of Virginia and West Virginia.

Kentucky ranks 24 positions above Virginia and 25 positions above West Virginia nationally. It also holds respective score advantages of 15.8 and 16.0 points.

Age is a major factor in this difference. Kentucky’s median immigrant age is 4.8 years lower than Virginia’s and 4.1 years lower than West Virginia’s.

Younger Immigrant Population Than Traditional Gateway States

Kentucky also ranks substantially higher than states historically associated with large immigrant communities.

Its score is 13.5 points higher than Texas and more than 30 points higher than Illinois, Florida, New York and California.

National rank	State	Median immigrant age	Working-age population	Dependency score
6	Kentucky	40.5	80.1%	83.0
28	Texas	44.7	79.0%	69.5
43	Illinois	48.1	75.8%	57.2
47	Florida	49.3	71.6%	51.1
48	New York	49.6	72.7%	50.8
49	California	50.1	74.6%	50.4

California’s immigrant population has a median age of 50.1, compared with 40.5 in Kentucky—a difference of 9.6 years.

While age alone cannot determine an individual’s employment status or future economic contribution, the figures indicate that Kentucky has a larger concentration of foreign-born residents in the prime working-age bracket.

The comparison also shows why the size of a state’s immigrant population does not necessarily reflect its age profile or workforce readiness. California, New York and Florida have much larger foreign-born populations, but a smaller proportion of those residents fall within the 18-to-64 age range.

Kentucky Places Second Across the Appalachian Region

Among the seven Appalachian states included in the comparison, Kentucky ranks second, just 1.5 points behind Tennessee.

National rank	State	Median immigrant age	Working-age population	Dependency score
5	Tennessee	39.9	79.6%	84.5
6	Kentucky	40.5	80.1%	83.0
18	Ohio	42.3	77.5%	75.9
19	North Carolina	43.3	80.2%	74.5
27	Pennsylvania	43.8	76.5%	70.8
30	Virginia	45.3	78.2%	67.2
31	West Virginia	44.6	74.3%	67.0

Kentucky’s score is 16 points higher than West Virginia’s, the lowest-ranked state in the regional comparison.

North Carolina has a slightly higher proportion of immigrants aged 18 to 64, at 80.2%, but its higher median age contributes to its overall score of 74.5. The state consequently ranks 13 places below Kentucky nationally.

Kentucky Exceeds Every National Benchmark

Kentucky performs more strongly than the national average across each measure included in the study.

Metric	Kentucky	National average
Median immigrant age	40.5	44.2
Foreign-born residents aged 18–64	80.1%	77.6%
Immigrant Worker Dependency Score	83.0	70.3

Kentucky’s working-age share is 2.5 percentage points above the national average, while its overall score is 12.7 points higher.

Its sixth-place ranking puts Kentucky within the top 12% of states for immigrant workforce readiness.

The findings suggest that discussions about immigration and labor supply should look beyond the country’s largest and most established immigrant destinations. Kentucky’s relatively young foreign-born population may give the state an important demographic advantage as employers across the United States confront worker shortages and an aging workforce.

Methodology

The Mendoza Law Firm analyzed state-level foreign-born population data from the Migration Policy Institute.

Researchers evaluated two measures: the percentage of each state’s foreign-born population aged 18 to 64 and the median age of its immigrant residents. Working-age concentration was used to assess the proportion of immigrants within the conventional working-age bracket, while median age was treated as an indicator of potential workforce longevity.

Each measure was normalized to a score between zero and 50. The two scores were then combined to produce an Immigrant Worker Dependency Score out of 100.

All 50 states were ranked before Kentucky was compared with its bordering states, selected Appalachian states and traditional immigrant gateway states.

The score measures demographic workforce readiness. It does not directly measure employment rates, occupations, earnings, immigration status or the number of foreign-born residents in each state.

About The Mendoza Law Firm

The Mendoza Law Firm provides legal services in immigration law, personal injury and mass torts. The firm also supports U.S. companies seeking qualified professionals from abroad and advocates for immigrant communities through legal representation and public education.