Kentucky Bioscience Jobs Rise 6.9 Percent
A new industry report finds Kentucky's bioscience workforce reached 17,675 jobs between 2021 and 2025.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Biotech
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Kentucky's bioscience workforce grew 6.9 percent between 2021 and 2025, reaching 17,675 jobs, according to a report from the Biotechnology Innovation Organization and TEConomy Partners. Employment grew across all five major bioscience subsectors, with medical devices and equipment, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural feedstock and industrial biosciences posting double-digit gains.
Why it matters
The growth signals expanding high-wage employment in the state's life sciences sector. Kentucky's role in packaging and distributing medicines to patients worldwide places the state's biologistics network at the center of the supply chain.
The figures come from a workforce and wage analysis covering 2021 to 2025, showing 17,675 bioscience jobs at an average annual wage of $113,580. The report does not specify the sources of its growth beyond the subsector breakdown.
The players
Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)
BIO is a national trade association representing biotechnology companies, academic institutions, and state biotechnology centers across the United States.
TEConomy Partners
TEConomy Partners is an economic research and consulting firm that conducts industry analyses for states and regions.
The details
Bioscience-related distribution is Kentucky's largest subsector and accounts for nearly half of industry employment. The state's biologistics network ensures treatments reach patients safely and efficiently.
Timeline
2021 to 2025: Period in which the bioscience workforce grew 6.9 percent.
October 28, 2026: Date of the report's press release from Louisville, Kentucky.
Industry Landscape
The report extends the Biotechnology Innovation Organization's recurring state-level bioscience economic analyses, adding a 2021 to 2025 data series for Kentucky. The findings place the state's biologistics and pharmaceutical distribution strengths within that national framework.
Workers considering bioscience careers in Kentucky can see average annual wages of $113,580, well above the state's private-sector average. The growth across subsectors suggests expanding hiring opportunities in medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and industrial biosciences.
The takeaway
Kentucky's bioscience sector is adding high-wage jobs across multiple subsectors, not just one. Workers and employers tracking the state's life sciences economy can use these figures as a benchmark for hiring and compensation.
Further reading
Explore more on biotech developments shaping Kentucky's life sciences employers and workers.
More information
Read the full BIO and TEConomy bioscience economic report on the Biotechnology Innovation Organization website.
Source note: This article includes information reported by LINK nky.
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