Data / Rankings / Job destruction rate / Counties in Kentucky

Counties in Kentucky by job destruction rate

Jackson County had the highest job destruction rate of 120 counties in 2016, at 48.051%. Hancock County had the lowest, at 2.621%. The median was 10.391% and the figure for Kentucky was 10.167%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest48.051Jackson County
Lowest2.621Hancock County
Median10.391120 counties
Kentucky10.167History

Map of counties, 2016

Adair County: 13.953 %Allen County: 6.494 %Anderson County: 7.319 %Ballard County: 14.324 %Barren County: 7.562 %Bath County: 9.272 %Bell County: 10.001 %Boone County: 6.972 %Bourbon County: 9.598 %Boyd County: 12.238 %Boyle County: 7.074 %Bracken County: 6.632 %Breathitt County: 16.372 %Breckinridge County: 8.576 %Bullitt County: 4.824 %Butler County: 17.358 %Caldwell County: 9.482 %Calloway County: 5.749 %Campbell County: 7.388 %Carlisle County: 11.192 %Carroll County: 6.804 %Carter County: 11.07 %Casey County: 7.174 %Christian County: 11.525 %Clark County: 9.291 %Clay County: 11.407 %Clinton County: 7.145 %Crittenden County: 17.653 %Cumberland County: 7.532 %Daviess County: 10.32 %Edmonson County: 16.732 %Elliott County: 10.204 %Estill County: 12.903 %Fayette County: 10.085 %Fleming County: 12.684 %Floyd County: 12.747 %Franklin County: 7.098 %Fulton County: 12.574 %Gallatin County: 6.865 %Garrard County: 17.429 %Grant County: 7.928 %Graves County: 10.663 %Grayson County: 12.172 %Green County: 8.613 %Greenup County: 10.851 %Hancock County: 2.621 %Hardin County: 8.034 %Harlan County: 17.152 %Harrison County: 11.214 %Hart County: 5.875 %Henderson County: 8.02 %Henry County: 8.773 %Hickman County: 10.66 %Hopkins County: 11.984 %Jackson County: 48.051 %Jefferson County: 10.839 %Jessamine County: 8.502 %Johnson County: 12.45 %Kenton County: 12.068 %Knott County: 30.641 %Knox County: 8.17 %Larue County: 8.476 %Laurel County: 11.215 %Lawrence County: 10.202 %Lee County: 16.43 %Leslie County: 20.317 %Letcher County: 16.181 %Lewis County: 12.766 %Lincoln County: 14.307 %Livingston County: 9.554 %Logan County: 6.244 %Lyon County: 9.123 %McCracken County: 12.024 %McCreary County: 16.944 %McLean County: 9.387 %Madison County: 8.629 %Magoffin County: 14.509 %Marion County: 11.449 %Marshall County: 7.387 %Martin County: 20.444 %Mason County: 9.844 %Meade County: 7.716 %Menifee County: 12.766 %Mercer County: 7.98 %Metcalfe County: 10.038 %Monroe County: 7.903 %Montgomery County: 12.256 %Morgan County: 15.716 %Muhlenberg County: 17.006 %Nelson County: 6.901 %Nicholas County: 17.727 %Ohio County: 8.406 %Oldham County: 10.225 %Owen County: 10.461 %Owsley County: 7.77 %Pendleton County: 6.32 %Perry County: 18.622 %Pike County: 12.07 %Powell County: 12.962 %Pulaski County: 8.168 %Robertson County: 11.111 %Rockcastle County: 8.795 %Rowan County: 6.753 %Russell County: 11.998 %Scott County: 7.203 %Shelby County: 8.085 %Simpson County: 10.546 %Spencer County: 10.789 %Taylor County: 5.088 %Todd County: 11.869 %Trigg County: 10.919 %Trimble County: 11.029 %Union County: 17.144 %Warren County: 10.67 %Washington County: 5.295 %Wayne County: 12.305 %Webster County: 11.545 %Whitley County: 6.468 %Wolfe County: 11.832 %Woodford County: 9.67 %
  • Under 7.2
  • 7.2 to 8.6
  • 8.6 to 10
  • 10 to 12
  • 12 to 14
  • 14 and over
%, 2016. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2016

Jackson County: 48.051 %Jackson County48.051Knott County: 30.641 %Knott County30.641Martin County: 20.444 %Martin County20.444Leslie County: 20.317 %Leslie County20.317Perry County: 18.622 %Perry County18.622Nicholas County: 17.727 %Nicholas County17.727Crittenden County: 17.653 %Crittenden County17.653Garrard County: 17.429 %Garrard County17.429Butler County: 17.358 %Butler County17.358Harlan County: 17.152 %Harlan County17.152Union County: 17.144 %Union County17.144Muhlenberg County: 17.006 %Muhlenberg County17.006McCreary County: 16.944 %McCreary County16.944Edmonson County: 16.732 %Edmonson County16.732Lee County: 16.43 %Lee County16.43Breathitt County: 16.372 %Breathitt County16.372Letcher County: 16.181 %Letcher County16.181Morgan County: 15.716 %Morgan County15.716Magoffin County: 14.509 %Magoffin County14.509Ballard County: 14.324 %Ballard County14.324Lincoln County: 14.307 %Lincoln County14.307Adair County: 13.953 %Adair County13.953Powell County: 12.962 %Powell County12.962Estill County: 12.903 %Estill County12.903Lewis County: 12.766 %Lewis County12.766Menifee County: 12.766 %Menifee County12.766Floyd County: 12.747 %Floyd County12.747Fleming County: 12.684 %Fleming County12.684Fulton County: 12.574 %Fulton County12.574Johnson County: 12.45 %Johnson County12.45Wayne County: 12.305 %Wayne County12.305Montgomery County: 12.256 %Montgomery County12.256Boyd County: 12.238 %Boyd County12.238Grayson County: 12.172 %Grayson County12.172Pike County: 12.07 %Pike County12.07Kenton County: 12.068 %Kenton County12.068McCracken County: 12.024 %McCracken County12.024Russell County: 11.998 %Russell County11.998Hopkins County: 11.984 %Hopkins County11.984Todd County: 11.869 %Todd County11.869Jackson County: 48.051 %Jackson County48.051Knott County: 30.641 %Knott County30.641Martin County: 20.444 %Martin County20.444Leslie County: 20.317 %Leslie County20.317Perry County: 18.622 %Perry County18.622Nicholas County: 17.727 %Nicholas County17.727Crittenden County: 17.653 %Crittenden County17.653Garrard County: 17.429 %Garrard County17.429Butler County: 17.358 %Butler County17.358Harlan County: 17.152 %Harlan County17.152Union County: 17.144 %Union County17.144Muhlenberg County: 17.006 %Muhlenberg County17.006McCreary County: 16.944 %McCreary County16.944Edmonson County: 16.732 %Edmonson County16.732Lee County: 16.43 %Lee County16.43Breathitt County: 16.372 %Breathitt County16.372Letcher County: 16.181 %Letcher County16.181Morgan County: 15.716 %Morgan County15.716Magoffin County: 14.509 %Magoffin County14.509Ballard County: 14.324 %Ballard County14.324Lincoln County: 14.307 %Lincoln County14.307Adair County: 13.953 %Adair County13.953Powell County: 12.962 %Powell County12.962Estill County: 12.903 %Estill County12.903Lewis County: 12.766 %Lewis County12.766Menifee County: 12.766 %Menifee County12.766Floyd County: 12.747 %Floyd County12.747Fleming County: 12.684 %Fleming County12.684Fulton County: 12.574 %Fulton County12.574Johnson County: 12.45 %Johnson County12.45Wayne County: 12.305 %Wayne County12.305Montgomery County: 12.256 %Montgomery County12.256Boyd County: 12.238 %Boyd County12.238Grayson County: 12.172 %Grayson County12.172Pike County: 12.07 %Pike County12.07Kenton County: 12.068 %Kenton County12.068McCracken County: 12.024 %McCracken County12.024Russell County: 11.998 %Russell County11.998Hopkins County: 11.984 %Hopkins County11.984Todd County: 11.869 %Todd County11.869
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016 (%)Change on 2015
1Jackson County48.051+42.5 pts
2Knott County30.641+15.83 pts
3Martin County20.444+3.02 pts
4Leslie County20.317+13.39 pts
5Perry County18.622+5.77 pts
6Nicholas County17.727-10.38 pts
7Crittenden County17.653+12.99 pts
8Garrard County17.429+5.38 pts
9Butler County17.358+7.29 pts
10Harlan County17.152+5.03 pts
11Union County17.144+6.54 pts
12Muhlenberg County17.006+3.76 pts
13McCreary County16.944+6.5 pts
14Edmonson County16.732+2.97 pts
15Lee County16.43+12.06 pts
16Breathitt County16.372+8.55 pts
17Letcher County16.181+0.79 pts
18Morgan County15.716+5.58 pts
19Magoffin County14.509-4.93 pts
20Ballard County14.324+5.87 pts
21Lincoln County14.307+6.11 pts
22Adair County13.953+5.21 pts
23Powell County12.962+2.08 pts
24Estill County12.903+5.54 pts
25Lewis County12.766-17.52 pts
25Menifee County12.766+6.13 pts
27Floyd County12.747-0.61 pts
28Fleming County12.684+5.38 pts
29Fulton County12.574-2.36 pts
30Johnson County12.45-0.24 pts
31Wayne County12.305+6.52 pts
32Montgomery County12.256+3.07 pts
33Boyd County12.238+2.82 pts
34Grayson County12.172+0.79 pts
35Pike County12.07-1.86 pts
36Kenton County12.068+1.36 pts
37McCracken County12.024-1.96 pts
38Russell County11.998-8.6 pts
39Hopkins County11.984+1.35 pts
40Todd County11.869-2.44 pts
41Wolfe County11.832+3.62 pts
42Webster County11.545+0.04 pts
43Christian County11.525+1.29 pts
44Marion County11.449+5.19 pts
45Clay County11.407+5.92 pts
46Laurel County11.215+0.36 pts
47Harrison County11.214+3.75 pts
48Carlisle County11.192+2.31 pts
49Robertson County11.111+9.33 pts
50Carter County11.07+3.32 pts
51Trimble County11.029+5.43 pts
52Trigg County10.919-1.32 pts
53Greenup County10.851-1.53 pts
54Jefferson County10.839+1.41 pts
55Spencer County10.789-0.9 pts
56Warren County10.67+1.07 pts
57Graves County10.663-2.88 pts
58Hickman County10.66-0.08 pts
59Simpson County10.546-0.36 pts
60Owen County10.461+4.01 pts
61Daviess County10.32+1.64 pts
62Oldham County10.225+1.5 pts
63Elliott County10.204-3.57 pts
64Lawrence County10.202-13.24 pts
65Fayette County10.085+1.14 pts
66Metcalfe County10.038+4.55 pts
67Bell County10.001+1.01 pts
68Mason County9.844+2.18 pts
69Woodford County9.67+0.67 pts
70Bourbon County9.598-0.57 pts
71Livingston County9.554-0.07 pts
72Caldwell County9.482-0.33 pts
73McLean County9.387-6.95 pts
74Clark County9.291-0.56 pts
75Bath County9.272-2.05 pts
76Lyon County9.123+1.23 pts
77Rockcastle County8.795-4.85 pts
78Henry County8.773-1.57 pts
79Madison County8.629-7.12 pts
80Green County8.613-4.22 pts
81Breckinridge County8.576-1.36 pts
82Jessamine County8.502-1.79 pts
83Larue County8.476-2.92 pts
84Ohio County8.406+3.85 pts
85Knox County8.17+0.49 pts
86Pulaski County8.168-1.07 pts
87Shelby County8.085+0.29 pts
88Hardin County8.034-2.09 pts
89Henderson County8.02+0.71 pts
90Mercer County7.98+3.02 pts
91Grant County7.928-1.62 pts
92Monroe County7.903-2.98 pts
93Owsley County7.77-5.5 pts
94Meade County7.716-3.85 pts
95Barren County7.562-0.6 pts
96Cumberland County7.532-5.85 pts
97Campbell County7.388-1.29 pts
98Marshall County7.387-7.64 pts
99Anderson County7.319-0.71 pts
100Scott County7.203-0.47 pts
101Casey County7.174+0.81 pts
102Clinton County7.145+0.79 pts
103Franklin County7.098-1.48 pts
104Boyle County7.074-1.09 pts
105Boone County6.972-0.93 pts
106Nelson County6.901-1.54 pts
107Gallatin County6.865-1.89 pts
108Carroll County6.804+0.46 pts
109Rowan County6.753-5.69 pts
110Bracken County6.632-3.66 pts
111Allen County6.494-13.91 pts
112Whitley County6.468-2.76 pts
113Pendleton County6.32-5.24 pts
114Logan County6.244-1.87 pts
115Hart County5.875+0.41 pts
116Calloway County5.749-2.24 pts
117Washington County5.295-2.52 pts
118Taylor County5.088-0.61 pts
119Bullitt County4.824-5.43 pts
120Hancock County2.621-8.16 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Jobs lost at closing and shrinking 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 added elsewhere are not subtracted, so the net change is job_creation_rate minus this rate. Not a layoff rate: it counts positions lost at establishments, not people who lost a job. 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 destruction 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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in Kentucky by job destruction 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: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Kentucky by job destruction 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/job-destruction-rate/kentucky-counties?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in Kentucky by job destruction 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/job-destruction-rate/kentucky-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Kentucky by job destruction 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/job-destruction-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: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Kentucky by job destruction 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/job-destruction-rate/kentucky-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction 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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Kentucky by job destruction 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/job-destruction-rate/kentucky-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/kentucky-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction 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 destruction rate?

Jackson County, with 48.051% in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job destruction rate?

Hancock County, with 2.621% 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: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Job destruction rate: other rankings

Counties in Kentucky: more rankings