The Greater Lexington Region moved up to fourth in Site Selection magazine’s 2025 Governor’s Cup rankings for Tier 2 metros, marking its third consecutive Top 10 finish. The region recorded 27 new and expanded corporate facility projects, ranking sixth nationally in projects per capita.
Statewide, Kentucky placed fifth nationally in projects per capita for the second straight year, logging 182 total projects and ranking third in the South Central region. Fifteen “micropolitan” areas were also recognized, including Richmond-Berea, Frankfort, and Mount Sterling.
“Lexington-Fayette County has long been recognized as a regional leader across the board, and this ranking certainly reaffirms our commitment to building a strong, thriving economy,” said Mayor Linda Gorton. “We have made significant progress toward regionalism by developing strong relationships with our neighbors and initiating the creation of Central Kentucky’s first regional business park, an investment that will create quality, good-paying jobs for our people, and generate new revenue for our communities.”
“The credit for these numbers and rankings goes to all of our regional partners, who have made a strong commitment to regionalism by working together on the Regional Competitiveness Plan,” said Gina Greathouse, executive vice president of economic development at Commerce Lexington. “Leaders from both the private and public sectors across the nine-county area have collaborated to implement action items outlined in the plan that are aimed at enhancing our ability to attract jobs and talent while fostering a vibrant economic environment.”
Since the plan’s launch in 2021, the region has seen gains in GDP (+6.7%), employment (+20,999 jobs), and wages (+28.1%). Officials also point to new site development, including the 200-acre Legacy Business Park and a multi-county regional business park initiative, as key to sustaining growth.
“It is very apparent by the numbers we’re seeing that regionalism works,” said Bruce Fraley, mayor of Berea. “We must be able to work together as a region, because so many of our competitor metro areas are already doing it. By collaborating with each other, we can be more innovative when it comes to finding solutions to our biggest challenges. All of our regional partners have something beneficial that they bring to the table, and we can learn from each other as well. That’s why it’s important for me and my city to be part of the regional plan.”