Eastern Kentucky is one of the most beautiful and welcoming places you can find. Tucked into the heart of the Appalachian mountains, this region boasts incredible mountain views and warm, kind residents who call it home. However, as time passed, EKY has faced its share of complex challenges. The current workforce of Eastern Kentucky finds itself at an essential point in time for the future of the region.
Prime Age Employment Gap
You might be hearing the phrase “Prime-Age Employment Gap” for the first time—and that’s totally okay. Let’s keep it simple.
We’re talking about working-age adults—specifically people between the ages of 25 and 54—who aren’t currently in the workforce. This gap is big in 12 counties across Eastern Kentucky that are part of the EKY Runway Program (Bell, Floyd, Harlan, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, Perry, and Pike). It averages around 28%. That means more than 33,000 people, nearly one in three prime-age adults, are not working in jobs that provide steady income or long-term opportunity.
And it doesn’t stop there. When that many people are out of the workforce, the impact ripples across entire communities, affecting families, schools, businesses, and the future of the region.
But here’s the good news: This is a gap we can close, together.
So, What is Causing this Problem?
Barriers To Employment
Eastern Kentucky faces three persistent workforce barriers: access to child care, affordable housing, and reliable transportation. Families struggle to find and afford quality child care, keeping a job without reliable transportation makes working almost impossible, and affording a place to live has become an ever-increasing challenge.
Childcare
Eastern Kentucky has some of the largest childcare deserts in the state. Families struggle to find affordable, consistent, and nearby options, especially during non-traditional work hours. In the 12-county service region of the EKY Runway Program, families spend 47% of their income on childcare, compared to 19% nationally, and the region’s per capita income is only $21,855, 53% of the national average. Solutions like co-op childcare models, employer-sponsored care, mobile early learning centers, and licensing or workforce pipeline strategies that support local providers and parents alike are crucial to removing the barrier of childcare.
Transportation
Lack of reliable transportation is one of the most significant barriers to work and education in the region. Rural geography, long distances, and limited public options leave many isolated. Focusing on solutions like rural rideshare networks, community van programs, employer-sponsored transit, and local insurance alternatives will be critical to solving the challenges.
Housing
Access to safe, stable, and affordable housing is foundational for workforce development, but in Eastern Kentucky, availability is low, and costs continue to rise. Finding community-led housing models such as cooperative ownership, modular and manufactured solutions, rehab programs, and workforce housing initiatives designed to support local workers will play a vital role in providing more affordable housing for EKY residents.
Ideas to Impact: Turning Barriers into Breakthroughs
At SOAR, we believe the people who live through challenges every day are the ones best equipped to solve them. That’s why the EKY Runway Program’s Social Enterprise Accelerator is all about putting ideas and the people behind them, front and center.
What’s a Social Enterprise, anyway?
Think of it like this: a small business built not just to make money, but to make life better for a community. A child care center that allows parents to return to work. A ride-share service run by folks in your town. A local crew that is rehabbing old homes into places families can live in again. These are more than just projects. They’re solutions to some of the toughest barriers people face in getting and keeping good jobs.
We’re launching these ideas right here in Eastern Kentucky through a one-day event called Ideas to Impact: Turning Barriers into Breakthroughs, a Reverse Hackathon that flips the script on how we usually tackle problems. Instead of bringing in outside experts to tell us what to do, we’re starting with the people who know the issues best: you.
We’ll start with organizations who work directly on child care, housing, and transportation, helping set the stage, then break into small groups where you’ll share your experiences, build ideas with others, and present what you came up with by the end of the day. Most events like this bring in outside experts to tell communities what the problem is and how to fix it. A reverse hackathon flips that. It starts by listening to the people who live the problem every day, then working together to build solutions that actually fit our lives.”
– Danna Barnett, EKY Runway Program Social Enterprise Accelerator Project Manager
We Know the Challenges
Finding child care that’s close and affordable, transportation that works with your schedule, or a home that’s both safe and within reach. This event is about more than just ideas. It’s about turning those everyday frustrations into real businesses that serve a purpose and support the community.
By starting with local voices and practical needs, the Social Enterprise Accelerator builds businesses with built-in demand and strong local support. These ventures become stepping stones to something bigger. Long-term change, new opportunities, and economic renewal, driven by the people of Eastern Kentucky themselves.
Whether you have a dream you’ve never shared or just want to be part of a conversation that matters, we invite you to come as you are. Your ideas belong here.
Event Details
Ideas to Impact: Turning Barriers into Breakthroughs will be held Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at the First Federal Center (Room 123) at Hazard Community and Technical College; the event begins at 9:00 AM and runs until 2:30 PM, with lunch provided.
Join Us
Join us in Hazard on June 3 to share your ideas and help shape real solutions. Come be part of the conversation, and invite your neighbors, coworkers, family, and anyone who cares about improving life in Eastern Kentucky.