Data / Rankings / Job creation rate / Counties in Kentucky

Counties in Kentucky by job creation rate

Breathitt County had the highest job creation rate of 120 counties in 2012, at 37.107%. Robertson County had the lowest, at 5.486%. The median was 11.225% and the figure for Kentucky was 13.512%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest37.107Breathitt County
Lowest5.486Robertson County
Median11.225120 counties
Kentucky13.512History

Map of counties, 2012

Adair County: 11.635 %Allen County: 12.002 %Anderson County: 11.925 %Ballard County: 10.927 %Barren County: 11.304 %Bath County: 12.358 %Bell County: 13.744 %Boone County: 13.887 %Bourbon County: 8.644 %Boyd County: 11.351 %Boyle County: 8.491 %Bracken County: 10.127 %Breathitt County: 37.107 %Breckinridge County: 13.977 %Bullitt County: 14.902 %Butler County: 21.197 %Caldwell County: 7.996 %Calloway County: 11.133 %Campbell County: 12.575 %Carlisle County: 28.717 %Carroll County: 9.056 %Carter County: 11.322 %Casey County: 17.506 %Christian County: 14.6 %Clark County: 12.712 %Clay County: 9.115 %Clinton County: 7.022 %Crittenden County: 23.7 %Cumberland County: 11.235 %Daviess County: 11.979 %Edmonson County: 12.771 %Elliott County: 10.361 %Estill County: 10.53 %Fayette County: 15.878 %Fleming County: 7.017 %Floyd County: 18.609 %Franklin County: 10.412 %Fulton County: 6.839 %Gallatin County: 12.522 %Garrard County: 9.136 %Grant County: 10.546 %Graves County: 10.721 %Grayson County: 11.705 %Green County: 16.023 %Greenup County: 9.33 %Hancock County: 6.583 %Hardin County: 14.238 %Harlan County: 9.473 %Harrison County: 8.314 %Hart County: 9.118 %Henderson County: 12.614 %Henry County: 7.741 %Hickman County: 7.493 %Hopkins County: 12.214 %Jackson County: 7.05 %Jefferson County: 14.325 %Jessamine County: 12.154 %Johnson County: 10.193 %Kenton County: 10.255 %Knott County: 8.313 %Knox County: 15.053 %Larue County: 10.366 %Laurel County: 11.561 %Lawrence County: 11.479 %Lee County: 10.828 %Leslie County: 26.291 %Letcher County: 13.338 %Lewis County: 10.865 %Lincoln County: 12.202 %Livingston County: 18.172 %Logan County: 10.996 %Lyon County: 8.741 %McCracken County: 11.984 %McCreary County: 8.311 %McLean County: 14.463 %Madison County: 15.01 %Magoffin County: 10.667 %Marion County: 11.133 %Marshall County: 11.215 %Martin County: 8.93 %Mason County: 9.308 %Meade County: 10.824 %Menifee County: 16.84 %Mercer County: 9.928 %Metcalfe County: 7.801 %Monroe County: 10.927 %Montgomery County: 9.767 %Morgan County: 17.527 %Muhlenberg County: 9.673 %Nelson County: 10.411 %Nicholas County: 11.829 %Ohio County: 11.001 %Oldham County: 13.91 %Owen County: 9.335 %Owsley County: 20.533 %Pendleton County: 10.192 %Perry County: 13.295 %Pike County: 14.161 %Powell County: 20.13 %Pulaski County: 9.128 %Robertson County: 5.486 %Rockcastle County: 9.732 %Rowan County: 10.582 %Russell County: 12.406 %Scott County: 10.314 %Shelby County: 16.048 %Simpson County: 10.51 %Spencer County: 14.524 %Taylor County: 8.98 %Todd County: 15.447 %Trigg County: 12.359 %Trimble County: 11.163 %Union County: 11.001 %Warren County: 11.729 %Washington County: 14.179 %Wayne County: 13.878 %Webster County: 21.661 %Whitley County: 8.106 %Wolfe County: 14.882 %Woodford County: 7.733 %
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%, 2012. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2012

Breathitt County: 37.107 %Breathitt County37.107Carlisle County: 28.717 %Carlisle County28.717Leslie County: 26.291 %Leslie County26.291Crittenden County: 23.7 %Crittenden County23.7Webster County: 21.661 %Webster County21.661Butler County: 21.197 %Butler County21.197Owsley County: 20.533 %Owsley County20.533Powell County: 20.13 %Powell County20.13Floyd County: 18.609 %Floyd County18.609Livingston County: 18.172 %Livingston County18.172Morgan County: 17.527 %Morgan County17.527Casey County: 17.506 %Casey County17.506Menifee County: 16.84 %Menifee County16.84Shelby County: 16.048 %Shelby County16.048Green County: 16.023 %Green County16.023Fayette County: 15.878 %Fayette County15.878Todd County: 15.447 %Todd County15.447Knox County: 15.053 %Knox County15.053Madison County: 15.01 %Madison County15.01Bullitt County: 14.902 %Bullitt County14.902Wolfe County: 14.882 %Wolfe County14.882Christian County: 14.6 %Christian County14.6Spencer County: 14.524 %Spencer County14.524McLean County: 14.463 %McLean County14.463Jefferson County: 14.325 %Jefferson County14.325Hardin County: 14.238 %Hardin County14.238Washington County: 14.179 %Washington County14.179Pike County: 14.161 %Pike County14.161Breckinridge County: 13.977 %Breckinridge County13.977Oldham County: 13.91 %Oldham County13.91Boone County: 13.887 %Boone County13.887Wayne County: 13.878 %Wayne County13.878Bell County: 13.744 %Bell County13.744Letcher County: 13.338 %Letcher County13.338Perry County: 13.295 %Perry County13.295Edmonson County: 12.771 %Edmonson County12.771Clark County: 12.712 %Clark County12.712Henderson County: 12.614 %Henderson County12.614Campbell County: 12.575 %Campbell County12.575Gallatin County: 12.522 %Gallatin County12.522Breathitt County: 37.107 %Breathitt County37.107Carlisle County: 28.717 %Carlisle County28.717Leslie County: 26.291 %Leslie County26.291Crittenden County: 23.7 %Crittenden County23.7Webster County: 21.661 %Webster County21.661Butler County: 21.197 %Butler County21.197Owsley County: 20.533 %Owsley County20.533Powell County: 20.13 %Powell County20.13Floyd County: 18.609 %Floyd County18.609Livingston County: 18.172 %Livingston County18.172Morgan County: 17.527 %Morgan County17.527Casey County: 17.506 %Casey County17.506Menifee County: 16.84 %Menifee County16.84Shelby County: 16.048 %Shelby County16.048Green County: 16.023 %Green County16.023Fayette County: 15.878 %Fayette County15.878Todd County: 15.447 %Todd County15.447Knox County: 15.053 %Knox County15.053Madison County: 15.01 %Madison County15.01Bullitt County: 14.902 %Bullitt County14.902Wolfe County: 14.882 %Wolfe County14.882Christian County: 14.6 %Christian County14.6Spencer County: 14.524 %Spencer County14.524McLean County: 14.463 %McLean County14.463Jefferson County: 14.325 %Jefferson County14.325Hardin County: 14.238 %Hardin County14.238Washington County: 14.179 %Washington County14.179Pike County: 14.161 %Pike County14.161Breckinridge County: 13.977 %Breckinridge County13.977Oldham County: 13.91 %Oldham County13.91Boone County: 13.887 %Boone County13.887Wayne County: 13.878 %Wayne County13.878Bell County: 13.744 %Bell County13.744Letcher County: 13.338 %Letcher County13.338Perry County: 13.295 %Perry County13.295Edmonson County: 12.771 %Edmonson County12.771Clark County: 12.712 %Clark County12.712Henderson County: 12.614 %Henderson County12.614Campbell County: 12.575 %Campbell County12.575Gallatin County: 12.522 %Gallatin County12.522
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2012 (%)Change on 2011
1Breathitt County37.107+26.19 pts
2Carlisle County28.717+11.02 pts
3Leslie County26.291+16.43 pts
4Crittenden County23.7+14.14 pts
5Webster County21.661+10.09 pts
6Butler County21.197+9.02 pts
7Owsley County20.533+12.21 pts
8Powell County20.13+0.2 pts
9Floyd County18.609+6.02 pts
10Livingston County18.172+2.78 pts
11Morgan County17.527+2.39 pts
12Casey County17.506+2.18 pts
13Menifee County16.84+1.38 pts
14Shelby County16.048+3.01 pts
15Green County16.023+1.46 pts
16Fayette County15.878+5.79 pts
17Todd County15.447-0.13 pts
18Knox County15.053+2.04 pts
19Madison County15.01+1.33 pts
20Bullitt County14.902-3.14 pts
21Wolfe County14.882+1.35 pts
22Christian County14.6+1.86 pts
23Spencer County14.524+1.92 pts
24McLean County14.463+0.95 pts
25Jefferson County14.325+2.82 pts
26Hardin County14.238-0.34 pts
27Washington County14.179+0.33 pts
28Pike County14.161+0.66 pts
29Breckinridge County13.977-0.5 pts
30Oldham County13.91+0.13 pts
31Boone County13.887-1.29 pts
32Wayne County13.878+7.62 pts
33Bell County13.744+4.3 pts
34Letcher County13.338+1.1 pts
35Perry County13.295+2.62 pts
36Edmonson County12.771-3.02 pts
37Clark County12.712+0.3 pts
38Henderson County12.614+4.7 pts
39Campbell County12.575+1.58 pts
40Gallatin County12.522-1.13 pts
41Russell County12.406-7.43 pts
42Trigg County12.359-2.36 pts
43Bath County12.358+0.12 pts
44Hopkins County12.214+3.77 pts
45Lincoln County12.202+3.02 pts
46Jessamine County12.154-1.45 pts
47Allen County12.002-6.21 pts
48McCracken County11.984-2.31 pts
49Daviess County11.979+1 pts
50Anderson County11.925+1.46 pts
51Nicholas County11.829-15.98 pts
52Warren County11.729+1.11 pts
53Grayson County11.705-0.35 pts
54Adair County11.635-2.68 pts
55Laurel County11.561-1.13 pts
56Lawrence County11.479+4.86 pts
57Boyd County11.351+1.41 pts
58Carter County11.322+3.71 pts
59Barren County11.304-0.05 pts
60Cumberland County11.235-5.16 pts
61Marshall County11.215+1.89 pts
62Trimble County11.163-4.44 pts
63Calloway County11.133+1.2 pts
63Marion County11.133-1.08 pts
65Ohio County11.001+4.1 pts
65Union County11.001-2.29 pts
67Logan County10.996+0.34 pts
68Ballard County10.927+6.72 pts
68Monroe County10.927-1.12 pts
70Lewis County10.865-2.7 pts
71Lee County10.828+4.03 pts
72Meade County10.824-2.93 pts
73Graves County10.721-1.7 pts
74Magoffin County10.667-2.66 pts
75Rowan County10.582-4.79 pts
76Grant County10.546-3.16 pts
77Estill County10.53-0.31 pts
78Simpson County10.51-3.14 pts
79Franklin County10.412-4.02 pts
80Nelson County10.411-6.84 pts
81Larue County10.366-0.7 pts
82Elliott County10.361-4.85 pts
83Scott County10.314-1.53 pts
84Kenton County10.255-1.66 pts
85Johnson County10.193-2.6 pts
86Pendleton County10.192+0.01 pts
87Bracken County10.127+3.58 pts
88Mercer County9.928+4.02 pts
89Montgomery County9.767-11.04 pts
90Rockcastle County9.732-5.59 pts
91Muhlenberg County9.673-6.77 pts
92Harlan County9.473-1.65 pts
93Owen County9.335-7.06 pts
94Greenup County9.33-1.03 pts
95Mason County9.308+2.7 pts
96Garrard County9.136-5.21 pts
97Pulaski County9.128-0.9 pts
98Hart County9.118-4.14 pts
99Clay County9.115-0.11 pts
100Carroll County9.056-9.42 pts
101Taylor County8.98+1.01 pts
102Martin County8.93-0.99 pts
103Lyon County8.741-4.76 pts
104Bourbon County8.644+0.71 pts
105Boyle County8.491-2.13 pts
106Harrison County8.314-5.79 pts
107Knott County8.313+1.75 pts
108McCreary County8.311-5.99 pts
109Whitley County8.106-2.29 pts
110Caldwell County7.996-3.23 pts
111Metcalfe County7.801+2.07 pts
112Henry County7.741-16.05 pts
113Woodford County7.733-1.02 pts
114Hickman County7.493-14.29 pts
115Jackson County7.05+1.83 pts
116Clinton County7.022-4.07 pts
117Fleming County7.017+0.57 pts
118Fulton County6.839-2.8 pts
119Hancock County6.583+1.67 pts
120Robertson County5.486+4.17 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Jobs added at opening and expanding establishments during the year, as a percentage of average employment in the two years. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics.

A gross flow: jobs lost elsewhere are not subtracted, so the net change is this rate minus job_destruction_rate. Not the same as payroll job growth from the monthly employment surveys. 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. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation 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: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in Kentucky by job creation rate, 2012) [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: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Kentucky by job creation rate, 2012. 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/job-creation-rate/kentucky-counties?period=2012. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in Kentucky by job creation rate, 2012. 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/job-creation-rate/kentucky-counties?period=2012.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Kentucky by job creation rate, 2012 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/kentucky-counties?period=2012 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_kentucky_by_2012,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Kentucky by job creation rate, 2012}},
  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/job-creation-rate/kentucky-counties?period=2012. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation 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: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Kentucky by job creation rate, 2012
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/job-creation-rate/kentucky-counties?period=2012
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/kentucky-counties?period=2012.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation 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 job creation rate?

Breathitt County, with 37.107% in 2012, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job creation rate?

Robertson County, with 5.486% in 2012.

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: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Job creation rate: other rankings

Counties in Kentucky: more rankings