Three Kentucky counties have been honored in Site Selection magazine’s rankings of America’s Best Counties.
Site Selection ranked Simpson County in a tie for first place and Mercer County in sixth place in the top 20 per capita rankings.
“We are honored that Mercer County is receiving this recognition,” Judge/Executive Sarah Steele said. “Our community is committed to fostering growth and development that benefit Mercer County, our region and the Commonwealth of Kentucky. This achievement is the result of strong partnerships and collaboration among all stakeholders who share a common goal of creating opportunities and expanding quality jobs. We look forward to continuing this momentum.”
The Kentucky honors extend to Jefferson County in 13th place in the top 20 for total projects rankings.
In 2025, Mason, Muhlenberg, Scott and Shelby counties all were ranked in the top 20 per capita.
“This continued national recognition shows Kentucky is an economic leader and that we’re continuing to create great opportunities and new jobs for communities and families across the commonwealth,” Gov. Andy Beshear said. “I want to congratulate Simpson, Mercer and Jefferson counties on being recognized among America’s best counties for economic growth since the start of 2025. We’re working hard to ensure companies across the globe continue to choose our new Kentucky home as the best place to do business.”
The rankings are based on Site Selection’s point system, which considers the number of projects announced between January 2025 and March 2026, as well as capital investment and jobs created.
Projects that contributed to the strong placement of Kentucky’s three counties included:
Simpson County
In December 2025, Kroger announced a $391 million distribution center creating 430 jobs, and last July, Sumitomo Electric Wiring Systems of Japan announced a $17 million expansion creating 76 jobs in Simpson County. Altogether, Simpson County’s eight projects last year attracted $630.5 million in capital investment and generated 1,009 jobs.
Mercer County
In February 2025, Earth Breeze announced a nearly $5.9 million new facility creating 226 manufacturing jobs, and this March, Apple announced a more than $2.1 billion expansion in Mercer County. In total, Mercer County’s four projects last year attracted $2.15 billion in capital investment and generated 386 new jobs.
Jefferson County
In June 2025, GE Appliances announced a $490 million manufacturing expansion creating 800 new jobs, and last August, Ford Motor Company LAP announced a $1.9 billion expansion in Jefferson County. Altogether, Jefferson County’s 30 projects last year attracted $2.97 billion in capital investment and generated 2,365 jobs.
