Data / Rankings / Employer firm births / Counties in Kentucky

Counties in Kentucky by employer firm births

Jefferson County had the highest employer firm births of 112 counties in 2012, at 871. Trimble County had the lowest, at 3. The median was 15 and the figure for Kentucky was 3,993. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest871Jefferson County
Lowest3Trimble County
Median15112 counties
Kentucky3,993History

Map of counties, 2012

Adair County: 19 countAllen County: 9 countAnderson County: 23 countBallard County: 8 countBarren County: 37 countBath County: 8 countBell County: 21 countBoone County: 139 countBourbon County: 19 countBoyd County: 45 countBoyle County: 34 countBracken County: 6 countBreathitt County: 10 countBreckinridge County: 15 countBullitt County: 56 countButler County: 9 countCaldwell County: 6 countCalloway County: 37 countCampbell County: 87 countCarlisle County: 5 countCarroll County: 11 countCarter County: 16 countCasey County: 8 countChristian County: 37 countClark County: 37 countClay County: 15 countClinton County: 6 countCrittenden County: 6 countCumberland County: 6 countDaviess County: 70 countEdmonson County: 7 countEstill County: 7 countFayette County: 389 countFleming County: 12 countFloyd County: 48 countFranklin County: 40 countFulton County: 9 countGallatin County: 6 countGarrard County: 10 countGrant County: 20 countGraves County: 41 countGrayson County: 33 countGreen County: 5 countGreenup County: 16 countHardin County: 117 countHarlan County: 11 countHarrison County: 14 countHart County: 16 countHenderson County: 42 countHenry County: 8 countHickman County: 3 countHopkins County: 45 countJefferson County: 871 countJessamine County: 51 countJohnson County: 19 countKenton County: 127 countKnott County: 8 countKnox County: 23 countLarue County: 14 countLaurel County: 40 countLawrence County: 16 countLeslie County: 6 countLetcher County: 15 countLewis County: 5 countLincoln County: 16 countLogan County: 10 countLyon County: 3 countMcCracken County: 85 countMcCreary County: 3 countMcLean County: 7 countMadison County: 77 countMagoffin County: 7 countMarion County: 15 countMarshall County: 20 countMartin County: 6 countMason County: 14 countMeade County: 26 countMenifee County: 3 countMercer County: 24 countMetcalfe County: 9 countMonroe County: 9 countMontgomery County: 17 countMorgan County: 10 countMuhlenberg County: 30 countNelson County: 36 countOhio County: 9 countOldham County: 47 countOwen County: 6 countPendleton County: 11 countPerry County: 21 countPike County: 60 countPowell County: 6 countPulaski County: 50 countRockcastle County: 11 countRowan County: 20 countRussell County: 19 countScott County: 51 countShelby County: 39 countSimpson County: 10 countSpencer County: 17 countTaylor County: 30 countTodd County: 14 countTrigg County: 11 countTrimble County: 3 countUnion County: 9 countWarren County: 137 countWashington County: 13 countWayne County: 11 countWebster County: 4 countWhitley County: 24 countWolfe County: 5 countWoodford County: 28 count
  • Under 6
  • 6 to 10
  • 10 to 15
  • 15 to 23
  • 23 to 44
  • 44 and over
  • No data
count, 2012. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2012

Jefferson County: 871 countJefferson County871Fayette County: 389 countFayette County389Boone County: 139 countBoone County139Warren County: 137 countWarren County137Kenton County: 127 countKenton County127Hardin County: 117 countHardin County117Campbell County: 87 countCampbell County87McCracken County: 85 countMcCracken County85Madison County: 77 countMadison County77Daviess County: 70 countDaviess County70Pike County: 60 countPike County60Bullitt County: 56 countBullitt County56Jessamine County: 51 countJessamine County51Scott County: 51 countScott County51Pulaski County: 50 countPulaski County50Floyd County: 48 countFloyd County48Oldham County: 47 countOldham County47Boyd County: 45 countBoyd County45Hopkins County: 45 countHopkins County45Henderson County: 42 countHenderson County42Graves County: 41 countGraves County41Franklin County: 40 countFranklin County40Laurel County: 40 countLaurel County40Shelby County: 39 countShelby County39Barren County: 37 countBarren County37Calloway County: 37 countCalloway County37Christian County: 37 countChristian County37Clark County: 37 countClark County37Nelson County: 36 countNelson County36Boyle County: 34 countBoyle County34Grayson County: 33 countGrayson County33Muhlenberg County: 30 countMuhlenberg County30Taylor County: 30 countTaylor County30Woodford County: 28 countWoodford County28Meade County: 26 countMeade County26Mercer County: 24 countMercer County24Whitley County: 24 countWhitley County24Anderson County: 23 countAnderson County23Knox County: 23 countKnox County23Bell County: 21 countBell County21Jefferson County: 871 countJefferson County871Fayette County: 389 countFayette County389Boone County: 139 countBoone County139Warren County: 137 countWarren County137Kenton County: 127 countKenton County127Hardin County: 117 countHardin County117Campbell County: 87 countCampbell County87McCracken County: 85 countMcCracken County85Madison County: 77 countMadison County77Daviess County: 70 countDaviess County70Pike County: 60 countPike County60Bullitt County: 56 countBullitt County56Jessamine County: 51 countJessamine County51Scott County: 51 countScott County51Pulaski County: 50 countPulaski County50Floyd County: 48 countFloyd County48Oldham County: 47 countOldham County47Boyd County: 45 countBoyd County45Hopkins County: 45 countHopkins County45Henderson County: 42 countHenderson County42Graves County: 41 countGraves County41Franklin County: 40 countFranklin County40Laurel County: 40 countLaurel County40Shelby County: 39 countShelby County39Barren County: 37 countBarren County37Calloway County: 37 countCalloway County37Christian County: 37 countChristian County37Clark County: 37 countClark County37Nelson County: 36 countNelson County36Boyle County: 34 countBoyle County34Grayson County: 33 countGrayson County33Muhlenberg County: 30 countMuhlenberg County30Taylor County: 30 countTaylor County30Woodford County: 28 countWoodford County28Meade County: 26 countMeade County26Mercer County: 24 countMercer County24Whitley County: 24 countWhitley County24Anderson County: 23 countAnderson County23Knox County: 23 countKnox County23Bell County: 21 countBell County21
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. Retrieved 2026-10-22.

Full ranking

RankCounties2012
count		Change on 2011
1Jefferson County871+7.7%
2Fayette County389+4.6%
3Boone County139-7.9%
4Warren County137-5.5%
5Kenton County127+4.1%
6Hardin County117-8.6%
7Campbell County87+22.5%
8McCracken County85-3.4%
9Madison County77-16.3%
10Daviess County70-18.6%
11Pike County60+17.6%
12Bullitt County56+5.7%
13Jessamine County51-10.5%
13Scott County51-5.6%
15Pulaski County50-21.9%
16Floyd County48+60%
17Oldham County47-30.9%
18Boyd County45+7.1%
18Hopkins County45+66.7%
20Henderson County42+50%
21Graves County41+17.1%
22Franklin County40-21.6%
22Laurel County40-18.4%
24Shelby County39-15.2%
25Barren County37+8.8%
25Calloway County37-7.5%
25Christian County37-38.3%
25Clark County37+8.8%
29Nelson County36-23.4%
30Boyle County34-12.8%
31Grayson County33-5.7%
32Muhlenberg County30+57.9%
32Taylor County30+66.7%
34Woodford County28+16.7%
35Meade County26-13.3%
36Mercer County24+84.6%
36Whitley County24+9.1%
38Anderson County23+4.5%
38Knox County23-4.2%
40Bell County21+40%
40Perry County21-36.4%
42Grant County20-9.1%
42Marshall County20-13%
42Rowan County20+66.7%
45Adair County19+58.3%
45Bourbon County19+5.6%
45Johnson County19+46.2%
45Russell County19-34.5%
49Montgomery County17-32%
49Spencer County17+13.3%
51Carter County16-5.9%
51Greenup County16+6.7%
51Hart County16-5.9%
51Lawrence County16+60%
51Lincoln County16+6.7%
56Breckinridge County150%
56Clay County15+87.5%
56Letcher County15-21.1%
56Marion County15-21.1%
60Harrison County14+27.3%
60Larue County14-17.6%
60Mason County14-17.6%
60Todd County14+75%
64Washington County13-23.5%
65Fleming County12+200%
66Carroll County11+22.2%
66Harlan County11-35.3%
66Pendleton County11+57.1%
66Rockcastle County11+10%
66Trigg County11-26.7%
66Wayne County11+22.2%
72Breathitt County10+25%
72Garrard County10-44.4%
72Logan County10-28.6%
72Morgan County10+66.7%
72Simpson County10-16.7%
77Allen County9+12.5%
77Butler County9+80%
77Fulton County9+28.6%
77Metcalfe County9+80%
77Monroe County9-18.2%
77Ohio County9-18.2%
77Union County9-10%
84Ballard County8+33.3%
84Bath County8+33.3%
84Casey County8-38.5%
84Henry County8-46.7%
84Knott County8+14.3%
89Edmonson County7+75%
89Estill County7-22.2%
89Magoffin County7-12.5%
89McLean County7+16.7%
93Bracken County6-40%
93Caldwell County6-33.3%
93Clinton County60%
93Crittenden County6+50%
93Cumberland County6-14.3%
93Gallatin County6n/a
93Leslie County6-14.3%
93Martin County6+100%
93Owen County6-25%
93Powell County6-64.7%
103Carlisle County5-16.7%
103Green County5+25%
103Lewis County50%
103Wolfe County5+25%
107Webster County4-33.3%
108Hickman County3-25%
108Lyon County3n/a
108McCreary County3-72.7%
108Menifee County3-25%
108Trimble County3-57.1%

Other periods

About this ranking

New employer firms: firms of age zero in March of the year, meaning that every establishment of the firm had its first employees during the previous twelve months. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics, which calls these firms startups.

A firm counts only when it has employees, so a business without staff is not a birth, and a new branch, merger or change of ownership of an existing firm is not a birth either. Not the same as business_applications (requests for an employer number) or enterprise_births (European business demography). The year is the twelve months to March: 2023 compares March 2022 with March 2023.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. 8 counties with data in other periods have no value for 2012 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-22.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2025). Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978 (Counties in Kentucky by employer firm births, 2012) [Data set]. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978, Counties in Kentucky by employer firm births, 2012. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/kentucky-counties?period=2012. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. Counties in Kentucky by employer firm births, 2012. Dataset. Accessed October 22, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/kentucky-counties?period=2012.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978, Counties in Kentucky by employer firm births, 2012 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/kentucky-counties?period=2012 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_kentucky_by_2012,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978: Counties in Kentucky by employer firm births, 2012}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-22},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/kentucky-counties?period=2012. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty\_fac.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-22.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978: Counties in Kentucky by employer firm births, 2012
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/09/25
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/kentucky-counties?period=2012
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/kentucky-counties?period=2012.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-22.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest employer firm births?

Jefferson County, with 871 in 2012, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Trimble County, with 3 in 2012.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. Retrieved 2026-10-22. 8 counties have no value for 2012 and are not ranked.

Employer firm births: other rankings

Counties in Kentucky: more rankings