B2B cold email software in Kentucky
Verified federal data on the Kentucky business market, plus outreach guides for its largest cities and service industries. Acqro researches every company on your list and writes each email from what it finds.
Onboarding in batches. No credit card to join.
How many businesses are in Kentucky?
Kentucky had 94,402 business establishments in 2023, ranking 29th among the 50 states and DC, with 28,016 of them employing 10 to 249 people. Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns. Acqro is AI cold email software that researches each of those companies before writing to them.
The Kentucky B2B market in numbers
- Business establishments
- 94,402+0.9% vs 2022Census CBP 2023
- Firms with 10–249 employees
- 28,016Census CBP 2023
- Paid employees
- 1,708,602Census CBP 2023
- Average annual pay
- $54,805Census CBP 2023
- Professional services firms
- 8,370Census CBP 2023, NAICS 54
- Share of US establishments
- 1.1%Census CBP 2023
69.4% of establishments in Kentucky have fewer than 10 employees, below the 73.0% share for the United States. The 28,016 establishments with 10 to 249 employees are where most B2B lists should start: large enough to have a budget and a defined buyer, small enough that an owner or department head still makes the call and reads their own email.
By employment, the largest sectors are health care and social assistance (16.2% of jobs) and manufacturing (15.1% of jobs). Relative to the national mix, manufacturing (15.1% locally against 8.8% nationally) and transportation and warehousing (7.8% locally against 4.7% nationally) stand out, which makes them natural first segments for outbound.
The number of establishments changed by +0.9% between 2022 and 2023, in line with the +0.8% change for the United States. New and growing businesses are the accounts most likely to be choosing vendors for the first time, so pair that list with research on hiring, new locations and leadership changes before writing a single email.
Largest industries in Kentucky
Sectors ranked by paid employment, compared with the national mix.
| Sector | Establishments | Employees | Avg. annual pay | Share of jobs | US share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 12,636 | 277,311 | $60,106 | 16.2% | 15.8% |
| Manufacturing | 3,669 | 257,247 | $65,243 | 15.1% | 8.8% |
| Retail trade | 15,020 | 215,414 | $34,572 | 12.6% | 11.5% |
| Accommodation and food services | 8,754 | 180,573 | $21,045 | 10.6% | 10.4% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 3,215 | 133,203 | $67,078 | 7.8% | 4.7% |
| Administrative, support and waste management services | 4,401 | 113,805 | $42,002 | 6.7% | 9.6% |
| Construction | 8,201 | 81,842 | $67,913 | 4.8% | 5.5% |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 8,370 | 76,322 | $71,764 | 4.5% | 7.4% |
| Finance and insurance | 6,269 | 74,622 | $84,187 | 4.4% | 5.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 3,912 | 74,458 | $73,167 | 4.4% | 4.5% |
Where Kentucky businesses are concentrated
Counties ranked by number of business establishments.
| County | Establishments | Share of state | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County | 20,164 | 21.4% | 470,153 |
| Fayette County | 9,295 | 9.8% | 171,507 |
| Kenton County | 3,297 | 3.5% | 68,018 |
| Boone County | 3,163 | 3.4% | 88,138 |
| Warren County | 3,076 | 3.3% | 59,803 |
| Daviess County | 2,385 | 2.5% | 43,758 |
| Hardin County | 2,253 | 2.4% | 36,716 |
| McCracken County | 2,061 | 2.2% | 34,581 |
| Madison County | 1,808 | 1.9% | 25,781 |
| Campbell County | 1,743 | 1.8% | 25,891 |
Cold email guides for Kentucky cities
Each guide covers the county that contains the city.
| City | County | Establishments in county |
|---|---|---|
| Bowling Green | Warren County | 3,076 |
| Lexington | Fayette County | 9,295 |
| Louisville | Jefferson County | 20,164 |
| Owensboro | Daviess County | 2,385 |
B2B service industries in Kentucky
Establishment counts in Kentucky for the service industries Acqro customers work in. Each links to an outreach guide.
| Industry | Census industry (NAICS) | Establishments |
|---|---|---|
| Law Firms | Offices of Lawyers | 1,812 |
| Commercial Insurance Brokers | Insurance Agencies and Brokerages | 1,771 |
| Commercial Real Estate Brokers | Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers | 1,450 |
| Commercial Cleaning Companies | Janitorial Services | 659 |
| Management Consultants | Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services | 652 |
| CPA and Accounting Firms | Offices of Certified Public Accountants | 611 |
| Staffing Agencies | Temporary Help Services | 495 |
| Healthtech Vendors | Computer Systems Design Services | 441 |
| Software Development Agencies | Custom Computer Programming Services | 363 |
| SEO Agencies | Marketing Consulting Services | 278 |
| Logistics Providers | Freight Transportation Arrangement | 210 |
| Financial Advisory Firms | Investment Advice | 208 |
| Marketing Agencies | Advertising Agencies | 150 |
| Commercial Waste Services | Solid Waste Collection | 146 |
| Architecture Firms | Architectural Services | 136 |
| Office Design Firms | Interior Design Services | 117 |
| Corporate Caterers | Caterers | 104 |
| Cybersecurity Firms | Other Computer Related Services | 95 |
| SaaS Companies | Software Publishers | 92 |
| Video Production Companies | Motion Picture and Video Production | 78 |
| HR Consultancies | Human Resources Consulting Services | 73 |
| Corporate Training Providers | Professional and Management Development Training | 66 |
| Payroll Providers | Payroll Services | 62 |
| PR Agencies | Public Relations Agencies | 45 |
| Merchant Services Providers | Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities | 37 |
| Business Telecom and VoIP Providers | Telecommunications Resellers | 37 |
| Event Management Companies | Convention and Trade Show Organizers | 36 |
| Managed Service Providers | Computer Facilities Management Services | 32 |
| Executive Search Firms | Executive Search Services | 21 |
| Translation Services | Translation and Interpretation Services | 17 |
Cold email in Kentucky, answered
How many businesses are in Kentucky?
Kentucky had 94,402 business establishments in 2023, employing 1,708,602 people. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
What are the largest industries in Kentucky?
By paid employment in 2023: health care and social assistance (16.2% of jobs), manufacturing (15.1% of jobs) and retail trade (12.6% of jobs). Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
Is cold email legal in the United States?
Yes. The federal CAN-SPAM Act permits commercial email to business contacts without prior consent, provided the message identifies the sender accurately, uses a truthful subject line, includes a valid physical postal address and a working opt-out, and honours opt-out requests promptly. CAN-SPAM applies in every state and preempts most state commercial email laws, except provisions aimed at falsity or deception. This is general information, not legal advice.
Explore related pages
Guides for Kentucky
Other states
Sources and methodology
Every figure on this page comes from a federal statistical release and is shown with its source and reference year. Figures the agencies withhold or publish with high noise are left out rather than estimated. Page updated September 17, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 and 2022: establishments, paid employment for the pay period including March 12, annual payroll, and establishments by employment size. Industries use NAICS 2017 codes.
Reach the right Kentucky accounts
Tell us where to reach you and we'll open the next seat.
Prefer a conversation? Get in touch.