Jobs, pay and daily life in Ashland, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Ashland is a city in Kentucky with 21,295 residents. The median household earns $52,715 a year and the median rent is $872 a month, which is 19.9% of the median household income. It is part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH metropolitan area, where BLS counts 140,740 jobs.
How Ashland compares. Among the 80 largest places in Kentucky, Ashland is #18 by population, #57 for remote work (#1 = most), #26 for rent (#1 = cheapest), #54 for household income (#1 = highest). Its county, Boyd County, is #16 of 120 counties for average pay ($59,231).
Ashland has 21,295 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.5% of the population of Kentucky. It covers 11 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 1,984 people per square mile. The median age is 40.7, 4% older than the state median (40.7 against 39.1).
The median gross rent is $872 a month (rent plus utilities), 10% below the state median ($872 against $967). Over a year that is 19.9% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $125,000, which is 2.4 times the median household income ($52,715); a ratio under 4 usually means ownership is within reach for many households. 60.4% of households own their home, 12% below the state average (60.4% against 68.3%).
The Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH metropolitan area has 140,740 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $44,600 a year, 13% below the national median ($44,600 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (16,720 jobs, median $38,830); healthcare practitioners and technical (15,270 jobs, median $80,020); food preparation and serving related (13,550 jobs, median $26,840). The area is most specialised in healthcare practitioners and technical (1.7 times) and construction and extraction (1.3 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($88,400) and healthcare practitioners and technical ($80,020). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Boyd County was 5.1%. 56.2% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Boyd County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 74.0% drive alone, 0.2% use public transit, 5.6% walk, 7.5% work from home. 8.9% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 29% below the state average (8.9% against 12.5%).
24.8% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 10% below the state share (24.8% against 27.6%). 1.8% of residents were born outside the United States, 61% below the state share (1.8% against 4.7%). The poverty rate is 22.4%, 40% above the state rate (22.4% against 16.1%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 77°F (24.8°C), and the coolest is Jan at 32°F (-0.1°C). About 1,094 mm (43 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Jul is the wettest month (117 mm) and Jan the driest (73 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Flatwoods (6 miles, rent 8% higher); Huntington (12 miles, rent 5% higher); Pea Ridge (18 miles, rent 16% higher); Barboursville (19 miles, rent 19% higher). Rent differences are against Ashland; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Kentucky (288) →State guide: KentuckyCountry guideBoyd CountyKentucky rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 288 federal postings open in Kentucky (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in Kentucky →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | 5,580 | 1.82 | $81,010 | $62,810 | $124,650 | -17% |
| Retail Salespersons | 4,290 | 1.22 | $28,220 | $21,640 | $37,720 | -20% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 3,620 | 0.93 | $28,740 | $23,270 | $39,790 | -20% |
| Cashiers | 3,510 | 1.25 | $27,080 | $21,460 | $32,260 | -18% |
| General and Operations Managers | 3,310 | 1.04 | $77,350 | $41,330 | $168,240 | -27% |
| Cooks, Fast Food | 3,070 | 5.29 | $22,610 | $21,010 | $27,680 | -27% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 2,590 | 0.74 | $23,500 | $21,470 | $32,610 | -25% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 2,590 | 1.10 | $38,060 | $28,830 | $54,580 | -15% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 2,400 | 0.94 | $30,980 | $26,810 | $40,770 | -17% |
| Office Clerks, General | 2,340 | 1.05 | $36,700 | $22,260 | $53,230 | -18% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 2,330 | 1.25 | $50,050 | $35,560 | $74,110 | -15% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 2,240 | 0.84 | $36,120 | $27,850 | $48,090 | -10% |
| Nursing Assistants | 1,950 | 1.48 | $37,140 | $29,600 | $45,400 | -12% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 1,840 | 0.92 | $30,130 | $23,770 | $44,960 | -18% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 1,720 | 0.84 | $30,690 | $18,200 | $59,010 | -13% |
| Construction Laborers | 1,580 | 1.60 | $45,170 | $30,690 | $66,990 | -4% |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 1,550 | 1.24 | $42,720 | $31,630 | $60,010 | -16% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 1,510 | 0.98 | $38,280 | $29,060 | $56,630 | -19% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | 1,510 | 1.49 | $36,880 | $27,870 | $65,990 | -24% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | 1,480 | 1.34 | $31,070 | $27,570 | $49,000 | -30% |
These figures are for the whole Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $44,600 (US $50,980); unemployment 4.1% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 31.2% |
| Retail trade | 16.2% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 10.4% |
| Manufacturing | 8.0% |
| Public administration | 6.0% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 5.9% |
| Other services | 5.5% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 4.5% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 4.3% |
| Construction | 4.1% |
| Wholesale trade | 2.1% |
| Information | 1.6% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.2% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Ashland lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boyd County | 47,911 | $3,758 million | $78,441 | 25,992 | 1,796 | $59,231 | +1.9% | 5.1% | 19,551 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 7,469 | 33.3% | $68,314 | 2.00 |
| Retail trade | 3,228 | 14.4% | $33,857 | 1.24 |
| Accommodation and food services | 2,759 | 12.3% | $21,196 | 1.17 |
| Construction | 1,522 | 6.8% | $71,064 | 1.12 |
| Manufacturing | 1,370 | 6.1% | $121,179 | 0.64 |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,103 | 4.9% | $47,406 | 0.72 |
| Professional and technical services | 946 | 4.2% | $83,037 | 0.52 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 907 | 4.0% | $87,261 | 0.82 |
| Finance and insurance | 641 | 2.9% | $67,216 | 0.61 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 626 | 2.8% | $45,500 | 0.80 |
| Wholesale trade | 599 | 2.7% | $75,175 | 0.58 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 429 | 1.9% | $25,736 | 0.98 |
| Information | 213 | 0.9% | $73,650 | 0.44 |
| Management of companies | 203 | 0.9% | $45,214 | 0.46 |
| Utilities | 195 | 0.9% | $130,589 | 1.97 |
| Real estate and rental | 184 | 0.8% | $53,927 | 0.46 |
| Educational services | 54 | 0.2% | $30,705 | 0.10 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 74.0% |
| Public transit | 0.2% |
| Walk | 5.6% |
| Work from home | 7.5% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 8.9% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $52,715 |
| Income per person | $32,025 |
| Median gross rent per month | $872 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 19.9% |
| Median home value | $125,000 |
| Homeowners | 60.4% |
| Poverty rate | 22.4% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 88.4 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $44,600 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Flat 3.50%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 40.7 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 92.0% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 24.8% |
| Born abroad | 1.8% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 56.2% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -0.1 | 32 | 73 |
| Feb | 1.2 | 34 | 82 |
| Mar | 6.5 | 44 | 90 |
| Apr | 12.7 | 55 | 102 |
| May | 18.0 | 64 | 115 |
| Jun | 22.5 | 72 | 100 |
| Jul | 24.8 | 77 | 117 |
| Aug | 24.6 | 76 | 80 |
| Sep | 20.9 | 70 | 83 |
| Oct | 13.8 | 57 | 86 |
| Nov | 7.0 | 45 | 73 |
| Dec | 2.1 | 36 | 93 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flatwoods | KY | 6 mi | 7,269 | $59,972 | $940 |
| Huntington | WV | 12 mi | 45,787 | $45,100 | $912 |
| Pea Ridge | WV | 18 mi | 6,988 | $65,811 | $1,014 |
| Barboursville | WV | 19 mi | 4,376 | $60,571 | $1,037 |
| Hurricane | WV | 34 mi | 6,855 | $71,167 | $878 |
| Point Pleasant | WV | 39 mi | 3,961 | $37,563 | $624 |
| Teays Valley | WV | 39 mi | 14,151 | $108,741 | $1,102 |
| St. Albans | WV | 45 mi | 10,522 | $53,972 | $931 |
| Nitro | WV | 45 mi | 6,853 | $53,848 | $949 |
| Cross Lanes | WV | 47 mi | 9,671 | $63,537 | $949 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
21,295 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$872 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 19.9% of the median household income.
$52,715 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
5.1% (BLS county, Boyd County (latest month 2026M09)).
Kentucky. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.