LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The KFC Yum! Center has generated close to a billion dollars for the Louisville area in the last decade, according to a new study.
The Louisville Arena Authority announced Thursday that the venue's economic impact over the last nine fiscal years is $942 million. The study was conducted by Hunden Partners for Louisville Tourism.
“The findings of the study by Hunden Partners validates for Louisville Tourism, the Louisville Area Authority and other stakeholders that the value proposition envisioned for the arena in 2005 continues to hold true,” Louisville Arena Authority Chair Leslie Geoghegan said. “The results demonstrate the return on investment for our partners – the State, Metro Louisville, and the University of Louisville – with the significant economic impact that the KFC Yum! Center has on the Louisville community. We are excited to see its continued success into the future.”
COVID-19 pandemic Fiscal Years 2020 and 2021 were excluded from portions of the study. A previous study commissioned by Louisville Tourism for the first four years the venue was open indicated its impact was $581 million from 2010 to 2014.
The Yum! Center generated an average of $29.1 million in annual earnings and supported an average of 584 full-time jobs in the metro area. About $58.5 million was generated in tax revenue.
About 54% of visits to the downtown arena came from outside Jefferson County and 25% came from outside Kentucky, according to the study.
“The findings of the study by Hunden Partners validates for Louisville Tourism, the Louisville Area Authority and other stakeholders that the value proposition envisioned for the arena in 2005 continues to hold true,” said Louisville Arena Authority Chair Leslie Geoghegan. “The results demonstrate the return on investment for our partners – the State, Metro Louisville, and the University of Louisville – with the significant economic impact that the KFC Yum! Center has on the Louisville community. We are excited to see its continued success into the future.”
The number of events has returned to 84% of the venue's pre-pandemic numbers. The Yum! Center, with a capacity over 22,000, is the largest arena within a 400-mile radius of Louisville.
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