Counties in Kentucky by employer firms

Jefferson County had the highest employer firms of 120 counties in 2015, at 13,581. Robertson County had the lowest, at 18. The median was 257 and the figure for Kentucky was 62,175. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest13,581Jefferson County
Median257120 counties
Kentucky62,175History

Map of counties, 2015

Adair County: 274 countAllen County: 204 countAnderson County: 297 countBallard County: 116 countBarren County: 730 countBath County: 119 countBell County: 406 countBoone County: 2,391 countBourbon County: 346 countBoyd County: 1,090 countBoyle County: 622 countBracken County: 79 countBreathitt County: 201 countBreckinridge County: 261 countBullitt County: 910 countButler County: 168 countCaldwell County: 257 countCalloway County: 708 countCampbell County: 1,347 countCarlisle County: 77 countCarroll County: 202 countCarter County: 357 countCasey County: 203 countChristian County: 1,075 countClark County: 625 countClay County: 206 countClinton County: 165 countCrittenden County: 142 countCumberland County: 99 countDaviess County: 1,808 countEdmonson County: 103 countElliott County: 49 countEstill County: 155 countFayette County: 6,503 countFleming County: 200 countFloyd County: 671 countFranklin County: 956 countFulton County: 121 countGallatin County: 94 countGarrard County: 195 countGrant County: 306 countGraves County: 582 countGrayson County: 412 countGreen County: 131 countGreenup County: 404 countHancock County: 95 countHardin County: 1,864 countHarlan County: 335 countHarrison County: 256 countHart County: 239 countHenderson County: 825 countHenry County: 191 countHickman County: 65 countHopkins County: 832 countJackson County: 87 countJefferson County: 13,581 countJessamine County: 941 countJohnson County: 362 countKenton County: 2,336 countKnott County: 149 countKnox County: 422 countLarue County: 200 countLaurel County: 946 countLawrence County: 195 countLee County: 92 countLeslie County: 99 countLetcher County: 251 countLewis County: 110 countLincoln County: 276 countLivingston County: 120 countLogan County: 434 countLyon County: 139 countMcCracken County: 1,677 countMcCreary County: 157 countMcLean County: 151 countMadison County: 1,338 countMagoffin County: 155 countMarion County: 312 countMarshall County: 566 countMartin County: 129 countMason County: 379 countMeade County: 336 countMenifee County: 51 countMercer County: 316 countMetcalfe County: 97 countMonroe County: 180 countMontgomery County: 491 countMorgan County: 135 countMuhlenberg County: 469 countNelson County: 840 countNicholas County: 66 countOhio County: 307 countOldham County: 977 countOwen County: 103 countOwsley County: 40 countPendleton County: 148 countPerry County: 495 countPike County: 1,037 countPowell County: 155 countPulaski County: 1,233 countRobertson County: 18 countRockcastle County: 162 countRowan County: 426 countRussell County: 323 countScott County: 772 countShelby County: 815 countSimpson County: 347 countSpencer County: 178 countTaylor County: 512 countTodd County: 172 countTrigg County: 213 countTrimble County: 72 countUnion County: 224 countWarren County: 2,406 countWashington County: 233 countWayne County: 253 countWebster County: 172 countWhitley County: 493 countWolfe County: 61 countWoodford County: 476 count
  • Under 100
  • 100 to 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 400
  • 400 to 800
  • 800 and over
count, 2015. 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, 2015

Jefferson County: 13,581 countJefferson County13,581Fayette County: 6,503 countFayette County6,503Warren County: 2,406 countWarren County2,406Boone County: 2,391 countBoone County2,391Kenton County: 2,336 countKenton County2,336Hardin County: 1,864 countHardin County1,864Daviess County: 1,808 countDaviess County1,808McCracken County: 1,677 countMcCracken County1,677Campbell County: 1,347 countCampbell County1,347Madison County: 1,338 countMadison County1,338Pulaski County: 1,233 countPulaski County1,233Boyd County: 1,090 countBoyd County1,090Christian County: 1,075 countChristian County1,075Pike County: 1,037 countPike County1,037Oldham County: 977 countOldham County977Franklin County: 956 countFranklin County956Laurel County: 946 countLaurel County946Jessamine County: 941 countJessamine County941Bullitt County: 910 countBullitt County910Nelson County: 840 countNelson County840Hopkins County: 832 countHopkins County832Henderson County: 825 countHenderson County825Shelby County: 815 countShelby County815Scott County: 772 countScott County772Barren County: 730 countBarren County730Calloway County: 708 countCalloway County708Floyd County: 671 countFloyd County671Clark County: 625 countClark County625Boyle County: 622 countBoyle County622Graves County: 582 countGraves County582Marshall County: 566 countMarshall County566Taylor County: 512 countTaylor County512Perry County: 495 countPerry County495Whitley County: 493 countWhitley County493Montgomery County: 491 countMontgomery County491Woodford County: 476 countWoodford County476Muhlenberg County: 469 countMuhlenberg County469Logan County: 434 countLogan County434Rowan County: 426 countRowan County426Knox County: 422 countKnox County422Jefferson County: 13,581 countJefferson County13,581Fayette County: 6,503 countFayette County6,503Warren County: 2,406 countWarren County2,406Boone County: 2,391 countBoone County2,391Kenton County: 2,336 countKenton County2,336Hardin County: 1,864 countHardin County1,864Daviess County: 1,808 countDaviess County1,808McCracken County: 1,677 countMcCracken County1,677Campbell County: 1,347 countCampbell County1,347Madison County: 1,338 countMadison County1,338Pulaski County: 1,233 countPulaski County1,233Boyd County: 1,090 countBoyd County1,090Christian County: 1,075 countChristian County1,075Pike County: 1,037 countPike County1,037Oldham County: 977 countOldham County977Franklin County: 956 countFranklin County956Laurel County: 946 countLaurel County946Jessamine County: 941 countJessamine County941Bullitt County: 910 countBullitt County910Nelson County: 840 countNelson County840Hopkins County: 832 countHopkins County832Henderson County: 825 countHenderson County825Shelby County: 815 countShelby County815Scott County: 772 countScott County772Barren County: 730 countBarren County730Calloway County: 708 countCalloway County708Floyd County: 671 countFloyd County671Clark County: 625 countClark County625Boyle County: 622 countBoyle County622Graves County: 582 countGraves County582Marshall County: 566 countMarshall County566Taylor County: 512 countTaylor County512Perry County: 495 countPerry County495Whitley County: 493 countWhitley County493Montgomery County: 491 countMontgomery County491Woodford County: 476 countWoodford County476Muhlenberg County: 469 countMuhlenberg County469Logan County: 434 countLogan County434Rowan County: 426 countRowan County426Knox 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

RankCounties2015
count
Change on 2014
1Jefferson County13,581-0%
2Fayette County6,503+0.6%
3Warren County2,406+3.2%
4Boone County2,391+1.4%
5Kenton County2,336-1.2%
6Hardin County1,864+0.8%
7Daviess County1,808+1.5%
8McCracken County1,677-1.9%
9Campbell County1,347+1.5%
10Madison County1,338-0.1%
11Pulaski County1,233+3%
12Boyd County1,090+1.3%
13Christian County1,075+0.3%
14Pike County1,037-0.5%
15Oldham County977+0.6%
16Franklin County956+1.3%
17Laurel County946+1.2%
18Jessamine County941+1.1%
19Bullitt County910+0.8%
20Nelson County840+4.1%
21Hopkins County832-0.6%
22Henderson County825-1.3%
23Shelby County815+6%
24Scott County772+2.9%
25Barren County730+0.8%
26Calloway County708-5.1%
27Floyd County671-0.6%
28Clark County625-1.7%
29Boyle County622-3.7%
30Graves County582-2.3%
31Marshall County566-3.4%
32Taylor County512+2.4%
33Perry County495-3.3%
34Whitley County493-1%
35Montgomery County491+0.6%
36Woodford County4760%
37Muhlenberg County4690%
38Logan County434+2.6%
39Rowan County426+2.2%
40Knox County4220%
41Grayson County412-0.7%
42Bell County406+0.5%
43Greenup County404-4.7%
44Mason County379-0.8%
45Johnson County362+0.6%
46Carter County357+1.1%
47Simpson County347+3.9%
48Bourbon County346-1.1%
49Meade County336+0.6%
50Harlan County335-5.6%
51Russell County323-2.4%
52Mercer County316-0.3%
53Marion County312-0.6%
54Ohio County307+2.7%
55Grant County306+0.7%
56Anderson County297-0.7%
57Lincoln County276+1.8%
58Adair County274+1.9%
59Breckinridge County261+3.2%
60Caldwell County257+2.4%
61Harrison County256-1.5%
62Wayne County253+3.3%
63Letcher County251-3.1%
64Hart County239+5.8%
65Washington County233+0.9%
66Union County224-2.6%
67Trigg County213+4.9%
68Clay County206+0.5%
69Allen County204+0.5%
70Casey County203+6.3%
71Carroll County202-1.9%
72Breathitt County201+4.1%
73Fleming County200-1%
73Larue County200-2.4%
75Garrard County195+3.2%
75Lawrence County195-3%
77Henry County191+4.9%
78Monroe County180-1.6%
79Spencer County178+1.7%
80Todd County172+0.6%
80Webster County1720%
82Butler County168+1.2%
83Clinton County165-1.2%
84Rockcastle County162-2.4%
85McCreary County157+5.4%
86Estill County155+0.6%
86Magoffin County155-1.3%
86Powell County155+2%
89McLean County151+6.3%
90Knott County149-4.5%
91Pendleton County148-5.1%
92Crittenden County1420%
93Lyon County139+3%
94Morgan County135-1.5%
95Green County131-3.7%
96Martin County129+2.4%
97Fulton County121-9%
98Livingston County120-6.3%
99Bath County119-4.8%
100Ballard County1160%
101Lewis County110-0.9%
102Edmonson County103-1.9%
102Owen County103-2.8%
104Cumberland County990%
104Leslie County99+4.2%
106Metcalfe County97-2%
107Hancock County95-3.1%
108Gallatin County94+4.4%
109Lee County92+1.1%
110Jackson County870%
111Bracken County79-6%
112Carlisle County77+6.9%
113Trimble County72+7.5%
114Nicholas County66-1.5%
115Hickman County65-8.5%
116Wolfe County61-1.6%
117Menifee County51-1.9%
118Elliott County490%
119Owsley County40-9.1%
120Robertson County18-5.3%

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, 2015) [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, 2015. 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=2015. 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, 2015. 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=2015.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Kentucky by employer firms, 2015 [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=2015 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_kentucky_by_2015,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Kentucky by employer firms, 2015}},
  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=2015. 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, 2015
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=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/kentucky-counties?period=2015.
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 13,581 in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Robertson County, with 18 in 2015.

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