With its abundance of government and technology jobs, Lexington has one of the nation's most stable economies. Economists have referred to Lexington as having "a fortified economy, strong in manufacturing, technology and entrepreneurial support, benefiting from a diverse, balanced business base".  The Lexington Metro Area had a July 2008 unemployment rate of only 5.4%, compared to national average of 6.1%. Lexington was named the 5th best city for "Businesses and Careers" in 2008 by Forbes Magazine,and the 5th best city for Young Professionals in 2008 by Kiplinger.

As such, the city is home to several large corporations. There are two Fortune 500 companies located within the city, Affiliated Computer Services and Lexmark International, employing 1,200 and 3,450 respectively. United Parcel Service, Trane and Amazon.com, Inc. have a large presence in the city, and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky is within the Lexington CSA in adjoining Georgetown. The city is also host to a Jif peanut butter plant that produces more peanut butter than any other factory in the world, and to the Forcht Group of Kentucky, a holding company that employs more than 2,100 people across Kentucky.

Another large employer, the University of Kentucky employs 10,668, however, it does not include the College of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service which has a staff of over 900.The University is the ninth largest economic company in the state of Kentucky, with an annual budget of $1.4 billion, and the College of Medicine within the University is the 21st largest company in the state.

Other sizable employers include the Lexington-Fayette County government and other hospital facilities. This includes the Fayette County Public Schools, employing 4,651, and the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, employing 3,936. Central Baptist Hospital, Saint Joseph Hospital, Saint Joseph East, and the Veterans Administration Hospital employ 6,206 total.

Source: Wikipedia, 2010
Links:
Lexington Chamber of Commerce
United States Census Bureau