Manufacturing Economy Monitor

Apparel and Leather Products Manufacturing in Kentucky

Apparel and Leather Products manufacturing added $176M of value to Kentucky's economy in 2025, up 15.9% year over year. That ranks Kentucky 16th of 50 states and DC for this industry. It is 0.4% of Kentucky's manufacturing output. Nationally, apparel and leather products is a $12.2B industry (the 19th-largest of the 19 manufacturing subsectors), per the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Output and rank

  • Value added: $176M in 2025, #16 of 50 states and DC for this industry.
  • Growth: +15.9% year over year.
  • Share of Kentucky's manufacturing: 0.4% of the state's total manufacturing value added.
  • National context: apparel and leather products is a $12.2B industry nationally, #19 of the 19 manufacturing subsectors (-0.8% year over year).
  • Classification: nondurable goods manufacturing (BEA subsector 315AL).

Frequently asked questions

  • How big is the apparel and leather products industry in Kentucky? Apparel and Leather Products added $176M of value in Kentucky in 2025, ranking the state 16th of 50 states and DC for this industry, per BEA state GDP-by-industry data.
  • Is apparel and leather products growing in Kentucky? Kentucky's apparel and leather products output grew 15.9% year over year to 2025. The chart above traces the full annual series since 1997.
  • What share of Kentucky's manufacturing is apparel and leather products? Apparel and Leather Products is 0.4% of Kentucky's total manufacturing value added in 2025, per BEA state GDP-by-industry data.

About this data

  • Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (public domain). National quarterly values are seasonally adjusted annual rates. Corporate-profit industry detail reflects inventory valuation adjustment without capital consumption adjustment, per NIPA table 6.16D conventions.

Last reviewed 2026-10-01.