Data / Rankings / Employer firms / Counties in Kentucky

Counties in Kentucky by employer firms

Jefferson County had the highest employer firms of 120 counties in 2019, at 13,834. Robertson County had the lowest, at 19. The median was 243 and the figure for Kentucky was 61,101. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest13,834Jefferson County
Lowest19Robertson County
Median243120 counties
Kentucky61,101History

Map of counties, 2019

Adair County: 265 countAllen County: 195 countAnderson County: 306 countBallard County: 116 countBarren County: 698 countBath County: 111 countBell County: 372 countBoone County: 2,480 countBourbon County: 352 countBoyd County: 975 countBoyle County: 633 countBracken County: 83 countBreathitt County: 144 countBreckinridge County: 230 countBullitt County: 963 countButler County: 163 countCaldwell County: 247 countCalloway County: 738 countCampbell County: 1,374 countCarlisle County: 76 countCarroll County: 198 countCarter County: 330 countCasey County: 175 countChristian County: 1,066 countClark County: 661 countClay County: 198 countClinton County: 156 countCrittenden County: 146 countCumberland County: 98 countDaviess County: 1,816 countEdmonson County: 91 countElliott County: 39 countEstill County: 154 countFayette County: 6,671 countFleming County: 195 countFloyd County: 560 countFranklin County: 983 countFulton County: 120 countGallatin County: 84 countGarrard County: 191 countGrant County: 294 countGraves County: 562 countGrayson County: 363 countGreen County: 140 countGreenup County: 363 countHancock County: 88 countHardin County: 1,683 countHarlan County: 313 countHarrison County: 246 countHart County: 218 countHenderson County: 802 countHenry County: 185 countHickman County: 64 countHopkins County: 789 countJackson County: 81 countJefferson County: 13,834 countJessamine County: 994 countJohnson County: 322 countKenton County: 2,363 countKnott County: 140 countKnox County: 423 countLarue County: 187 countLaurel County: 986 countLawrence County: 181 countLee County: 86 countLeslie County: 86 countLetcher County: 216 countLewis County: 104 countLincoln County: 261 countLivingston County: 114 countLogan County: 435 countLyon County: 147 countMcCracken County: 1,696 countMcCreary County: 132 countMcLean County: 147 countMadison County: 1,424 countMagoffin County: 133 countMarion County: 286 countMarshall County: 595 countMartin County: 110 countMason County: 375 countMeade County: 292 countMenifee County: 45 countMercer County: 299 countMetcalfe County: 97 countMonroe County: 182 countMontgomery County: 466 countMorgan County: 128 countMuhlenberg County: 452 countNelson County: 809 countNicholas County: 70 countOhio County: 312 countOldham County: 989 countOwen County: 104 countOwsley County: 40 countPendleton County: 143 countPerry County: 429 countPike County: 898 countPowell County: 142 countPulaski County: 1,179 countRobertson County: 19 countRockcastle County: 158 countRowan County: 408 countRussell County: 293 countScott County: 819 countShelby County: 881 countSimpson County: 351 countSpencer County: 190 countTaylor County: 503 countTodd County: 176 countTrigg County: 204 countTrimble County: 65 countUnion County: 209 countWarren County: 2,252 countWashington County: 206 countWayne County: 240 countWebster County: 170 countWhitley County: 477 countWolfe County: 65 countWoodford County: 497 count
  • Under 100
  • 100 to 200
  • 200 to 400
  • 400 to 800
  • 800 and over
count, 2019. 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, 2019

Jefferson County: 13,834 countJefferson County13,834Fayette County: 6,671 countFayette County6,671Boone County: 2,480 countBoone County2,480Kenton County: 2,363 countKenton County2,363Warren County: 2,252 countWarren County2,252Daviess County: 1,816 countDaviess County1,816McCracken County: 1,696 countMcCracken County1,696Hardin County: 1,683 countHardin County1,683Madison County: 1,424 countMadison County1,424Campbell County: 1,374 countCampbell County1,374Pulaski County: 1,179 countPulaski County1,179Christian County: 1,066 countChristian County1,066Jessamine County: 994 countJessamine County994Oldham County: 989 countOldham County989Laurel County: 986 countLaurel County986Franklin County: 983 countFranklin County983Boyd County: 975 countBoyd County975Bullitt County: 963 countBullitt County963Pike County: 898 countPike County898Shelby County: 881 countShelby County881Scott County: 819 countScott County819Nelson County: 809 countNelson County809Henderson County: 802 countHenderson County802Hopkins County: 789 countHopkins County789Calloway County: 738 countCalloway County738Barren County: 698 countBarren County698Clark County: 661 countClark County661Boyle County: 633 countBoyle County633Marshall County: 595 countMarshall County595Graves County: 562 countGraves County562Floyd County: 560 countFloyd County560Taylor County: 503 countTaylor County503Woodford County: 497 countWoodford County497Whitley County: 477 countWhitley County477Montgomery County: 466 countMontgomery County466Muhlenberg County: 452 countMuhlenberg County452Logan County: 435 countLogan County435Perry County: 429 countPerry County429Knox County: 423 countKnox County423Rowan County: 408 countRowan County408Jefferson County: 13,834 countJefferson County13,834Fayette County: 6,671 countFayette County6,671Boone County: 2,480 countBoone County2,480Kenton County: 2,363 countKenton County2,363Warren County: 2,252 countWarren County2,252Daviess County: 1,816 countDaviess County1,816McCracken County: 1,696 countMcCracken County1,696Hardin County: 1,683 countHardin County1,683Madison County: 1,424 countMadison County1,424Campbell County: 1,374 countCampbell County1,374Pulaski County: 1,179 countPulaski County1,179Christian County: 1,066 countChristian County1,066Jessamine County: 994 countJessamine County994Oldham County: 989 countOldham County989Laurel County: 986 countLaurel County986Franklin County: 983 countFranklin County983Boyd County: 975 countBoyd County975Bullitt County: 963 countBullitt County963Pike County: 898 countPike County898Shelby County: 881 countShelby County881Scott County: 819 countScott County819Nelson County: 809 countNelson County809Henderson County: 802 countHenderson County802Hopkins County: 789 countHopkins County789Calloway County: 738 countCalloway County738Barren County: 698 countBarren County698Clark County: 661 countClark County661Boyle County: 633 countBoyle County633Marshall County: 595 countMarshall County595Graves County: 562 countGraves County562Floyd County: 560 countFloyd County560Taylor County: 503 countTaylor County503Woodford County: 497 countWoodford County497Whitley County: 477 countWhitley County477Montgomery County: 466 countMontgomery County466Muhlenberg County: 452 countMuhlenberg County452Logan County: 435 countLogan County435Perry County: 429 countPerry County429Knox County: 423 countKnox County423Rowan County: 408 countRowan County408
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2019
count		Change on 2018
1Jefferson County13,834+0.7%
2Fayette County6,671+0.9%
3Boone County2,480+1%
4Kenton County2,363-0.8%
5Warren County2,252+0.7%
6Daviess County1,816+1%
7McCracken County1,696+1.7%
8Hardin County1,683+1.6%
9Madison County1,424+3.3%
10Campbell County1,374+1%
11Pulaski County1,179+1.9%
12Christian County1,066+1.1%
13Jessamine County994+1.8%
14Oldham County989+1%
15Laurel County986+0.2%
16Franklin County983+1.8%
17Boyd County975-1.3%
18Bullitt County963+0.7%
19Pike County898-1.4%
20Shelby County881+0.7%
21Scott County819+1.9%
22Nelson County809+2%
23Henderson County8020%
24Hopkins County789-0.6%
25Calloway County7380%
26Barren County698+0.3%
27Clark County661+5.3%
28Boyle County633+0.8%
29Marshall County595+2.4%
30Graves County562-0.5%
31Floyd County560-3.4%
32Taylor County503+3.7%
33Woodford County497+2.3%
34Whitley County477-0.4%
35Montgomery County466+0.6%
36Muhlenberg County452-3.8%
37Logan County435+2.1%
38Perry County429+0.7%
39Knox County423-2.8%
40Rowan County408+1.2%
41Mason County375+0.8%
42Bell County372-0.3%
43Grayson County363-2.7%
43Greenup County363-1.1%
45Bourbon County352+1.4%
46Simpson County351-0.8%
47Carter County330-0.6%
48Johnson County322-1.5%
49Harlan County313-0.3%
50Ohio County312+1%
51Anderson County306-1%
52Mercer County299+1.4%
53Grant County294-2%
54Russell County293-1.3%
55Meade County292+1.7%
56Marion County286-3.1%
57Adair County265+3.1%
58Lincoln County261+0.4%
59Caldwell County247-0.4%
60Harrison County246+1.7%
61Wayne County240-0.4%
62Breckinridge County2300%
63Hart County218+0.9%
64Letcher County216-4.8%
65Union County209-0.9%
66Washington County206+0.5%
67Trigg County2040%
68Carroll County198+4.2%
68Clay County198+4.8%
70Allen County1950%
70Fleming County195-3.9%
72Garrard County191+0.5%
73Spencer County190+2.7%
74Larue County187+2.7%
75Henry County185-3.6%
76Monroe County182+2.8%
77Lawrence County181+1.7%
78Todd County176-1.7%
79Casey County175-2.8%
80Webster County170-4%
81Butler County163+3.2%
82Rockcastle County158-2.5%
83Clinton County156-1.3%
84Estill County154-1.9%
85Lyon County1470%
85McLean County147-3.3%
87Crittenden County146-2.7%
88Breathitt County144-2%
89Pendleton County143+0.7%
90Powell County1420%
91Green County140+6.1%
91Knott County140-3.4%
93Magoffin County133+1.5%
94McCreary County132-2.2%
95Morgan County128-3%
96Fulton County120-0.8%
97Ballard County116+0.9%
98Livingston County114-2.6%
99Bath County1110%
100Martin County110-0.9%
101Lewis County1040%
101Owen County104-1%
103Cumberland County980%
104Metcalfe County97+1%
105Edmonson County91+1.1%
106Hancock County88-2.2%
107Lee County86+2.4%
107Leslie County860%
109Gallatin County84-1.2%
110Bracken County83+5.1%
111Jackson County81+1.3%
112Carlisle County76-2.6%
113Nicholas County70+9.4%
114Trimble County650%
114Wolfe County65+10.2%
116Hickman County640%
117Menifee County45-4.3%
118Owsley County40-4.8%
119Elliott County390%
120Robertson County19-5%

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, 2019) [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, 2019. 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=2019. 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, 2019. 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=2019.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Kentucky by employer firms, 2019 [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=2019 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_kentucky_by_2019,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Kentucky by employer firms, 2019}},
  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=2019. 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, 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.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/kentucky-counties?period=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/kentucky-counties?period=2019.
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 13,834 in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Robertson County, with 19 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: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Employer firms: other rankings

Counties in Kentucky: more rankings