Attention Investors:
New Greater Louisville Inc. Report Shows Economic Momentum Despite Headwinds, Uncertainty
Louisville, Ky. (May 22, 2025) – Greater Louisville Inc. released its latest Economic Summary report, highlighting key vital signs and growth of Greater Louisville’s economy during the first quarter of 2025. Despite an overall slowing of the global economy during the first quarter, three projects that GLI referred to local partners landed in the region representing 106 new jobs and over $40.5 million in capital investment.
GLI’s Economic Summary is released quarterly and showcases regional and national economic trends, along with updates on GLI’s regional economic development pipeline. At the end of the first quarter, the pipeline included 60 projects representing at least 4,657 new jobs and $3.3 billion in investments. This is a conservative estimate, as many companies disclose the investment and job numbers late in the process. Among these projects, 38 are attraction projects and 22 are expansion projects.
“Despite macroeconomic factors that are creating uncertainty across the globe, our region has continued to fare well and continues to attract new jobs and investment,” said Sarah Davasher-Wisdom, president and CEO of GLI. “Our team has also proactively deployed new strategies to combat a potential economic slowdown, including orchestrating a visit to Greenville, South Carolina to meet site selectors on their home turf to sell our region and grow our project pipeline. I am looking forward to seeing the impact of that hard work unfold over the next year.”
To learn more about Greater Louisville Inc.’s visit to Greenville, click here.
Key takeaways from the report include:
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the unemployment rate for the Louisville MSA was 4.4% at the end of Q1, and down from 5.3% when it increased in February. The Louisville MSA continues to align with national unemployment trends, though it remains slightly higher.
- In April 2025, the U.S. economy added 177,000 jobs, surpassing the 12-month average of 152,000 jobs per month and exceeding expectations of 133,000 jobs.
- At the end of the first quarter, there were more than 7.2 million job openings, a decrease of 288,000 from February of 2025.
- The Greater Louisville region continues to see steady and diverse employment growth across various industries; however, growth has slowed from previous quarters.
The report also includes a recap of the first Regional Economic Development Update of 2025, which featured a discussion on sports venues and their economic impact.
To view the full report, click here.