Kentucky

Commerce

In 1997, Kentucky had 6,215 wholesale establishments, with a total income of $40 billion. Retail sales totaled $34 billion in 1997. Retail establishments included food stores (12%), automotive dealers and service stations (17%), and restaurants and taverns (25%). Food sales totaled $6.2 billion in 1997, and general merchandise sales totaled $5.6 billion. The KFC Corp., which owns and franchises Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants, has its headquarters in Louisville, as does Papa John's, a pizza restaurant chain. Kentucky's exports to foreign countries in 1998 totaled $8 billion. Over $9.6 billion in goods were exported in 1999, with $3.5 billion in transportation equipment, $1.5 billion in industrial machinery, and $1.2 billion in chemicals. Most exports went to Canada, the UK, France, Japan, and Mexico.