Data / Rankings / Employer firms / Counties in Kentucky

Counties in Kentucky by employer firms

Jefferson County had the highest employer firms of 120 counties in 2014, at 13,583. Robertson County had the lowest, at 19. The median was 256 and the figure for Kentucky was 62,157. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest13,583Jefferson County
Lowest19Robertson County
Median256120 counties
Kentucky62,157History

Map of counties, 2014

Adair County: 269 countAllen County: 203 countAnderson County: 299 countBallard County: 116 countBarren County: 724 countBath County: 125 countBell County: 404 countBoone County: 2,358 countBourbon County: 350 countBoyd County: 1,076 countBoyle County: 646 countBracken County: 84 countBreathitt County: 193 countBreckinridge County: 253 countBullitt County: 903 countButler County: 166 countCaldwell County: 251 countCalloway County: 746 countCampbell County: 1,327 countCarlisle County: 72 countCarroll County: 206 countCarter County: 353 countCasey County: 191 countChristian County: 1,072 countClark County: 636 countClay County: 205 countClinton County: 167 countCrittenden County: 142 countCumberland County: 99 countDaviess County: 1,781 countEdmonson County: 105 countElliott County: 49 countEstill County: 154 countFayette County: 6,462 countFleming County: 202 countFloyd County: 675 countFranklin County: 944 countFulton County: 133 countGallatin County: 90 countGarrard County: 189 countGrant County: 304 countGraves County: 596 countGrayson County: 415 countGreen County: 136 countGreenup County: 424 countHancock County: 98 countHardin County: 1,850 countHarlan County: 355 countHarrison County: 260 countHart County: 226 countHenderson County: 836 countHenry County: 182 countHickman County: 71 countHopkins County: 837 countJackson County: 87 countJefferson County: 13,583 countJessamine County: 931 countJohnson County: 360 countKenton County: 2,364 countKnott County: 156 countKnox County: 422 countLarue County: 205 countLaurel County: 935 countLawrence County: 201 countLee County: 91 countLeslie County: 95 countLetcher County: 259 countLewis County: 111 countLincoln County: 271 countLivingston County: 128 countLogan County: 423 countLyon County: 135 countMcCracken County: 1,709 countMcCreary County: 149 countMcLean County: 142 countMadison County: 1,340 countMagoffin County: 157 countMarion County: 314 countMarshall County: 586 countMartin County: 126 countMason County: 382 countMeade County: 334 countMenifee County: 52 countMercer County: 317 countMetcalfe County: 99 countMonroe County: 183 countMontgomery County: 488 countMorgan County: 137 countMuhlenberg County: 469 countNelson County: 807 countNicholas County: 67 countOhio County: 299 countOldham County: 971 countOwen County: 106 countOwsley County: 44 countPendleton County: 156 countPerry County: 512 countPike County: 1,042 countPowell County: 152 countPulaski County: 1,197 countRobertson County: 19 countRockcastle County: 166 countRowan County: 417 countRussell County: 331 countScott County: 750 countShelby County: 769 countSimpson County: 334 countSpencer County: 175 countTaylor County: 500 countTodd County: 171 countTrigg County: 203 countTrimble County: 67 countUnion County: 230 countWarren County: 2,332 countWashington County: 231 countWayne County: 245 countWebster County: 172 countWhitley County: 498 countWolfe County: 62 countWoodford County: 476 count
  • Under 100
  • 100 to 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 400
  • 400 to 800
  • 800 and over
count, 2014. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2014

Jefferson County: 13,583 countJefferson County13,583Fayette County: 6,462 countFayette County6,462Kenton County: 2,364 countKenton County2,364Boone County: 2,358 countBoone County2,358Warren County: 2,332 countWarren County2,332Hardin County: 1,850 countHardin County1,850Daviess County: 1,781 countDaviess County1,781McCracken County: 1,709 countMcCracken County1,709Madison County: 1,340 countMadison County1,340Campbell County: 1,327 countCampbell County1,327Pulaski County: 1,197 countPulaski County1,197Boyd County: 1,076 countBoyd County1,076Christian County: 1,072 countChristian County1,072Pike County: 1,042 countPike County1,042Oldham County: 971 countOldham County971Franklin County: 944 countFranklin County944Laurel County: 935 countLaurel County935Jessamine County: 931 countJessamine County931Bullitt County: 903 countBullitt County903Hopkins County: 837 countHopkins County837Henderson County: 836 countHenderson County836Nelson County: 807 countNelson County807Shelby County: 769 countShelby County769Scott County: 750 countScott County750Calloway County: 746 countCalloway County746Barren County: 724 countBarren County724Floyd County: 675 countFloyd County675Boyle County: 646 countBoyle County646Clark County: 636 countClark County636Graves County: 596 countGraves County596Marshall County: 586 countMarshall County586Perry County: 512 countPerry County512Taylor County: 500 countTaylor County500Whitley County: 498 countWhitley County498Montgomery County: 488 countMontgomery County488Woodford County: 476 countWoodford County476Muhlenberg County: 469 countMuhlenberg County469Greenup County: 424 countGreenup County424Logan County: 423 countLogan County423Knox County: 422 countKnox County422Jefferson County: 13,583 countJefferson County13,583Fayette County: 6,462 countFayette County6,462Kenton County: 2,364 countKenton County2,364Boone County: 2,358 countBoone County2,358Warren County: 2,332 countWarren County2,332Hardin County: 1,850 countHardin County1,850Daviess County: 1,781 countDaviess County1,781McCracken County: 1,709 countMcCracken County1,709Madison County: 1,340 countMadison County1,340Campbell County: 1,327 countCampbell County1,327Pulaski County: 1,197 countPulaski County1,197Boyd County: 1,076 countBoyd County1,076Christian County: 1,072 countChristian County1,072Pike County: 1,042 countPike County1,042Oldham County: 971 countOldham County971Franklin County: 944 countFranklin County944Laurel County: 935 countLaurel County935Jessamine County: 931 countJessamine County931Bullitt County: 903 countBullitt County903Hopkins County: 837 countHopkins County837Henderson County: 836 countHenderson County836Nelson County: 807 countNelson County807Shelby County: 769 countShelby County769Scott County: 750 countScott County750Calloway County: 746 countCalloway County746Barren County: 724 countBarren County724Floyd County: 675 countFloyd County675Boyle County: 646 countBoyle County646Clark County: 636 countClark County636Graves County: 596 countGraves County596Marshall County: 586 countMarshall County586Perry County: 512 countPerry County512Taylor County: 500 countTaylor County500Whitley County: 498 countWhitley County498Montgomery County: 488 countMontgomery County488Woodford County: 476 countWoodford County476Muhlenberg County: 469 countMuhlenberg County469Greenup County: 424 countGreenup County424Logan County: 423 countLogan County423Knox County: 422 countKnox County422
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2014
count		Change on 2013
1Jefferson County13,583+0.6%
2Fayette County6,462+1%
3Kenton County2,364+0.7%
4Boone County2,358-0.1%
5Warren County2,332+2.4%
6Hardin County1,850+2.6%
7Daviess County1,781-2%
8McCracken County1,709-0.5%
9Madison County1,340+0.4%
10Campbell County1,327+0.9%
11Pulaski County1,197+0.8%
12Boyd County1,076-0.7%
13Christian County1,072+0.5%
14Pike County1,042-1.4%
15Oldham County971+0.5%
16Franklin County944-0.5%
17Laurel County935-1.4%
18Jessamine County931+1.9%
19Bullitt County903+2.5%
20Hopkins County837+3.2%
21Henderson County836-0.1%
22Nelson County807+3.1%
23Shelby County769+1.5%
24Scott County750+2.2%
25Calloway County746+0.4%
26Barren County724+0.3%
27Floyd County675+4.2%
28Boyle County646+1.3%
29Clark County636-1.1%
30Graves County596+0.3%
31Marshall County586+2.4%
32Perry County512-1.5%
33Taylor County500+0.4%
34Whitley County498-2.5%
35Montgomery County488+3.6%
36Woodford County476+2.8%
37Muhlenberg County469+0.6%
38Greenup County424+5.5%
39Logan County423+1%
40Knox County422-3.9%
41Rowan County417+6.9%
42Grayson County415+1.5%
43Bell County404-8.2%
44Mason County382-2.1%
45Johnson County360-1.1%
46Harlan County355-2.7%
47Carter County353+6.6%
48Bourbon County350+2.3%
49Meade County334+7.7%
49Simpson County334+0.6%
51Russell County331+4.1%
52Mercer County317-2.2%
53Marion County314+1.9%
54Grant County304+1.7%
55Anderson County299+3.1%
55Ohio County299+2.7%
57Lincoln County2710%
58Adair County269+2.3%
59Harrison County260+3.2%
60Letcher County259-3.7%
61Breckinridge County253+10%
62Caldwell County251+0.8%
63Wayne County245+1.7%
64Washington County231+5%
65Union County230+0.9%
66Hart County226+0.4%
67Carroll County206+4.6%
68Clay County205-1%
68Larue County205+1%
70Allen County203+6.3%
70Trigg County203+2%
72Fleming County202-1%
73Lawrence County201-1.5%
74Breathitt County193+10.9%
75Casey County191+2.7%
76Garrard County189+5.6%
77Monroe County183+4%
78Henry County182-1.1%
79Spencer County175+1.7%
80Webster County172-0.6%
81Todd County171+1.8%
82Clinton County167-0.6%
83Butler County166+0.6%
83Rockcastle County166-2.9%
85Magoffin County157+9%
86Knott County156+4.7%
86Pendleton County156+0.6%
88Estill County154-2.5%
89Powell County152+1.3%
90McCreary County149+12%
91Crittenden County142-4.1%
91McLean County1420%
93Morgan County1370%
94Green County136+5.4%
95Lyon County1350%
96Fulton County133+5.6%
97Livingston County128+2.4%
98Martin County126+4.1%
99Bath County125+11.6%
100Ballard County116-2.5%
101Lewis County111+11%
102Owen County1060%
103Edmonson County105+5%
104Cumberland County99-4.8%
104Metcalfe County99-1%
106Hancock County98-1%
107Leslie County950%
108Lee County91+1.1%
109Gallatin County90-4.3%
110Jackson County87-5.4%
111Bracken County84-2.3%
112Carlisle County72+4.3%
113Hickman County71-2.7%
114Nicholas County67-2.9%
114Trimble County67+1.5%
116Wolfe County62-1.6%
117Menifee County52+4%
118Elliott County49+19.5%
119Owsley County44+10%
120Robertson County190%

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of firms in the private nonfarm sectors covered by the US Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics. Establishments under common ownership form one firm.

Excludes nonemployer businesses. Differs from active_companies, the INE DIRCE count, which includes businesses without employees.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

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: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties (Counties in Kentucky by employer firms, 2014) [Data set]. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Kentucky by employer firms, 2014. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/kentucky-counties?period=2014. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Counties in Kentucky by employer firms, 2014. Dataset. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/kentucky-counties?period=2014.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Kentucky by employer firms, 2014 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/kentucky-counties?period=2014 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_kentucky_by_2014,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Kentucky by employer firms, 2014}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-11},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/kentucky-counties?period=2014. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Kentucky by employer firms, 2014
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.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/kentucky-counties?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/kentucky-counties?period=2014.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest employer firms?

Jefferson County, with 13,583 in 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Robertson County, with 19 in 2014.

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: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Employer firms: other rankings

Counties in Kentucky: more rankings