Data / Rankings / Employer firm births / Counties in Kentucky

Counties in Kentucky by employer firm births

Jefferson County had the highest employer firm births of 117 counties in 2016, at 939. Menifee County had the lowest, at 0. The median was 13 and the figure for Kentucky was 4,260. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest939Jefferson County
Lowest0Menifee County
Median13117 counties
Kentucky4,260History

Map of counties, 2016

Adair County: 10 countAllen County: 13 countAnderson County: 16 countBallard County: 3 countBarren County: 39 countBath County: 4 countBell County: 13 countBoone County: 146 countBourbon County: 23 countBoyd County: 47 countBoyle County: 28 countBracken County: 6 countBreathitt County: 13 countBreckinridge County: 8 countBullitt County: 65 countButler County: 6 countCaldwell County: 13 countCalloway County: 37 countCampbell County: 93 countCarlisle County: 6 countCarroll County: 5 countCarter County: 22 countCasey County: 9 countChristian County: 53 countClark County: 33 countClay County: 7 countClinton County: 11 countCrittenden County: 8 countCumberland County: 5 countDaviess County: 127 countEdmonson County: 7 countEstill County: 10 countFayette County: 472 countFleming County: 12 countFloyd County: 35 countFranklin County: 45 countFulton County: 4 countGallatin County: 5 countGarrard County: 14 countGrant County: 20 countGraves County: 26 countGrayson County: 23 countGreen County: 8 countGreenup County: 15 countHardin County: 109 countHarlan County: 18 countHarrison County: 5 countHart County: 15 countHenderson County: 25 countHenry County: 14 countHickman County: 3 countHopkins County: 45 countJackson County: 4 countJefferson County: 939 countJessamine County: 67 countJohnson County: 18 countKenton County: 136 countKnott County: 13 countKnox County: 15 countLarue County: 13 countLaurel County: 46 countLawrence County: 11 countLee County: 4 countLeslie County: 8 countLetcher County: 13 countLewis County: 5 countLincoln County: 15 countLivingston County: 3 countLogan County: 28 countLyon County: 12 countMcCracken County: 88 countMcCreary County: 10 countMcLean County: 8 countMadison County: 82 countMagoffin County: 4 countMarion County: 20 countMarshall County: 30 countMartin County: 4 countMason County: 13 countMeade County: 18 countMenifee County: 0 countMercer County: 9 countMetcalfe County: 13 countMonroe County: 10 countMontgomery County: 32 countMorgan County: 10 countMuhlenberg County: 19 countNelson County: 43 countOhio County: 20 countOldham County: 72 countOwen County: 5 countOwsley County: 5 countPendleton County: 6 countPerry County: 20 countPike County: 39 countPowell County: 5 countPulaski County: 56 countRobertson County: 3 countRockcastle County: 7 countRowan County: 18 countRussell County: 16 countScott County: 67 countShelby County: 35 countSimpson County: 21 countSpencer County: 9 countTaylor County: 31 countTodd County: 9 countTrigg County: 16 countTrimble County: 3 countUnion County: 6 countWarren County: 133 countWashington County: 8 countWayne County: 11 countWebster County: 11 countWhitley County: 33 countWolfe County: 3 countWoodford County: 28 count
  • Under 5
  • 5 to 10
  • 10 to 13
  • 13 to 21
  • 21 to 44
  • 44 and over
  • No data
count, 2016. 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, 2016

Jefferson County: 939 countJefferson County939Fayette County: 472 countFayette County472Boone County: 146 countBoone County146Kenton County: 136 countKenton County136Warren County: 133 countWarren County133Daviess County: 127 countDaviess County127Hardin County: 109 countHardin County109Campbell County: 93 countCampbell County93McCracken County: 88 countMcCracken County88Madison County: 82 countMadison County82Oldham County: 72 countOldham County72Jessamine County: 67 countJessamine County67Scott County: 67 countScott County67Bullitt County: 65 countBullitt County65Pulaski County: 56 countPulaski County56Christian County: 53 countChristian County53Boyd County: 47 countBoyd County47Laurel County: 46 countLaurel County46Franklin County: 45 countFranklin County45Hopkins County: 45 countHopkins County45Nelson County: 43 countNelson County43Barren County: 39 countBarren County39Pike County: 39 countPike County39Calloway County: 37 countCalloway County37Floyd County: 35 countFloyd County35Shelby County: 35 countShelby County35Clark County: 33 countClark County33Whitley County: 33 countWhitley County33Montgomery County: 32 countMontgomery County32Taylor County: 31 countTaylor County31Marshall County: 30 countMarshall County30Boyle County: 28 countBoyle County28Logan County: 28 countLogan County28Woodford County: 28 countWoodford County28Graves County: 26 countGraves County26Henderson County: 25 countHenderson County25Bourbon County: 23 countBourbon County23Grayson County: 23 countGrayson County23Carter County: 22 countCarter County22Simpson County: 21 countSimpson County21Jefferson County: 939 countJefferson County939Fayette County: 472 countFayette County472Boone County: 146 countBoone County146Kenton County: 136 countKenton County136Warren County: 133 countWarren County133Daviess County: 127 countDaviess County127Hardin County: 109 countHardin County109Campbell County: 93 countCampbell County93McCracken County: 88 countMcCracken County88Madison County: 82 countMadison County82Oldham County: 72 countOldham County72Jessamine County: 67 countJessamine County67Scott County: 67 countScott County67Bullitt County: 65 countBullitt County65Pulaski County: 56 countPulaski County56Christian County: 53 countChristian County53Boyd County: 47 countBoyd County47Laurel County: 46 countLaurel County46Franklin County: 45 countFranklin County45Hopkins County: 45 countHopkins County45Nelson County: 43 countNelson County43Barren County: 39 countBarren County39Pike County: 39 countPike County39Calloway County: 37 countCalloway County37Floyd County: 35 countFloyd County35Shelby County: 35 countShelby County35Clark County: 33 countClark County33Whitley County: 33 countWhitley County33Montgomery County: 32 countMontgomery County32Taylor County: 31 countTaylor County31Marshall County: 30 countMarshall County30Boyle County: 28 countBoyle County28Logan County: 28 countLogan County28Woodford County: 28 countWoodford County28Graves County: 26 countGraves County26Henderson County: 25 countHenderson County25Bourbon County: 23 countBourbon County23Grayson County: 23 countGrayson County23Carter County: 22 countCarter County22Simpson County: 21 countSimpson 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

RankCounties2016
count		Change on 2015
1Jefferson County939+17.4%
2Fayette County472+11.6%
3Boone County146+9.8%
4Kenton County136+10.6%
5Warren County133-20.8%
6Daviess County127+38%
7Hardin County1090%
8Campbell County93+6.9%
9McCracken County88+1.1%
10Madison County82-5.7%
11Oldham County72+14.3%
12Jessamine County67+24.1%
12Scott County67+13.6%
14Bullitt County65+16.1%
15Pulaski County56-39.8%
16Christian County53-18.5%
17Boyd County47-20.3%
18Laurel County460%
19Franklin County45-2.2%
19Hopkins County450%
21Nelson County43-25.9%
22Barren County39+14.7%
22Pike County39-26.4%
24Calloway County37+27.6%
25Floyd County35-25.5%
25Shelby County35-22.2%
27Clark County33+37.5%
27Whitley County33+43.5%
29Montgomery County32+10.3%
30Taylor County31+34.8%
31Marshall County30+11.1%
32Boyle County28-12.5%
32Logan County28+75%
32Woodford County28-17.6%
35Graves County26-16.1%
36Henderson County25-7.4%
37Bourbon County23+4.5%
37Grayson County23-11.5%
39Carter County22+22.2%
40Simpson County210%
41Grant County20+25%
41Marion County20+53.8%
41Ohio County20+11.1%
41Perry County20-4.8%
45Muhlenberg County19-32.1%
46Harlan County18+28.6%
46Johnson County18-33.3%
46Meade County180%
46Rowan County18-18.2%
50Anderson County16+6.7%
50Russell County16+100%
50Trigg County160%
53Greenup County15+36.4%
53Hart County15-25%
53Knox County15-28.6%
53Lincoln County15-6.3%
57Garrard County14-12.5%
57Henry County14-12.5%
59Allen County130%
59Bell County13-18.8%
59Breathitt County13-31.6%
59Caldwell County13+18.2%
59Knott County13+44.4%
59Larue County13+44.4%
59Letcher County13+62.5%
59Mason County13+8.3%
59Metcalfe County13+116.7%
68Fleming County12+50%
68Lyon County12+20%
70Clinton County110%
70Lawrence County11+37.5%
70Wayne County11-8.3%
70Webster County11-8.3%
74Adair County10-37.5%
74Estill County10+100%
74McCreary County10-23.1%
74Monroe County10-9.1%
74Morgan County10+150%
79Casey County9-47.1%
79Mercer County9-57.1%
79Spencer County9-25%
79Todd County9-35.7%
83Breckinridge County8-50%
83Crittenden County80%
83Green County8+33.3%
83Leslie County8+14.3%
83McLean County8-27.3%
83Washington County8-33.3%
89Clay County7-36.4%
89Edmonson County7-12.5%
89Rockcastle County7+75%
92Bracken County6+100%
92Butler County6-33.3%
92Carlisle County60%
92Pendleton County6+20%
92Union County6-45.5%
97Carroll County5-37.5%
97Cumberland County5+25%
97Gallatin County50%
97Harrison County5-37.5%
97Lewis County5-16.7%
97Owen County5+25%
97Owsley County5n/a
97Powell County5-44.4%
105Bath County4-42.9%
105Fulton County4+33.3%
105Jackson County4-42.9%
105Lee County4+33.3%
105Magoffin County4-63.6%
105Martin County4-42.9%
111Ballard County3-25%
111Hickman County3n/a
111Livingston County3-40%
111Robertson County3n/a
111Trimble County3-66.7%
111Wolfe County3-25%
117Menifee County0n/a

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. 3 counties with data in other periods have no value for 2016 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, 2016) [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, 2016. 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=2016. 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, 2016. 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=2016.

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, 2016 [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=2016 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_kentucky_by_2016,
  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, 2016}},
  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=2016. 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, 2016
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=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/kentucky-counties?period=2016.
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 939 in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Menifee County, with 0 in 2016.

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. 3 counties have no value for 2016 and are not ranked.

Employer firm births: other rankings

Counties in Kentucky: more rankings