Without advertising, Hutcherson Woodworking is now so busy that they are considering adding employees. Hutcherson said he earns about what he did at Fruit of the Loom, but his expenses are higher because he has to pay his own health insurance and other benefits. A registered Republican, Hutcherson is not sure who will get his vote for president, and he's not sure it matters. Playing down taxes Kentuckians apparently feel secure enough about their economic future that taxes and jobs have taken a back seat to health care and education in the upcoming election. Only 9 percent of likely voters listed taxes as the most important issue the next president and Congress should address, according to a Bluegrass State Poll by The Courier-Journal.
Unemployment is low statewide.
Unemployment in urban counties dropped from 5.8 percent in 1992 to 3.4 percent last year. Even in rural areas, the jobless rate dropped from 8.2 percent in 1992 to 5.6 percent last year, according to the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development. Kentucky lost jobs in tobacco, coal mining and apparel manufacturing during the 1990s, but the state gained jobs in auto and parts manufacturing and air cargo and passenger service, said Thompson, the UK economist. Nationwide, the figures look rosy too. The poverty level has fallen to the lowest level in two decades, and household incomes rose more than inflation for the fifth consecutive year, according to Census Bureau data released last month.