Home » Hardin County, Ky.: Strong manufacturing base

Hardin County, Ky.: Strong manufacturing base

Participants in the Charles W. Logsdon Historic Costumed Downtown Walking Tour get to hear recollections and witness reenactments from Elizabethtown’s most notorious characters.

Manufacturing, education, health care, tourism – Hardin County attracts all kinds of industries and the people who run them.

The Elizabethtown-Fort Knox MSA was ranked No. 3 in SmartAsset’s “Top 10 Places to Work in Manufacturing” for 2019, citing the metro area’s 27.3% growth in the number of manufacturing jobs between 2014 and 2017, and increase in average income for manufacturing workers from $50,000 in 2016 to almost $53,500 in 2017.

market review coverElizabethtown manufacturing companies include AGC Automotive Americas, Altec, Amaray, Dow, E-Town Truss, Eurotrol, Fischbach, Flex Films, Gates Corp., Hendrickson, Metalsa, Modern Plating Coatings & Finishes, Mouser Cabinetry, Quest Industries, Structures USA, Summit Polymers and WL Plastics.

The 60-year-old Central Kentucky Community Foundation founded Elizabethtown Community and Technical College in 1964, and in November 2019, opened the Home of Philanthropy. The $2.6 million, 9,500-s.f. facility serves as the foundation’s headquarters and a place to promote a spirit of philanthropy throughout the region. The facility also accommodates businesses and organizations with meeting spaces. Community Hall can seat up to 250 people and features a catering kitchen and state-of-the-art technology.

Charlie and Tiana Watkins, a father-daughter business team, are franchisee owners of Waters Edge Winery & Bistro of E-Town. Other tourist attractions in Hardin County include American Legion Park, Hardin County History Museum, Kentucky High School Basketball Hall of Fame and outdoor activities at Freeman Lake Park.

County seat: Elizabethtown
Jeff Gregory, mayor
elizabethtownky.org

2019 population: 107,988

Average median age: 36

No. of households: 44,199

Median household income: $57,252

Labor force: 54,924

Hardin County
Chamber of Commerce:
Brad Richardson, president
hardinchamber.com

Elizabethtown Hardin County Industrial Foundation:
Richard Games, president/COO
eifky.com

Elizabethtown Tourism and Convention Bureau:
Janna Clark, executive director
touretown.com

Judge-Executive: Harry L. Berry
hcky.org

Education: Over 13% have bachelor’s degrees; 10.5% have graduate degrees