Sell plastic pallets in Kentucky
Kentucky had 38,281 warehousing jobs in 2025, 17th among the states, and its most concentrated pallet-using industry is motor vehicle manufacturing. Send the lot with its ZIP; the desk reads size, style, grade and marks, and rules it sold, returned or scrapped.
Last reviewed November 12, 2026
Kentucky in numbers
- Warehousing and storage jobs, 2025
- 38,281 (17th of 50 states)
- Warehousing establishments
- 430 (19th of 50); about 89 jobs each
- Share of US warehousing jobs
- 2.01%
- Food manufacturing jobs
- 31,273 (24th of 50)
- Most concentrated pallet-using industry
- motor vehicle manufacturing, 6.3x the national share of employment
- Pharmaceutical manufacturing jobs
- 2,045
- Motor vehicle assembly jobs
- 23,308
- Auto parts jobs
- 32,261
- Refrigerated warehouse space, October 1, 2025
- 24 million cubic feet (28th of 50)
Reading a Kentucky lot
Kentucky ranks 17th for warehousing jobs and 19th for establishments. It sits in the middle of the fifty by warehousing jobs. The average warehouse employs about 89 people, against 82 across the fifty states. Larger sites mean larger stacks, so lots tend to arrive as whole stocks.
Kentucky has 0.8 food manufacturing jobs for every warehousing job, against 0.9 across the fifty states. The warehouses are the bigger half of the picture here, so expect strays and mixed makers on one dock. Among the other industries counted here, auto parts (32,261 jobs) is 16 times the size of pharmaceutical manufacturing (2,045).
Boone County holds 23.8% of Kentucky's warehousing jobs, and the top 3 listed hold 61.7%. Three counties carry most of the market, and a lot near any of them is close to the most dock activity. The dossier follows one metro in Kentucky: Louisville/Jefferson County.
USDA counted 24 million cubic feet of refrigerated warehouse space in Kentucky, 28th of 50 and about 627 cubic feet for each warehousing job, against 2,254 across the states it reports. Cold storage is a smaller part of the picture here, so most lots come off ambient docks.
Where Kentucky's warehousing jobs sit
| County | Warehousing jobs | Share of the state's total |
|---|---|---|
| Boone | 9,121 | 23.8% |
| Bullitt | 7,642 | 20.0% |
| Jefferson | 6,859 | 17.9% |
What Kentucky's industries put on the dock
- Motor vehicle manufacturing: 23,308 jobs, 2025
- Motor vehicle parts manufacturing: 32,261 jobs, 2025
- Beverage manufacturing: 10,105 jobs, 2025
- Plastics product manufacturing: 13,820 jobs, 2025
- Warehousing and storage: 38,281 jobs, 2025
Kentucky's most concentrated industry is motor vehicle manufacturing, at 6.3 times the national share of employment. See how lots from automotive plants read.
The metro that matters in Kentucky
Louisville/Jefferson County. Louisville/Jefferson County: 12 counties (Clark, Floyd, Harrison, Washington, Bullitt, Henry...). 14,533 private jobs in warehousing and storage in 2025 (0.76% of the US total; 2.4% of local private jobs), disclosed counties only. Largest warehousing counties: Bullitt (7,642), Jefferson (6,859), Floyd (18). Most concentrated: motor vehicle parts manufacturing at 2.0x the national share of employment. ZIPs with the most warehousing establishments (Census ZBP 2023): 47130 Jeffersonville (19), 40258 Louisville (18), 40299 Louisville (14), 40165 Shepherdsville (9), 40216 Louisville (7).
Where Kentucky sits among the fifty
| Measure, 2025 | Kentucky | Next state above | Next state below |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warehousing jobs | 17th: 38,281 | Michigan, 40,753 (+2,472) | Washington, 36,691 (-1,590) |
| Warehousing establishments | 19th: 430 | Washington, 473 (+43) | Wisconsin, 428 (-2) |
| Food manufacturing jobs | 24th: 31,273 | Virginia, 32,684 (+1,411) | Massachusetts, 29,036 (-2,237) |
States next to Kentucky
| State | Warehousing jobs | Largest county for warehousing | Food manufacturing jobs | Top concentration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 80,071 | Will (25,357) | 98,300 | pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing |
| Indiana | 67,506 | Boone (12,552) | 46,474 | motor vehicle parts manufacturing |
| Ohio | 98,354 | Franklin (18,179) | 66,120 | motor vehicle parts manufacturing |
| West Virginia | 3,631 | Wood (684) | 3,636 | chemical manufacturing |
| Virginia | 51,123 | Suffolk city (6,757) | 32,684 | warehousing and storage |
| Tennessee | 53,427 | Shelby (11,727) | 40,320 | motor vehicle parts manufacturing |
| Missouri | 26,726 | St. Charles (5,782) | 45,268 | motor vehicle manufacturing |
Kentucky has fewer warehousing jobs than 5 of these 7 and more than the rest. The largest of them, Ohio, has 2.6 times Kentucky's 38,281. A lot near a state line can be read against either side, so give the exact ZIP.
More on Kentucky from the sources
- Private employers in the US averaged 288,633 jobs across 934 establishments in motor vehicle manufacturing (NAICS 3361) in 2025 (BLS QCEW). States with the most jobs: Michigan (44,870), Texas (28,069), California (27,690), Kentucky (23,308), Alabama (22,311). (data.bls.gov)
- Private employers in the US averaged 521,212 jobs across 6,414 establishments in motor vehicle parts manufacturing (NAICS 3363) in 2025 (BLS QCEW). States with the most jobs: Michigan (111,465), Ohio (62,025), Indiana (52,146), Tennessee (38,791), Kentucky (32,261). (data.bls.gov)
Other pallet-using industries counted in Kentucky
| Industry | Jobs, 2025 | Against warehousing jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Pharmaceutical manufacturing | 2,045 | 0.1 to 1 |
| Motor vehicle assembly | 23,308 | 0.6 to 1 |
| Auto parts | 32,261 | 0.8 to 1 |
Sending a lot from Kentucky
Count the stacks, give the ZIP where they stand, and use the sorter or the form below. If the dock holds a retired container footprint, say so in the message.
How many warehousing jobs does Kentucky have?
38,281 private-sector jobs across 430 establishments in 2025, 2.01% of the US total, which ranks Kentucky 17th of 50.
Do you take plastic pallets from Kentucky?
Yes. The desk reads lots from every state, and the ZIP lets it read the route in Kentucky. This site states no price or pickup date.
Which Kentucky industry is most concentrated?
Motor vehicle manufacturing, at 6.3 times the national share of employment in the 2025 federal data used here.
What the sources say
- Private employers in the US averaged 288,633 jobs across 934 establishments in motor vehicle manufacturing (NAICS 3361) in 2025 (BLS QCEW). States with the most jobs: Michigan (44,870), Texas (28,069), California (27,690), Kentucky (23,308), Alabama (22,311). (data.bls.gov)
- Private employers in the US averaged 521,212 jobs across 6,414 establishments in motor vehicle parts manufacturing (NAICS 3363) in 2025 (BLS QCEW). States with the most jobs: Michigan (111,465), Ohio (62,025), Indiana (52,146), Tennessee (38,791), Kentucky (32,261). (data.bls.gov)
- NFPA requires wood and plastic pallets to be stored outdoors or in a detached structure unless sprinklers protect them. (en.wikipedia.org)
- The International Fire Code permits pallets listed and labeled under FM 4996 or UL 2335 to be treated as wood pallets for sprinkler design. (iccsafe.org)
- Counties with the most private dairy product manufacturing jobs (NAICS 3115) in 2025, BLS QCEW, counties with disclosed data only: Sheboygan County, Wisconsin (3,238), Los Angeles County, California (3,204), Franklin County, Ohio (2,930), Tulare County, California (2,916), Dodge County, Wisconsin (2,659), Marathon County, Wisconsin (2,535). (data.bls.gov)
- Private warehousing and storage (NAICS 493) paid an average of $56,706 a year across 1,901,976 jobs in 2025 (BLS QCEW). (data.bls.gov)
- USDA APHIS lists plastic pallets among products not subject to APHIS regulation, as an alternative to wood packaging material. (aphis.usda.gov)
- Static capacity is the highest of the three ratings; racking is often the lowest; dynamic is always lower than static. (nelsoncompany.com)
- The 48 x 40 in GMA pallet makes up about 30 percent of new US wood pallets. (en.wikipedia.org)
- Metal pallets are under 1 percent of the pallet market. (en.wikipedia.org)
- An ICC article says unlisted plastic pallets may require raising the commodity hazard class by two classes, and gives an example needing about 55 percent more sprinkler water. (iccsafe.org)
- HDPE is the most common resin in plastic pallets; PP is more rigid and the page recommends it for unsupported racking. (nelsoncompany.com)
- Advanced composite material pallets are 100 percent recycled polyolefins, cheaper with a shorter life, and suit export where the pallet is not returned. (nelsoncompany.com)
- For products touching the pallet directly, stricter federal requirements may call for non-blended virgin HDPE; recycled pallets often meet general FDA needs. (nelsoncompany.com)
- North American plastic pallets in the common sizes are about 5 to 6 in tall. (blog.containerexchanger.com)
- 48 x 48 plastic pallets hold four 55-gallon drums without overhang; 48 x 45 matches North American auto parts bulk containers. (nelsoncompany.com)
Keep reading
Send a lot from your state
Size, count, grade, branding and ZIP. Photos help, and you can reply to the first answer with them. This site states no price or pickup date.