Affordable Living
The cost of living in Southeast Kentucky is generally lower than the national average. The state and local tax burden per capita in Kentucky is one of the lowest in the nation. In 2002, Kentucky ranked 45th with taxes averaging $3,913 per capita, compared with a national average of $4,706.
Both business and residential customers in Southeast Kentucky enjoy some of the lowest utility prices in the U.S. The state’s abundant supply of coal means electricity is very affordable. Kentucky’s residential electricity prices were the fourth lowest in the nation at 6.57 cents per kWh. (Energy Information Administration) Kentucky’s natural gas costs, in the industrial, residential and commercial sectors, are competitive, particularly within the Midwest and Southeast regions of the nation.