Counties with the highest unemployment in Kentucky

While today’s unemployment rates are significantly lower than the COVID-19 pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, the fear of job losses remains as workers stare down an uncertain economic future.

Experts are mixed in their views of a potential recession. The return of student loan payments, continually high gas prices, persistent inflation, and insurance price escalations are just a few of the factors that could limit consumer spending and potentially prompt another recession. The last economic recession before the pandemic—the Great Recession of 2007-09—sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years.

But as of August 2023, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.8%—nearly the same as the same month last year, and up about 0.3 percentage points from July. Regional and state employment varies widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 1.7% in Maryland to 5.4% in Nevada.

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 August 2023, 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.

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#50. Boyle County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 12,901 people (615 unemployed)

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#49. Pulaski County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 25,115 people (1,216 unemployed)

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#48. Hickman County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,582 people (78 unemployed)

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#47. Fulton County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 2,108 people (104 unemployed)

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#46. Clinton County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,487 people (172 unemployed)

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#45. Rockcastle County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 6,426 people (315 unemployed)

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#44. Calloway County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 16,145 people (791 unemployed)

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#43. Russell County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,247 people (315 unemployed)

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#42. Mason County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,496 people (328 unemployed)

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#41. Lincoln County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,422 people (474 unemployed)

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#40. Robertson County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 805 people (41 unemployed)

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#39. Ballard County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,527 people (180 unemployed)

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#38. Estill County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,073 people (258 unemployed)

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#37. Union County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,130 people (313 unemployed)

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#36. Whitley County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 14,076 people (717 unemployed)

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#35. Christian County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 24,590 people (1,260 unemployed)

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#34. Morgan County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
— 1-month change: Down 1.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,938 people (206 unemployed)

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#33. Edmonson County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,745 people (252 unemployed)

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#32. Ohio County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,023 people (474 unemployed)

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#31. Bath County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
— 1-month change: Down 1.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,728 people (256 unemployed)

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#30. Wolfe County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
— 1-month change: Down 1.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,236 people (126 unemployed)

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#29. Menifee County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
— 1-month change: Down 1.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,390 people (135 unemployed)

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#28. Adair County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,791 people (378 unemployed)

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#27. Wayne County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,877 people (384 unemployed)

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#26. Rowan County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,093 people (578 unemployed)

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#25. Boyd County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 17,084 people (980 unemployed)

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#24. Lawrence County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,674 people (335 unemployed)

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#23. Perry County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,845 people (473 unemployed)

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#22. Pike County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 18,438 people (1,101 unemployed)

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#21. Jackson County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 4,036 people (246 unemployed)

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#20. Bell County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,076 people (493 unemployed)

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#19. Knox County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,031 people (610 unemployed)

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#18. Floyd County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,720 people (654 unemployed)

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#17. McCreary County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,613 people (284 unemployed)

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#16. Muhlenberg County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,691 people (617 unemployed)

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#15. Greenup County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 12,856 people (817 unemployed)

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#14. Lee County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.7%
— 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,019 people (135 unemployed)

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#13. Clay County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,017 people (339 unemployed)

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#12. Letcher County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,648 people (382 unemployed)

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#11. Johnson County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,601 people (448 unemployed)

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#10. Knott County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,189 people (289 unemployed)

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#9. Lewis County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.1%
— 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,469 people (317 unemployed)

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#8. Harlan County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,239 people (461 unemployed)

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#7. Owsley County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,036 people (78 unemployed)

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#6. Breathitt County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.6%
— 1-month change: Down 1.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 3,017 people (228 unemployed)

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#5. Elliott County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,854 people (145 unemployed)

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#4. Leslie County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,478 people (195 unemployed)

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#3. Carter County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,448 people (775 unemployed)

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#2. Martin County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 9.4%
— 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,103 people (198 unemployed)

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#1. Magoffin County

– August unemployment rate (preliminary): 9.8%
— 1-month change: No change
— 1-year change: Down 1.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,211 people (315 unemployed)

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