Counties in Kentucky by employer firm births

Jefferson County had the highest employer firm births of 115 counties in 2019, at 988. Menifee County had the lowest, at 0. The median was 14 and the figure for Kentucky was 4,226. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Median14115 counties
Kentucky4,226History

Map of counties, 2019

Adair County: 13 countAllen County: 7 countAnderson County: 17 countBallard County: 5 countBarren County: 35 countBath County: 6 countBell County: 18 countBoone County: 125 countBourbon County: 19 countBoyd County: 50 countBoyle County: 30 countBracken County: 6 countBreathitt County: 9 countBreckinridge County: 16 countBullitt County: 56 countButler County: 9 countCaldwell County: 6 countCalloway County: 30 countCampbell County: 89 countCarlisle County: 6 countCarroll County: 10 countCarter County: 19 countCasey County: 11 countChristian County: 54 countClark County: 38 countClay County: 16 countClinton County: 5 countCrittenden County: 8 countCumberland County: 6 countDaviess County: 89 countEdmonson County: 9 countElliott County: 4 countEstill County: 5 countFayette County: 456 countFleming County: 10 countFloyd County: 21 countFranklin County: 54 countFulton County: 4 countGallatin County: 6 countGarrard County: 19 countGrant County: 18 countGraves County: 29 countGrayson County: 11 countGreen County: 12 countGreenup County: 20 countHardin County: 105 countHarlan County: 7 countHarrison County: 14 countHart County: 12 countHenderson County: 33 countHenry County: 11 countHopkins County: 31 countJackson County: 3 countJefferson County: 988 countJessamine County: 67 countJohnson County: 13 countKenton County: 124 countKnott County: 7 countKnox County: 19 countLarue County: 9 countLaurel County: 57 countLawrence County: 12 countLee County: 4 countLetcher County: 15 countLewis County: 4 countLincoln County: 20 countLivingston County: 9 countLogan County: 24 countLyon County: 8 countMcCracken County: 94 countMcCreary County: 7 countMcLean County: 4 countMadison County: 113 countMagoffin County: 10 countMarion County: 11 countMarshall County: 36 countMartin County: 7 countMason County: 12 countMeade County: 18 countMenifee County: 0 countMercer County: 20 countMetcalfe County: 5 countMonroe County: 8 countMontgomery County: 27 countMorgan County: 4 countMuhlenberg County: 17 countNelson County: 63 countNicholas County: 9 countOhio County: 20 countOldham County: 70 countOwen County: 3 countPendleton County: 10 countPerry County: 15 countPike County: 37 countPowell County: 15 countPulaski County: 68 countRockcastle County: 4 countRowan County: 23 countRussell County: 9 countScott County: 55 countShelby County: 47 countSimpson County: 15 countSpencer County: 19 countTaylor County: 27 countTodd County: 12 countTrigg County: 11 countTrimble County: 4 countUnion County: 12 countWarren County: 140 countWashington County: 7 countWayne County: 7 countWebster County: 6 countWhitley County: 23 countWolfe County: 7 countWoodford County: 26 count
  • Under 6
  • 6 to 9
  • 9 to 14
  • 14 to 20
  • 20 to 50
  • 50 and over
  • No data
count, 2019. 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, 2019

Jefferson County: 988 countJefferson County988Fayette County: 456 countFayette County456Warren County: 140 countWarren County140Boone County: 125 countBoone County125Kenton County: 124 countKenton County124Madison County: 113 countMadison County113Hardin County: 105 countHardin County105McCracken County: 94 countMcCracken County94Campbell County: 89 countCampbell County89Daviess County: 89 countDaviess County89Oldham County: 70 countOldham County70Pulaski County: 68 countPulaski County68Jessamine County: 67 countJessamine County67Nelson County: 63 countNelson County63Laurel County: 57 countLaurel County57Bullitt County: 56 countBullitt County56Scott County: 55 countScott County55Christian County: 54 countChristian County54Franklin County: 54 countFranklin County54Boyd County: 50 countBoyd County50Shelby County: 47 countShelby County47Clark County: 38 countClark County38Pike County: 37 countPike County37Marshall County: 36 countMarshall County36Barren County: 35 countBarren County35Henderson County: 33 countHenderson County33Hopkins County: 31 countHopkins County31Boyle County: 30 countBoyle County30Calloway County: 30 countCalloway County30Graves County: 29 countGraves County29Montgomery County: 27 countMontgomery County27Taylor County: 27 countTaylor County27Woodford County: 26 countWoodford County26Logan County: 24 countLogan County24Rowan County: 23 countRowan County23Whitley County: 23 countWhitley County23Floyd County: 21 countFloyd County21Greenup County: 20 countGreenup County20Lincoln County: 20 countLincoln County20Mercer County: 20 countMercer County20Jefferson County: 988 countJefferson County988Fayette County: 456 countFayette County456Warren County: 140 countWarren County140Boone County: 125 countBoone County125Kenton County: 124 countKenton County124Madison County: 113 countMadison County113Hardin County: 105 countHardin County105McCracken County: 94 countMcCracken County94Campbell County: 89 countCampbell County89Daviess County: 89 countDaviess County89Oldham County: 70 countOldham County70Pulaski County: 68 countPulaski County68Jessamine County: 67 countJessamine County67Nelson County: 63 countNelson County63Laurel County: 57 countLaurel County57Bullitt County: 56 countBullitt County56Scott County: 55 countScott County55Christian County: 54 countChristian County54Franklin County: 54 countFranklin County54Boyd County: 50 countBoyd County50Shelby County: 47 countShelby County47Clark County: 38 countClark County38Pike County: 37 countPike County37Marshall County: 36 countMarshall County36Barren County: 35 countBarren County35Henderson County: 33 countHenderson County33Hopkins County: 31 countHopkins County31Boyle County: 30 countBoyle County30Calloway County: 30 countCalloway County30Graves County: 29 countGraves County29Montgomery County: 27 countMontgomery County27Taylor County: 27 countTaylor County27Woodford County: 26 countWoodford County26Logan County: 24 countLogan County24Rowan County: 23 countRowan County23Whitley County: 23 countWhitley County23Floyd County: 21 countFloyd County21Greenup County: 20 countGreenup County20Lincoln County: 20 countLincoln County20Mercer County: 20 countMercer County20
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

RankCounties2019
count
Change on 2018
1Jefferson County988+9.1%
2Fayette County456+9.9%
3Warren County140+16.7%
4Boone County125-1.6%
5Kenton County124-12.1%
6Madison County113+24.2%
7Hardin County105+7.1%
8McCracken County94-3.1%
9Campbell County89+30.9%
9Daviess County89-20.5%
11Oldham County70-5.4%
12Pulaski County68+13.3%
13Jessamine County670%
14Nelson County63+50%
15Laurel County57-5%
16Bullitt County56-3.4%
17Scott County55+1.9%
18Christian County54-8.5%
18Franklin County54+1.9%
20Boyd County50+22%
21Shelby County470%
22Clark County38+31%
23Pike County370%
24Marshall County360%
25Barren County35+52.2%
26Henderson County33-5.7%
27Hopkins County31-11.4%
28Boyle County300%
28Calloway County30-40%
30Graves County29+26.1%
31Montgomery County27+22.7%
31Taylor County27+42.1%
33Woodford County26-29.7%
34Logan County24+33.3%
35Rowan County23+76.9%
35Whitley County23+9.5%
37Floyd County21+10.5%
38Greenup County20+17.6%
38Lincoln County20+100%
38Mercer County20+25%
38Ohio County20+5.3%
42Bourbon County19+18.8%
42Carter County19+111.1%
42Garrard County19+46.2%
42Knox County19-5%
42Spencer County19+35.7%
47Bell County18-10%
47Grant County18-5.3%
47Meade County18+38.5%
50Anderson County170%
50Muhlenberg County17-39.3%
52Breckinridge County16+60%
52Clay County16+128.6%
54Letcher County150%
54Perry County15+36.4%
54Powell County15+400%
54Simpson County15-25%
58Harrison County14+27.3%
59Adair County13+8.3%
59Johnson County13-7.1%
61Green County12+71.4%
61Hart County12+20%
61Lawrence County12+33.3%
61Mason County12-25%
61Todd County12+9.1%
61Union County12+71.4%
67Casey County11-26.7%
67Grayson County11-56%
67Henry County11-31.3%
67Marion County11-31.3%
67Trigg County11-26.7%
72Carroll County10+100%
72Fleming County10-9.1%
72Magoffin County10+66.7%
72Pendleton County100%
76Breathitt County9+28.6%
76Butler County9+200%
76Edmonson County9+80%
76Larue County90%
76Livingston County9+125%
76Nicholas County9+125%
76Russell County9-30.8%
83Crittenden County80%
83Lyon County8-38.5%
83Monroe County8-11.1%
86Allen County7-36.4%
86Harlan County7-61.1%
86Knott County7-12.5%
86Martin County7+75%
86McCreary County7-12.5%
86Washington County7-22.2%
86Wayne County7+40%
86Wolfe County70%
94Bath County6-50%
94Bracken County6n/a
94Caldwell County6-50%
94Carlisle County6-25%
94Cumberland County6-14.3%
94Gallatin County6+50%
94Webster County6-53.8%
101Ballard County5-16.7%
101Clinton County5-16.7%
101Estill County5-16.7%
101Metcalfe County5+25%
105Elliott County4+33.3%
105Fulton County4-20%
105Lee County4n/a
105Lewis County40%
105McLean County4-50%
105Morgan County4-42.9%
105Rockcastle County4-33.3%
105Trimble County4-50%
113Jackson County3n/a
113Owen County3n/a
115Menifee County0-100%

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. 5 counties with data in other periods have no value for 2019 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, 2019) [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, 2019. 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=2019. 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, 2019. 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=2019.

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, 2019 [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=2019 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_kentucky_by_2019,
  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, 2019}},
  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=2019. 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, 2019
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=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/kentucky-counties?period=2019.
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 988 in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Menifee County, with 0 in 2019.

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. 5 counties have no value for 2019 and are not ranked.

Employer firm births: other rankings

Counties in Kentucky: more rankings