Data / Rankings / Establishment exit rate / Counties in Kentucky

Counties in Kentucky by establishment exit rate

McCreary County had the highest establishment exit rate of 118 counties in 2016, at 20.308%. Owen County had the lowest, at 2.667%. The median was 7.805% and the figure for Kentucky was 7.657%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest20.308McCreary County
Lowest2.667Owen County
Median7.805118 counties
Kentucky7.657History

Map of counties, 2016

Adair County: 12.698 %Allen County: 4.396 %Anderson County: 4.16 %Ballard County: 7.595 %Barren County: 7.204 %Bath County: 7.937 %Bell County: 8.333 %Boone County: 7.72 %Bourbon County: 6.557 %Boyd County: 5.845 %Boyle County: 6.442 %Bracken County: 7.317 %Breathitt County: 7.191 %Breckinridge County: 6.039 %Bullitt County: 5.642 %Butler County: 9.798 %Caldwell County: 5.464 %Calloway County: 6.536 %Campbell County: 6.764 %Carlisle County: 4.878 %Carroll County: 8.431 %Carter County: 5.038 %Casey County: 15.349 %Christian County: 6.551 %Clark County: 5.476 %Clay County: 10.549 %Clinton County: 11.173 %Crittenden County: 8.027 %Cumberland County: 7.692 %Daviess County: 7.038 %Edmonson County: 7.373 %Estill County: 9.063 %Fayette County: 7.375 %Fleming County: 9.026 %Floyd County: 8.35 %Franklin County: 6.846 %Fulton County: 7.874 %Gallatin County: 10.363 %Garrard County: 10.025 %Grant County: 10.195 %Graves County: 8.487 %Grayson County: 6.536 %Green County: 11.594 %Greenup County: 6.667 %Hancock County: 2.956 %Hardin County: 7.457 %Harlan County: 10.191 %Harrison County: 6.084 %Hart County: 10.078 %Henderson County: 6.469 %Henry County: 10.811 %Hickman County: 8.955 %Hopkins County: 7.388 %Jackson County: 11.494 %Jefferson County: 7.432 %Jessamine County: 8.748 %Johnson County: 10.582 %Kenton County: 7.878 %Knott County: 13.376 %Knox County: 6.144 %Larue County: 8.941 %Laurel County: 6.587 %Lawrence County: 11.852 %Lee County: 10.526 %Leslie County: 10.138 %Letcher County: 10.197 %Lewis County: 4.065 %Lincoln County: 8.262 %Livingston County: 5.926 %Logan County: 6.575 %Lyon County: 6.601 %McCracken County: 6.853 %McCreary County: 20.308 %McLean County: 6.667 %Madison County: 6.159 %Magoffin County: 13.861 %Marion County: 5.97 %Marshall County: 6.326 %Martin County: 9.894 %Mason County: 5.185 %Meade County: 4.878 %Menifee County: 9.709 %Mercer County: 9.861 %Metcalfe County: 4.484 %Monroe County: 8.854 %Montgomery County: 8.167 %Morgan County: 5.921 %Muhlenberg County: 6.554 %Nelson County: 6.992 %Nicholas County: 13.043 %Ohio County: 5.949 %Oldham County: 10.087 %Owen County: 2.667 %Owsley County: 9.412 %Pendleton County: 10.356 %Perry County: 8.696 %Pike County: 9.793 %Powell County: 8.723 %Pulaski County: 14.071 %Rockcastle County: 7.388 %Rowan County: 6.257 %Russell County: 12.817 %Scott County: 7.809 %Shelby County: 4.447 %Simpson County: 5.362 %Spencer County: 9.945 %Taylor County: 10.428 %Todd County: 7.027 %Trigg County: 8.52 %Trimble County: 15.603 %Union County: 9.563 %Warren County: 7.8 %Washington County: 6.584 %Wayne County: 9.213 %Webster County: 6.718 %Whitley County: 8.877 %Wolfe County: 10.938 %Woodford County: 10.931 %
  • Under 6
  • 6 to 6.7
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  • 10 and over
  • No data
%, 2016. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2016

McCreary County: 20.308 %McCreary County20.308Trimble County: 15.603 %Trimble County15.603Casey County: 15.349 %Casey County15.349Pulaski County: 14.071 %Pulaski County14.071Magoffin County: 13.861 %Magoffin County13.861Knott County: 13.376 %Knott County13.376Nicholas County: 13.043 %Nicholas County13.043Russell County: 12.817 %Russell County12.817Adair County: 12.698 %Adair County12.698Lawrence County: 11.852 %Lawrence County11.852Green County: 11.594 %Green County11.594Jackson County: 11.494 %Jackson County11.494Clinton County: 11.173 %Clinton County11.173Wolfe County: 10.938 %Wolfe County10.938Woodford County: 10.931 %Woodford County10.931Henry County: 10.811 %Henry County10.811Johnson County: 10.582 %Johnson County10.582Clay County: 10.549 %Clay County10.549Lee County: 10.526 %Lee County10.526Taylor County: 10.428 %Taylor County10.428Gallatin County: 10.363 %Gallatin County10.363Pendleton County: 10.356 %Pendleton County10.356Letcher County: 10.197 %Letcher County10.197Grant County: 10.195 %Grant County10.195Harlan County: 10.191 %Harlan County10.191Leslie County: 10.138 %Leslie County10.138Oldham County: 10.087 %Oldham County10.087Hart County: 10.078 %Hart County10.078Garrard County: 10.025 %Garrard County10.025Spencer County: 9.945 %Spencer County9.945Martin County: 9.894 %Martin County9.894Mercer County: 9.861 %Mercer County9.861Butler County: 9.798 %Butler County9.798Pike County: 9.793 %Pike County9.793Menifee County: 9.709 %Menifee County9.709Union County: 9.563 %Union County9.563Owsley County: 9.412 %Owsley County9.412Wayne County: 9.213 %Wayne County9.213Estill County: 9.063 %Estill County9.063Fleming County: 9.026 %Fleming County9.026McCreary County: 20.308 %McCreary County20.308Trimble County: 15.603 %Trimble County15.603Casey County: 15.349 %Casey County15.349Pulaski County: 14.071 %Pulaski County14.071Magoffin County: 13.861 %Magoffin County13.861Knott County: 13.376 %Knott County13.376Nicholas County: 13.043 %Nicholas County13.043Russell County: 12.817 %Russell County12.817Adair County: 12.698 %Adair County12.698Lawrence County: 11.852 %Lawrence County11.852Green County: 11.594 %Green County11.594Jackson County: 11.494 %Jackson County11.494Clinton County: 11.173 %Clinton County11.173Wolfe County: 10.938 %Wolfe County10.938Woodford County: 10.931 %Woodford County10.931Henry County: 10.811 %Henry County10.811Johnson County: 10.582 %Johnson County10.582Clay County: 10.549 %Clay County10.549Lee County: 10.526 %Lee County10.526Taylor County: 10.428 %Taylor County10.428Gallatin County: 10.363 %Gallatin County10.363Pendleton County: 10.356 %Pendleton County10.356Letcher County: 10.197 %Letcher County10.197Grant County: 10.195 %Grant County10.195Harlan County: 10.191 %Harlan County10.191Leslie County: 10.138 %Leslie County10.138Oldham County: 10.087 %Oldham County10.087Hart County: 10.078 %Hart County10.078Garrard County: 10.025 %Garrard County10.025Spencer County: 9.945 %Spencer County9.945Martin County: 9.894 %Martin County9.894Mercer County: 9.861 %Mercer County9.861Butler County: 9.798 %Butler County9.798Pike County: 9.793 %Pike County9.793Menifee County: 9.709 %Menifee County9.709Union County: 9.563 %Union County9.563Owsley County: 9.412 %Owsley County9.412Wayne County: 9.213 %Wayne County9.213Estill County: 9.063 %Estill County9.063Fleming County: 9.026 %Fleming County9.026
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016 (%)Change on 2015
1McCreary County20.308+16.12 pts
2Trimble County15.603+7.21 pts
3Casey County15.349+7.59 pts
4Pulaski County14.071+7.22 pts
5Magoffin County13.861+3.86 pts
6Knott County13.376+2.16 pts
7Nicholas County13.043+5.9 pts
8Russell County12.817+5.08 pts
9Adair County12.698+5.79 pts
10Lawrence County11.852+1.05 pts
11Green County11.594+1.84 pts
12Jackson County11.494+1.27 pts
13Clinton County11.173+3.42 pts
14Wolfe County10.938-1.66 pts
15Woodford County10.931+1.04 pts
16Henry County10.811+1.36 pts
17Johnson County10.582+1.99 pts
18Clay County10.549+4.47 pts
19Lee County10.526+5.34 pts
20Taylor County10.428+4.81 pts
21Gallatin County10.363+7.21 pts
22Pendleton County10.356+0.48 pts
23Letcher County10.197+0.67 pts
24Grant County10.195+2.15 pts
25Harlan County10.191-0.12 pts
26Leslie County10.138+3.47 pts
27Oldham County10.087+1.4 pts
28Hart County10.078+1.79 pts
29Garrard County10.025+1.42 pts
30Spencer County9.945+1.03 pts
31Martin County9.894+5.73 pts
32Mercer County9.861+1.43 pts
33Butler County9.798+2.5 pts
34Pike County9.793-0.09 pts
35Menifee County9.709+0.19 pts
36Union County9.563+0.31 pts
37Owsley County9.412-9.64 pts
38Wayne County9.213+6.52 pts
39Estill County9.063+2.91 pts
40Fleming County9.026+0.06 pts
41Hickman County8.955+0.32 pts
42Larue County8.941+0.47 pts
43Whitley County8.877+1.41 pts
44Monroe County8.854-0.99 pts
45Jessamine County8.748+1.65 pts
46Powell County8.723-1.77 pts
47Perry County8.696-0.72 pts
48Trigg County8.52+3.87 pts
49Graves County8.487-0.47 pts
50Carroll County8.431-1.25 pts
51Floyd County8.35-0.41 pts
52Bell County8.333+2.03 pts
53Lincoln County8.262+1.33 pts
54Montgomery County8.167+0.73 pts
55Crittenden County8.027+1.32 pts
56Bath County7.937-3.6 pts
57Kenton County7.878-0.51 pts
58Fulton County7.874-4.07 pts
59Scott County7.809+0.31 pts
60Warren County7.8+0.68 pts
61Boone County7.72+0.42 pts
62Cumberland County7.692+2.84 pts
63Ballard County7.595-0.7 pts
64Hardin County7.457-0.19 pts
65Jefferson County7.432-0.35 pts
66Hopkins County7.388+0.37 pts
66Rockcastle County7.388-0.45 pts
68Fayette County7.375-0.98 pts
69Edmonson County7.373-7.04 pts
70Bracken County7.317-4.8 pts
71Barren County7.204+1.18 pts
72Breathitt County7.191-0.7 pts
73Daviess County7.038+0.74 pts
74Todd County7.027-1.65 pts
75Nelson County6.992+1 pts
76McCracken County6.853-1.99 pts
77Franklin County6.846-0.14 pts
78Campbell County6.764-0.96 pts
79Webster County6.718-0.63 pts
80Greenup County6.667-3.08 pts
80McLean County6.667+0.42 pts
82Lyon County6.601-0.37 pts
83Laurel County6.587-0.04 pts
84Washington County6.584+1.64 pts
85Logan County6.575+3.08 pts
86Bourbon County6.557-3.47 pts
87Muhlenberg County6.554-0.71 pts
88Christian County6.551-1.71 pts
89Calloway County6.536-5.92 pts
89Grayson County6.536-2.12 pts
91Henderson County6.469-0.46 pts
92Boyle County6.442-3.6 pts
93Marshall County6.326-3.48 pts
94Rowan County6.257-0.03 pts
95Madison County6.159-3.7 pts
96Knox County6.144-0.23 pts
97Harrison County6.084-2.16 pts
98Breckinridge County6.039+1.37 pts
99Marion County5.97-0.67 pts
100Ohio County5.949+0.47 pts
101Livingston County5.926-4.15 pts
102Morgan County5.921-1.41 pts
103Boyd County5.845-1.14 pts
104Bullitt County5.642-2.28 pts
105Clark County5.476-2.92 pts
106Caldwell County5.464+0.22 pts
107Simpson County5.362+0.62 pts
108Mason County5.185-1.68 pts
109Carter County5.038-1.36 pts
110Carlisle County4.878-0.18 pts
110Meade County4.878-2.94 pts
112Metcalfe County4.484-4.86 pts
113Shelby County4.447-2.89 pts
114Allen County4.396-2.79 pts
115Anderson County4.16-3.62 pts
116Lewis County4.065-2.49 pts
117Hancock County2.956-4.85 pts
118Owen County2.667-6.26 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Establishments that closed during the year (employees a year earlier and none in March of the year), as a percentage of the average number of establishments in the two years. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics.

Counts closed locations, including branches of firms that keep operating elsewhere, so it is not a firm failure rate. Not comparable with enterprise_death_rate, which counts enterprise deaths in Europe. 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. 2 counties with data in other periods have no value for 2016 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: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in Kentucky by establishment exit rate, 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Kentucky by establishment exit rate, 2016. 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/establishment-exit-rate/kentucky-counties?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in Kentucky by establishment exit rate, 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-exit-rate/kentucky-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Kentucky by establishment exit rate, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-exit-rate/kentucky-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_kentucky_by_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Kentucky by establishment exit rate, 2016}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-exit-rate/kentucky-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Kentucky by establishment exit rate, 2016
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/establishment-exit-rate/kentucky-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-exit-rate/kentucky-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest establishment exit rate?

McCreary County, with 20.308% in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest establishment exit rate?

Owen County, with 2.667% in 2016.

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: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12. 2 counties have no value for 2016 and are not ranked.

Establishment exit rate: other rankings

Counties in Kentucky: more rankings