Data / Rankings / Employer firms / Counties in Kentucky

Counties in Kentucky by employer firms

Jefferson County had the highest employer firms of 120 counties in 2022, at 13,867. Robertson County had the lowest, at 23. The median was 239 and the figure for Kentucky was 61,296. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest13,867Jefferson County
Lowest23Robertson County
Median239120 counties
Kentucky61,296History

Map of counties, 2022

Adair County: 266 countAllen County: 204 countAnderson County: 294 countBallard County: 129 countBarren County: 690 countBath County: 121 countBell County: 357 countBoone County: 2,475 countBourbon County: 347 countBoyd County: 938 countBoyle County: 635 countBracken County: 86 countBreathitt County: 130 countBreckinridge County: 244 countBullitt County: 1,018 countButler County: 165 countCaldwell County: 239 countCalloway County: 757 countCampbell County: 1,415 countCarlisle County: 72 countCarroll County: 194 countCarter County: 328 countCasey County: 176 countChristian County: 1,026 countClark County: 645 countClay County: 188 countClinton County: 152 countCrittenden County: 126 countCumberland County: 91 countDaviess County: 1,847 countEdmonson County: 101 countElliott County: 33 countEstill County: 153 countFayette County: 6,896 countFleming County: 198 countFloyd County: 532 countFranklin County: 990 countFulton County: 118 countGallatin County: 87 countGarrard County: 199 countGrant County: 308 countGraves County: 573 countGrayson County: 358 countGreen County: 140 countGreenup County: 375 countHancock County: 95 countHardin County: 1,707 countHarlan County: 297 countHarrison County: 238 countHart County: 213 countHenderson County: 782 countHenry County: 184 countHickman County: 63 countHopkins County: 731 countJackson County: 86 countJefferson County: 13,867 countJessamine County: 1,049 countJohnson County: 291 countKenton County: 2,441 countKnott County: 129 countKnox County: 421 countLarue County: 183 countLaurel County: 1,000 countLawrence County: 175 countLee County: 83 countLeslie County: 77 countLetcher County: 203 countLewis County: 107 countLincoln County: 259 countLivingston County: 118 countLogan County: 424 countLyon County: 142 countMcCracken County: 1,672 countMcCreary County: 127 countMcLean County: 140 countMadison County: 1,396 countMagoffin County: 131 countMarion County: 291 countMarshall County: 585 countMartin County: 104 countMason County: 361 countMeade County: 309 countMenifee County: 48 countMercer County: 305 countMetcalfe County: 103 countMonroe County: 177 countMontgomery County: 469 countMorgan County: 128 countMuhlenberg County: 425 countNelson County: 816 countNicholas County: 67 countOhio County: 303 countOldham County: 1,050 countOwen County: 116 countOwsley County: 34 countPendleton County: 151 countPerry County: 403 countPike County: 856 countPowell County: 158 countPulaski County: 1,200 countRobertson County: 23 countRockcastle County: 165 countRowan County: 432 countRussell County: 289 countScott County: 877 countShelby County: 904 countSimpson County: 356 countSpencer County: 210 countTaylor County: 487 countTodd County: 173 countTrigg County: 195 countTrimble County: 68 countUnion County: 206 countWarren County: 2,316 countWashington County: 208 countWayne County: 237 countWebster County: 178 countWhitley County: 484 countWolfe County: 65 countWoodford County: 516 count
  • Under 100
  • 100 to 200
  • 200 to 400
  • 400 to 900
  • 900 and over
count, 2022. 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, 2022

Jefferson County: 13,867 countJefferson County13,867Fayette County: 6,896 countFayette County6,896Boone County: 2,475 countBoone County2,475Kenton County: 2,441 countKenton County2,441Warren County: 2,316 countWarren County2,316Daviess County: 1,847 countDaviess County1,847Hardin County: 1,707 countHardin County1,707McCracken County: 1,672 countMcCracken County1,672Campbell County: 1,415 countCampbell County1,415Madison County: 1,396 countMadison County1,396Pulaski County: 1,200 countPulaski County1,200Oldham County: 1,050 countOldham County1,050Jessamine County: 1,049 countJessamine County1,049Christian County: 1,026 countChristian County1,026Bullitt County: 1,018 countBullitt County1,018Laurel County: 1,000 countLaurel County1,000Franklin County: 990 countFranklin County990Boyd County: 938 countBoyd County938Shelby County: 904 countShelby County904Scott County: 877 countScott County877Pike County: 856 countPike County856Nelson County: 816 countNelson County816Henderson County: 782 countHenderson County782Calloway County: 757 countCalloway County757Hopkins County: 731 countHopkins County731Barren County: 690 countBarren County690Clark County: 645 countClark County645Boyle County: 635 countBoyle County635Marshall County: 585 countMarshall County585Graves County: 573 countGraves County573Floyd County: 532 countFloyd County532Woodford County: 516 countWoodford County516Taylor County: 487 countTaylor County487Whitley County: 484 countWhitley County484Montgomery County: 469 countMontgomery County469Rowan County: 432 countRowan County432Muhlenberg County: 425 countMuhlenberg County425Logan County: 424 countLogan County424Knox County: 421 countKnox County421Perry County: 403 countPerry County403Jefferson County: 13,867 countJefferson County13,867Fayette County: 6,896 countFayette County6,896Boone County: 2,475 countBoone County2,475Kenton County: 2,441 countKenton County2,441Warren County: 2,316 countWarren County2,316Daviess County: 1,847 countDaviess County1,847Hardin County: 1,707 countHardin County1,707McCracken County: 1,672 countMcCracken County1,672Campbell County: 1,415 countCampbell County1,415Madison County: 1,396 countMadison County1,396Pulaski County: 1,200 countPulaski County1,200Oldham County: 1,050 countOldham County1,050Jessamine County: 1,049 countJessamine County1,049Christian County: 1,026 countChristian County1,026Bullitt County: 1,018 countBullitt County1,018Laurel County: 1,000 countLaurel County1,000Franklin County: 990 countFranklin County990Boyd County: 938 countBoyd County938Shelby County: 904 countShelby County904Scott County: 877 countScott County877Pike County: 856 countPike County856Nelson County: 816 countNelson County816Henderson County: 782 countHenderson County782Calloway County: 757 countCalloway County757Hopkins County: 731 countHopkins County731Barren County: 690 countBarren County690Clark County: 645 countClark County645Boyle County: 635 countBoyle County635Marshall County: 585 countMarshall County585Graves County: 573 countGraves County573Floyd County: 532 countFloyd County532Woodford County: 516 countWoodford County516Taylor County: 487 countTaylor County487Whitley County: 484 countWhitley County484Montgomery County: 469 countMontgomery County469Rowan County: 432 countRowan County432Muhlenberg County: 425 countMuhlenberg County425Logan County: 424 countLogan County424Knox County: 421 countKnox County421Perry County: 403 countPerry County403
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2022
count		Change on 2021
1Jefferson County13,867+0.9%
2Fayette County6,896+2.3%
3Boone County2,475+1.1%
4Kenton County2,441+2%
5Warren County2,316+1.5%
6Daviess County1,847+1.4%
7Hardin County1,707+0.1%
8McCracken County1,672+0.7%
9Campbell County1,415+2.1%
10Madison County1,396+0.2%
11Pulaski County1,200+1.9%
12Oldham County1,050+2.5%
13Jessamine County1,049+1.9%
14Christian County1,026+0.7%
15Bullitt County1,018+2.4%
16Laurel County1,000+4.1%
17Franklin County990+2.3%
18Boyd County9380%
19Shelby County904+3.4%
20Scott County877+4%
21Pike County856+0.6%
22Nelson County8160%
23Henderson County782-0.3%
24Calloway County757+1.3%
25Hopkins County731-0.8%
26Barren County690-1%
27Clark County645+3.2%
28Boyle County635+1.3%
29Marshall County585+1.4%
30Graves County573+1.2%
31Floyd County532+0.8%
32Woodford County516+6.2%
33Taylor County487-1.6%
34Whitley County484+4.1%
35Montgomery County469+1.5%
36Rowan County432+1.6%
37Muhlenberg County425+1%
38Logan County424+3.4%
39Knox County421+0.2%
40Perry County403-1.2%
41Greenup County375+4.2%
42Mason County361+0.6%
43Grayson County358-0.8%
44Bell County357-3.3%
45Simpson County356+1.4%
46Bourbon County347+3.9%
47Carter County328+1.2%
48Meade County309+0.7%
49Grant County308+2%
50Mercer County305+3%
51Ohio County303-4.1%
52Harlan County297+2.1%
53Anderson County294-0.7%
54Johnson County291-4%
54Marion County291+0.7%
56Russell County289+1%
57Adair County266-2.2%
58Lincoln County259+3.2%
59Breckinridge County244-1.6%
60Caldwell County239+4.8%
61Harrison County238+0.8%
62Wayne County237+3%
63Hart County213-4.5%
64Spencer County210+9.4%
65Washington County208+4.5%
66Union County206+1.5%
67Allen County2040%
68Letcher County203+0.5%
69Garrard County199+1.5%
70Fleming County198+1.5%
71Trigg County195+3.2%
72Carroll County194+1%
73Clay County188+1.6%
74Henry County184+1.7%
75Larue County183-2.1%
76Webster County178+3.5%
77Monroe County1770%
78Casey County176+2.9%
79Lawrence County175-1.1%
80Todd County173+4.8%
81Butler County165+2.5%
81Rockcastle County165+1.9%
83Powell County158+4.6%
84Estill County153+9.3%
85Clinton County1520%
86Pendleton County151+2%
87Lyon County142+0.7%
88Green County140+0.7%
88McLean County140-2.1%
90Magoffin County131+0.8%
91Breathitt County130+1.6%
92Ballard County129+5.7%
92Knott County129-2.3%
94Morgan County128-3.8%
95McCreary County127+1.6%
96Crittenden County126-1.6%
97Bath County121+1.7%
98Fulton County118+7.3%
98Livingston County118+8.3%
100Owen County116+1.8%
101Lewis County1070%
102Martin County1040%
103Metcalfe County103+2%
104Edmonson County101+5.2%
105Hancock County95+1.1%
106Cumberland County91+2.2%
107Gallatin County87+1.2%
108Bracken County86+2.4%
108Jackson County86-2.3%
110Lee County830%
111Leslie County770%
112Carlisle County72-2.7%
113Trimble County68+6.3%
114Nicholas County670%
115Wolfe County65+10.2%
116Hickman County63+1.6%
117Menifee County48+4.3%
118Owsley County34-2.9%
119Elliott County33-2.9%
120Robertson County23+21.1%

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, 2022) [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, 2022. 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=2022. 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, 2022. 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=2022.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Kentucky by employer firms, 2022 [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=2022 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_kentucky_by_2022,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Kentucky by employer firms, 2022}},
  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=2022. 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, 2022
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=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/kentucky-counties?period=2022.
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 13,867 in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Robertson County, with 23 in 2022.

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