Data / Rankings / Job destruction rate / Counties in Kentucky

Counties in Kentucky by job destruction rate

Robertson County had the highest job destruction rate of 120 counties in 2017, at 62.312%. Hancock County had the lowest, at 3.629%. The median was 10.836% and the figure for Kentucky was 11.753%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest62.312Robertson County
Lowest3.629Hancock County
Median10.836120 counties
Kentucky11.753History

Map of counties, 2017

Adair County: 10.057 %Allen County: 9.351 %Anderson County: 7.59 %Ballard County: 37.696 %Barren County: 12.048 %Bath County: 25.977 %Bell County: 14.331 %Boone County: 17.264 %Bourbon County: 9.268 %Boyd County: 11.207 %Boyle County: 9.528 %Bracken County: 7.485 %Breathitt County: 7.78 %Breckinridge County: 15.074 %Bullitt County: 11.809 %Butler County: 10.524 %Caldwell County: 11.965 %Calloway County: 12.76 %Campbell County: 11.97 %Carlisle County: 12.322 %Carroll County: 9.366 %Carter County: 12.01 %Casey County: 6.546 %Christian County: 13.045 %Clark County: 8.316 %Clay County: 9.432 %Clinton County: 6.875 %Crittenden County: 15.74 %Cumberland County: 10.875 %Daviess County: 10.271 %Edmonson County: 12.106 %Elliott County: 8.38 %Estill County: 10.378 %Fayette County: 13.753 %Fleming County: 10.541 %Floyd County: 13.835 %Franklin County: 10.074 %Fulton County: 8.433 %Gallatin County: 14.961 %Garrard County: 9.659 %Grant County: 12.12 %Graves County: 10.452 %Grayson County: 7.809 %Green County: 21.785 %Greenup County: 14.017 %Hancock County: 3.629 %Hardin County: 10.335 %Harlan County: 11.815 %Harrison County: 7.684 %Hart County: 9.054 %Henderson County: 12.324 %Henry County: 27.517 %Hickman County: 16.847 %Hopkins County: 14.034 %Jackson County: 12.047 %Jefferson County: 11.028 %Jessamine County: 10.78 %Johnson County: 12.213 %Kenton County: 10.253 %Knott County: 10.916 %Knox County: 13.418 %Larue County: 8.556 %Laurel County: 9.938 %Lawrence County: 5.678 %Lee County: 12.036 %Leslie County: 14.812 %Letcher County: 20.763 %Lewis County: 17.742 %Lincoln County: 14.907 %Livingston County: 7.875 %Logan County: 9.452 %Lyon County: 18.865 %McCracken County: 10.797 %McCreary County: 15.094 %McLean County: 12.002 %Madison County: 12.002 %Magoffin County: 19.443 %Marion County: 8.721 %Marshall County: 10.549 %Martin County: 29.534 %Mason County: 12.77 %Meade County: 17.552 %Menifee County: 15.291 %Mercer County: 9.849 %Metcalfe County: 7.66 %Monroe County: 5.641 %Montgomery County: 7.187 %Morgan County: 9.837 %Muhlenberg County: 15.997 %Nelson County: 9.066 %Nicholas County: 9.535 %Ohio County: 9.013 %Oldham County: 12.4 %Owen County: 21.593 %Owsley County: 7.806 %Pendleton County: 9.392 %Perry County: 11.052 %Pike County: 11.665 %Powell County: 13.421 %Pulaski County: 9.681 %Robertson County: 62.312 %Rockcastle County: 7.882 %Rowan County: 8.52 %Russell County: 9.262 %Scott County: 6.913 %Shelby County: 8.607 %Simpson County: 5.067 %Spencer County: 7.771 %Taylor County: 8.083 %Todd County: 13.566 %Trigg County: 13.623 %Trimble County: 7.423 %Union County: 10.48 %Warren County: 8.544 %Washington County: 23.021 %Wayne County: 14.048 %Webster County: 14.001 %Whitley County: 15.412 %Wolfe County: 9.291 %Woodford County: 8.66 %
  • Under 8.3
  • 8.3 to 9.5
  • 9.5 to 11
  • 11 to 12
  • 12 to 15
  • 15 and over
%, 2017. 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, 2017

Robertson County: 62.312 %Robertson County62.312Ballard County: 37.696 %Ballard County37.696Martin County: 29.534 %Martin County29.534Henry County: 27.517 %Henry County27.517Bath County: 25.977 %Bath County25.977Washington County: 23.021 %Washington County23.021Green County: 21.785 %Green County21.785Owen County: 21.593 %Owen County21.593Letcher County: 20.763 %Letcher County20.763Magoffin County: 19.443 %Magoffin County19.443Lyon County: 18.865 %Lyon County18.865Lewis County: 17.742 %Lewis County17.742Meade County: 17.552 %Meade County17.552Boone County: 17.264 %Boone County17.264Hickman County: 16.847 %Hickman County16.847Muhlenberg County: 15.997 %Muhlenberg County15.997Crittenden County: 15.74 %Crittenden County15.74Whitley County: 15.412 %Whitley County15.412Menifee County: 15.291 %Menifee County15.291McCreary County: 15.094 %McCreary County15.094Breckinridge County: 15.074 %Breckinridge County15.074Gallatin County: 14.961 %Gallatin County14.961Lincoln County: 14.907 %Lincoln County14.907Leslie County: 14.812 %Leslie County14.812Bell County: 14.331 %Bell County14.331Wayne County: 14.048 %Wayne County14.048Hopkins County: 14.034 %Hopkins County14.034Greenup County: 14.017 %Greenup County14.017Webster County: 14.001 %Webster County14.001Floyd County: 13.835 %Floyd County13.835Fayette County: 13.753 %Fayette County13.753Trigg County: 13.623 %Trigg County13.623Todd County: 13.566 %Todd County13.566Powell County: 13.421 %Powell County13.421Knox County: 13.418 %Knox County13.418Christian County: 13.045 %Christian County13.045Mason County: 12.77 %Mason County12.77Calloway County: 12.76 %Calloway County12.76Oldham County: 12.4 %Oldham County12.4Henderson County: 12.324 %Henderson County12.324Robertson County: 62.312 %Robertson County62.312Ballard County: 37.696 %Ballard County37.696Martin County: 29.534 %Martin County29.534Henry County: 27.517 %Henry County27.517Bath County: 25.977 %Bath County25.977Washington County: 23.021 %Washington County23.021Green County: 21.785 %Green County21.785Owen County: 21.593 %Owen County21.593Letcher County: 20.763 %Letcher County20.763Magoffin County: 19.443 %Magoffin County19.443Lyon County: 18.865 %Lyon County18.865Lewis County: 17.742 %Lewis County17.742Meade County: 17.552 %Meade County17.552Boone County: 17.264 %Boone County17.264Hickman County: 16.847 %Hickman County16.847Muhlenberg County: 15.997 %Muhlenberg County15.997Crittenden County: 15.74 %Crittenden County15.74Whitley County: 15.412 %Whitley County15.412Menifee County: 15.291 %Menifee County15.291McCreary County: 15.094 %McCreary County15.094Breckinridge County: 15.074 %Breckinridge County15.074Gallatin County: 14.961 %Gallatin County14.961Lincoln County: 14.907 %Lincoln County14.907Leslie County: 14.812 %Leslie County14.812Bell County: 14.331 %Bell County14.331Wayne County: 14.048 %Wayne County14.048Hopkins County: 14.034 %Hopkins County14.034Greenup County: 14.017 %Greenup County14.017Webster County: 14.001 %Webster County14.001Floyd County: 13.835 %Floyd County13.835Fayette County: 13.753 %Fayette County13.753Trigg County: 13.623 %Trigg County13.623Todd County: 13.566 %Todd County13.566Powell County: 13.421 %Powell County13.421Knox County: 13.418 %Knox County13.418Christian County: 13.045 %Christian County13.045Mason County: 12.77 %Mason County12.77Calloway County: 12.76 %Calloway County12.76Oldham County: 12.4 %Oldham County12.4Henderson County: 12.324 %Henderson County12.324
%. 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

RankCounties2017 (%)Change on 2016
1Robertson County62.312+51.2 pts
2Ballard County37.696+23.37 pts
3Martin County29.534+9.09 pts
4Henry County27.517+18.74 pts
5Bath County25.977+16.7 pts
6Washington County23.021+17.73 pts
7Green County21.785+13.17 pts
8Owen County21.593+11.13 pts
9Letcher County20.763+4.58 pts
10Magoffin County19.443+4.93 pts
11Lyon County18.865+9.74 pts
12Lewis County17.742+4.98 pts
13Meade County17.552+9.84 pts
14Boone County17.264+10.29 pts
15Hickman County16.847+6.19 pts
16Muhlenberg County15.997-1.01 pts
17Crittenden County15.74-1.91 pts
18Whitley County15.412+8.94 pts
19Menifee County15.291+2.53 pts
20McCreary County15.094-1.85 pts
21Breckinridge County15.074+6.5 pts
22Gallatin County14.961+8.1 pts
23Lincoln County14.907+0.6 pts
24Leslie County14.812-5.51 pts
25Bell County14.331+4.33 pts
26Wayne County14.048+1.74 pts
27Hopkins County14.034+2.05 pts
28Greenup County14.017+3.17 pts
29Webster County14.001+2.46 pts
30Floyd County13.835+1.09 pts
31Fayette County13.753+3.67 pts
32Trigg County13.623+2.7 pts
33Todd County13.566+1.7 pts
34Powell County13.421+0.46 pts
35Knox County13.418+5.25 pts
36Christian County13.045+1.52 pts
37Mason County12.77+2.93 pts
38Calloway County12.76+7.01 pts
39Oldham County12.4+2.18 pts
40Henderson County12.324+4.3 pts
41Carlisle County12.322+1.13 pts
42Johnson County12.213-0.24 pts
43Grant County12.12+4.19 pts
44Edmonson County12.106-4.63 pts
45Barren County12.048+4.49 pts
46Jackson County12.047-36 pts
47Lee County12.036-4.39 pts
48Carter County12.01+0.94 pts
49Madison County12.002+3.37 pts
49McLean County12.002+2.62 pts
51Campbell County11.97+4.58 pts
52Caldwell County11.965+2.48 pts
53Harlan County11.815-5.34 pts
54Bullitt County11.809+6.98 pts
55Pike County11.665-0.41 pts
56Boyd County11.207-1.03 pts
57Perry County11.052-7.57 pts
58Jefferson County11.028+0.19 pts
59Knott County10.916-19.72 pts
60Cumberland County10.875+3.34 pts
61McCracken County10.797-1.23 pts
62Jessamine County10.78+2.28 pts
63Marshall County10.549+3.16 pts
64Fleming County10.541-2.14 pts
65Butler County10.524-6.83 pts
66Union County10.48-6.66 pts
67Graves County10.452-0.21 pts
68Estill County10.378-2.53 pts
69Hardin County10.335+2.3 pts
70Daviess County10.271-0.05 pts
71Kenton County10.253-1.81 pts
72Franklin County10.074+2.98 pts
73Adair County10.057-3.9 pts
74Laurel County9.938-1.28 pts
75Mercer County9.849+1.87 pts
76Morgan County9.837-5.88 pts
77Pulaski County9.681+1.51 pts
78Garrard County9.659-7.77 pts
79Nicholas County9.535-8.19 pts
80Boyle County9.528+2.45 pts
81Logan County9.452+3.21 pts
82Clay County9.432-1.97 pts
83Pendleton County9.392+3.07 pts
84Carroll County9.366+2.56 pts
85Allen County9.351+2.86 pts
86Wolfe County9.291-2.54 pts
87Bourbon County9.268-0.33 pts
88Russell County9.262-2.74 pts
89Nelson County9.066+2.17 pts
90Hart County9.054+3.18 pts
91Ohio County9.013+0.61 pts
92Marion County8.721-2.73 pts
93Woodford County8.66-1.01 pts
94Shelby County8.607+0.52 pts
95Larue County8.556+0.08 pts
96Warren County8.544-2.13 pts
97Rowan County8.52+1.77 pts
98Fulton County8.433-4.14 pts
99Elliott County8.38-1.82 pts
100Clark County8.316-0.97 pts
101Taylor County8.083+3 pts
102Rockcastle County7.882-0.91 pts
103Livingston County7.875-1.68 pts
104Grayson County7.809-4.36 pts
105Owsley County7.806+0.04 pts
106Breathitt County7.78-8.59 pts
107Spencer County7.771-3.02 pts
108Harrison County7.684-3.53 pts
109Metcalfe County7.66-2.38 pts
110Anderson County7.59+0.27 pts
111Bracken County7.485+0.85 pts
112Trimble County7.423-3.61 pts
113Montgomery County7.187-5.07 pts
114Scott County6.913-0.29 pts
115Clinton County6.875-0.27 pts
116Casey County6.546-0.63 pts
117Lawrence County5.678-4.52 pts
118Monroe County5.641-2.26 pts
119Simpson County5.067-5.48 pts
120Hancock County3.629+1.01 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, 2017) [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, 2017. 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=2017. 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, 2017. 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=2017.

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, 2017 [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=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_kentucky_by_2017,
  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, 2017}},
  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=2017. 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, 2017
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=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/kentucky-counties?period=2017.
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?

Robertson County, with 62.312% in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job destruction rate?

Hancock County, with 3.629% in 2017.

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