OFFICE BLUES

BURNOUT INDEX — KY — #17th OF 50

Louisville/Jefferson County
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN

33
/100
Moderate pressure
-1 vs. last update

Median household income sits -11% vs. the national median against a BEA Regional Price Parity of 95.0. Unemployment at 4.8% and a 24.1-minute average commute put Louisville/Jefferson County in the middle of the pack — the numbers don't make it a disaster, but they don't make it a bargain either.

Scored 2026-09-07. Data: Census ACS 5-year 2023, BEA RPP 2024. Unemployment: BLS LAUS (most recent month).

The receipts

Three components, three public sources. Each term is clamped to [0, 1] before weighting. The formula is published on the methodology page; any change to the weights requires a public ADR (ADR-0013+).

Component Raw value vs. national Weight Contribution Source
Pay-to-cost gap
Median HH income vs. cost of living.
Purchasing power index: 0.94 (wages below cost-adjusted national) 		$71,737
RPP 95.0 		-11% national
median income 		40% 2.5 Census ACS 2023 BEA RPP 2024
Mean commute
Minutes/day, ACS 5-year. Capped at 60 min. 		24.1 min 2.4 min shorter than
26.5 min national 		30% 12.1 Census ACS 2023
Unemployment rate
BLS LAUS (monthly, MSA-level). Capped at 8%. Preliminary. 		4.8% 0.9pp above
3.9% national (ACS period) 		30% 18 BLS LAUS LAUMT213114000000003
Total score 33

Louisville/Jefferson County in context

Louisville/Jefferson County ranks 17th out of 50 major US metro areas on the Office Blues Burnout Index. The index measures three labor-market signals that directly affect worker quality of life: the gap between wages and cost of living, commute time, and unemployment pressure. It does not measure culture, management quality, or RTO mandates — those signals are not yet available at MSA level from primary sources without scraping.

The metro area population is approximately 1,380,159, making it one of the top-50 US metros by size. The data covers the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area (CBSA 31140), which typically extends well beyond the core city limits.

On wages vs. cost of living: median household income here is $71,737 per year (-11% the national median of $80,610). Against a BEA Regional Price Parity of 95.0 (national average = 100, higher = more expensive), that works out to a purchasing-power index of 0.94 relative to a national baseline of 1.0. Wages don't keep up with local prices on a cost-adjusted basis — that gap contributes 2.5 points to the burnout score.

On commute: the average one-way trip takes 24.1 minutes — 2.4 min shorter than the national mean of 26.5 minutes. The commute component contributes 12.1 points out of a possible 30 (capped when commute ≥ 60 minutes). Commute time is the most consistent predictor of reported job dissatisfaction in the academic literature; it compounds every other signal.

On unemployment: the rate is 4.8%, which is 0.9pp above the national reference figure of 3.9% for the ACS measurement period. The unemployment component contributes 18 points out of a possible 30 (capped at 8%). High unemployment signals a weak labor market where workers have fewer outside options — the classic condition for wage suppression and lower bargaining power. This figure is from BLS LAUS (2026-07-31), the most current available.

The score formula is editorial — 40/30/30 weights are a deliberate choice, not derived from regression. If you think the weights are wrong, the methodology page explains the rationale. Weight changes require a public ADR (ADR-0013+). The sources are federal, license-free for reuse with attribution.

HOW THIS IS CALCULATED

Formula (ADR-0012, binding):

burnout_score = round(
  40 × clamp₀₁(1 − normalized_wage / cost_norm)   // pay-to-cost gap
+ 30 × clamp₀₁(commute_min / 60)                  // commute
+ 30 × clamp₀₁(unemployment_pct / 8)              // unemployment
)

Where:

  • normalized_wage = $71,737 ÷ $80,610 (national median) = 0.8899
  • cost_norm = 94.956 ÷ 100 = 0.9496
  • pay_term = clamp₀₁(1 − 0.8899 ÷ 0.9496) = 0.0628
  • commute_term = clamp₀₁(24.1 ÷ 60) = 0.4017
  • unemp_term = clamp₀₁(4.8 ÷ 8) = 0.6000

Score = round(40 × 0.0628 + 30 × 0.4017 + 30 × 0.6000) = round(32.56) = 33

Full methodology, weight rationale, and source citations: /methodology#burnout-index. Weight changes are a brand contract — any modification requires ADR-0013+.

What changed since last update

Score moved from 34 to 33 (-1 points). Data sources refresh weekly via CI cron. Score changes reflect BLS LAUS monthly releases (unemployment) and are recomputed every Monday at 14:30 UTC.

Metros that feel like Louisville/Jefferson County

Same index, same three inputs. These metros land nearest Louisville/Jefferson County's 33/100 — which makes them the fair comparison when someone tells you the grass is greener.

Elsewhere in the East South Central

Both ends of the scale, for scale: Cleveland carries the most pressure of the 50 metros ranked (38/100), and Columbus the least (24/100). See the full ranking →

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Raw JSON: /burnout-index/louisville-ky.json · License: CC BY 4.0 · Cite as: Office Blues Burnout Index, Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN, officeblues.net/burnout-index/louisville-ky, 2026-09-07