Counties with the highest unemployment in Kentucky

Despite a relatively low unemployment rate, Americans continue to fear job losses amid ongoing economic uncertainty.

Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Kentucky using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in June 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.

Economists forecast a waning risk of recession and predict that the U.S. may instead be headed for an incremental slowdown in growth known as a “soft landing.” Still, layoffs among major U.S. employers, from Google to Tesla, have sparked concern among Americans. What’s more, unemployment has spiked in over half the country’s states since last year, which often indicates a looming recession, a chief global economist at Piper Sandler told Business Insider. Unemployment is also up in a vast majority of U.S. metros.

Still, as of July 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 4.3%, with only a slight increase from the previous month. For comparison, the Great Recession of 2007-09 sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years. At the height of the COVID-19 recession in April 2020, unemployment hit 14.7%.

Regional and state employment range widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state vary, ranging from just 2% in South Dakota to 5.4% in Washington D.C.

Read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Kentucky.

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#50. Laurel County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 25,221 people (1,434 unemployed)

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#49. Pulaski County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 25,588 people (1,456 unemployed)

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#48. Livingston County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,712 people (214 unemployed)

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#47. Lincoln County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,479 people (547 unemployed)

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#46. McLean County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,883 people (229 unemployed)

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#45. Edmonson County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,967 people (292 unemployed)

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#44. Estill County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,259 people (312 unemployed)

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#43. Christian County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 24,965 people (1,461 unemployed)

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#42. Union County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,947 people (356 unemployed)

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#41. Russell County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,667 people (399 unemployed)

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#40. Fleming County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,867 people (358 unemployed)

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#39. Hopkins County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 18,956 people (1,150 unemployed)

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#38. Fulton County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
— 1-month change: Up 1.0 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,135 people (132 unemployed)

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#37. Morgan County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,579 people (286 unemployed)

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#36. Adair County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,456 people (465 unemployed)

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#35. Whitley County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 13,990 people (874 unemployed)

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#34. Robertson County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
— 1-month change: Up 1.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 778 people (50 unemployed)

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#33. Clinton County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,405 people (220 unemployed)

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#32. Mason County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,569 people (426 unemployed)

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#31. Wayne County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,891 people (449 unemployed)

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#30. Boyd County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 17,411 people (1,131 unemployed)

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#29. Bell County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%
— 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,629 people (568 unemployed)

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#28. Ohio County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,162 people (605 unemployed)

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#27. Bath County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.7%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,646 people (311 unemployed)

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#26. Rowan County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.7%
— 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,346 people (690 unemployed)

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#25. Lawrence County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.8%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,875 people (402 unemployed)

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#24. Perry County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.8%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,196 people (559 unemployed)

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#23. Lee County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.9%
— 1-month change: Up 1.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,295 people (158 unemployed)

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#22. Greenup County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.9%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 13,023 people (903 unemployed)

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#21. McCreary County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,676 people (333 unemployed)

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#20. Pike County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 1.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 19,236 people (1,358 unemployed)

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#19. Menifee County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.2%
— 1-month change: Up 1.0 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,365 people (171 unemployed)

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#18. Jackson County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,320 people (311 unemployed)

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#17. Floyd County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 11,218 people (803 unemployed)

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#16. Wolfe County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.5%
— 1-month change: Up 1.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,319 people (173 unemployed)

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#15. Muhlenberg County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,372 people (782 unemployed)

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#14. Letcher County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.7%
— 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,136 people (473 unemployed)

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#13. Johnson County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.7%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,949 people (533 unemployed)

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#12. Knox County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.8%
— 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,081 people (791 unemployed)

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#11. Owsley County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.0%
— 1-month change: Up 1.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,143 people (92 unemployed)

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#10. Clay County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.1%
— 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,191 people (420 unemployed)

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#9. Harlan County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.2%
— 1-month change: Up 1.0 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,590 people (538 unemployed)

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#8. Carter County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.2%
— 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,778 people (802 unemployed)

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#7. Lewis County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.3%
— 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,446 people (370 unemployed)

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#6. Knott County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.4%
— 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,370 people (365 unemployed)

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#5. Elliott County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.7%
— 1-month change: Up 1.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,892 people (164 unemployed)

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#4. Leslie County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.7%
— 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,580 people (224 unemployed)

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#3. Breathitt County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 9.6%
— 1-month change: Up 1.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,235 people (312 unemployed)

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#2. Magoffin County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 10.5%
— 1-month change: Up 1.0 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,277 people (344 unemployed)

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#1. Martin County

– June unemployment rate (preliminary): 10.7%
— 1-month change: Up 1.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,305 people (247 unemployed)

This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.

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