Covered employment (QCEW) in Kentucky
Covered employment (QCEW) in Kentucky was 1,990,460 jobs in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is up 0.1% from 2024. That is the 25th highest of 51 states in 2025.
Covered employment (QCEW) in Kentucky, 2001 to 2025
All 25 values
| Period | jobs |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,990,460 |
| 2024 | 1,988,347 |
| 2023 | 1,967,892 |
| 2022 | 1,920,456 |
| 2021 | 1,857,636 |
| 2020 | 1,792,596 |
| 2019 | 1,897,896 |
| 2018 | 1,884,653 |
| 2017 | 1,874,455 |
| 2016 | 1,861,063 |
| 2015 | 1,835,550 |
| 2014 | 1,807,068 |
| 2013 | 1,779,777 |
| 2012 | 1,761,043 |
| 2011 | 1,734,503 |
| 2010 | 1,712,178 |
| 2009 | 1,710,677 |
| 2008 | 1,791,017 |
| 2007 | 1,801,907 |
| 2006 | 1,779,202 |
| 2005 | 1,757,997 |
| 2004 | 1,729,015 |
| 2003 | 1,714,060 |
| 2002 | 1,717,975 |
| 2001 | 1,736,575 |
Compared with United States
| Place | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Kentucky | 1,990,460 |
| United States | 155,732,363 |
Rankings
Definition
Average number of jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.
Counts jobs, not people: someone with two jobs counts twice. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools. A count of employer reports, not a survey estimate like oews_employment.
How to cite
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.Citation styles
APA 7
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Covered employment (QCEW), Kentucky, 2001 to 2025) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv
MLA 9
Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Covered employment (QCEW), Kentucky, 2001 to 2025. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/covered-employment/kentucky. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.
Chicago (author-date)
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Covered employment (QCEW), Kentucky, 2001 to 2025. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/covered-employment/kentucky.
Harvard
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Covered employment (QCEW), Kentucky, 2001 to 2025 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/en/covered-employment/kentucky (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{bureau_covered_employment_qcew_kentucky_2025,
author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Covered employment (QCEW), Kentucky, 2001 to 2025}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Data set},
url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv},
urldate = {2026-10-12},
note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/covered-employment/kentucky. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY - DATA
AU - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Covered employment (QCEW), Kentucky, 2001 to 2025
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/21
PB - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB - Invokely
UR - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv
L2 - https://invokely.ai/en/covered-employment/kentucky
Y2 - 2026/10/12
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/covered-employment/kentucky.
N1 - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER -
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What is the latest covered employment (QCEW) in Kentucky? Cite the source.
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What is the covered employment (QCEW) in Kentucky?
Covered employment (QCEW) in Kentucky was 1,990,460 jobs in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is up 0.1% from 2024. That is the 25th highest of 51 states in 2025.
Where does this figure come from?
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved by Invokely on 2026-10-12.
What was the highest covered employment (QCEW) in Kentucky?
1,990,460 jobs in 2025, the highest value since 2001 in this series.