Data / Rankings / Job destruction rate / Counties in Kentucky

Counties in Kentucky by job destruction rate

Owen County had the highest job destruction rate of 120 counties in 2018, at 29.6%. Hancock County had the lowest, at 4.624%. The median was 10.477% and the figure for Kentucky was 10.836%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest29.6Owen County
Lowest4.624Hancock County
Median10.477120 counties
Kentucky10.836History

Map of counties, 2018

Adair County: 10.867 %Allen County: 9.487 %Anderson County: 10.928 %Ballard County: 5.027 %Barren County: 12.625 %Bath County: 16.609 %Bell County: 12.182 %Boone County: 10 %Bourbon County: 12.909 %Boyd County: 11.576 %Boyle County: 17.259 %Bracken County: 10.865 %Breathitt County: 7.808 %Breckinridge County: 10.378 %Bullitt County: 12.581 %Butler County: 21.044 %Caldwell County: 23.732 %Calloway County: 7.696 %Campbell County: 8.526 %Carlisle County: 16.349 %Carroll County: 7.386 %Carter County: 9.344 %Casey County: 13.873 %Christian County: 9.192 %Clark County: 13.795 %Clay County: 12.661 %Clinton County: 6.198 %Crittenden County: 16.115 %Cumberland County: 7.875 %Daviess County: 11.032 %Edmonson County: 16.826 %Elliott County: 12.233 %Estill County: 10.718 %Fayette County: 10.231 %Fleming County: 10.189 %Floyd County: 14.018 %Franklin County: 8.594 %Fulton County: 7.254 %Gallatin County: 7.062 %Garrard County: 14.817 %Grant County: 10.434 %Graves County: 16.229 %Grayson County: 9.27 %Green County: 14.996 %Greenup County: 7.199 %Hancock County: 4.624 %Hardin County: 10.909 %Harlan County: 8.465 %Harrison County: 6.708 %Hart County: 7.993 %Henderson County: 8.513 %Henry County: 8.86 %Hickman County: 13.91 %Hopkins County: 10.728 %Jackson County: 8.947 %Jefferson County: 10.006 %Jessamine County: 9.369 %Johnson County: 11.396 %Kenton County: 8.368 %Knott County: 5.812 %Knox County: 7.254 %Larue County: 12.336 %Laurel County: 7.583 %Lawrence County: 7.02 %Lee County: 5.679 %Leslie County: 9.743 %Letcher County: 7.668 %Lewis County: 9.985 %Lincoln County: 10.766 %Livingston County: 18.449 %Logan County: 9.948 %Lyon County: 12.172 %McCracken County: 15.994 %McCreary County: 14.517 %McLean County: 14.514 %Madison County: 7.722 %Magoffin County: 11.208 %Marion County: 6.314 %Marshall County: 18.312 %Martin County: 27.28 %Mason County: 8.276 %Meade County: 9.208 %Menifee County: 29.339 %Mercer County: 16.43 %Metcalfe County: 5.882 %Monroe County: 8.875 %Montgomery County: 9.616 %Morgan County: 17.422 %Muhlenberg County: 13.066 %Nelson County: 15.874 %Nicholas County: 9.07 %Ohio County: 15.843 %Oldham County: 12.074 %Owen County: 29.6 %Owsley County: 6.727 %Pendleton County: 15.913 %Perry County: 9.311 %Pike County: 10.52 %Powell County: 19.266 %Pulaski County: 10.852 %Robertson County: 13.483 %Rockcastle County: 7.61 %Rowan County: 8.018 %Russell County: 7.96 %Scott County: 6.136 %Shelby County: 11.799 %Simpson County: 12.597 %Spencer County: 16.556 %Taylor County: 5.852 %Todd County: 14.914 %Trigg County: 10.677 %Trimble County: 13.881 %Union County: 7.751 %Warren County: 12.044 %Washington County: 6.545 %Wayne County: 7.72 %Webster County: 20.006 %Whitley County: 10.05 %Wolfe County: 7.413 %Woodford County: 9.828 %
  • Under 7.6
  • 7.6 to 9
  • 9 to 10
  • 10 to 12
  • 12 to 16
  • 16 and over
%, 2018. 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, 2018

Owen County: 29.6 %Owen County29.6Menifee County: 29.339 %Menifee County29.339Martin County: 27.28 %Martin County27.28Caldwell County: 23.732 %Caldwell County23.732Butler County: 21.044 %Butler County21.044Webster County: 20.006 %Webster County20.006Powell County: 19.266 %Powell County19.266Livingston County: 18.449 %Livingston County18.449Marshall County: 18.312 %Marshall County18.312Morgan County: 17.422 %Morgan County17.422Boyle County: 17.259 %Boyle County17.259Edmonson County: 16.826 %Edmonson County16.826Bath County: 16.609 %Bath County16.609Spencer County: 16.556 %Spencer County16.556Mercer County: 16.43 %Mercer County16.43Carlisle County: 16.349 %Carlisle County16.349Graves County: 16.229 %Graves County16.229Crittenden County: 16.115 %Crittenden County16.115McCracken County: 15.994 %McCracken County15.994Pendleton County: 15.913 %Pendleton County15.913Nelson County: 15.874 %Nelson County15.874Ohio County: 15.843 %Ohio County15.843Green County: 14.996 %Green County14.996Todd County: 14.914 %Todd County14.914Garrard County: 14.817 %Garrard County14.817McCreary County: 14.517 %McCreary County14.517McLean County: 14.514 %McLean County14.514Floyd County: 14.018 %Floyd County14.018Hickman County: 13.91 %Hickman County13.91Trimble County: 13.881 %Trimble County13.881Casey County: 13.873 %Casey County13.873Clark County: 13.795 %Clark County13.795Robertson County: 13.483 %Robertson County13.483Muhlenberg County: 13.066 %Muhlenberg County13.066Bourbon County: 12.909 %Bourbon County12.909Clay County: 12.661 %Clay County12.661Barren County: 12.625 %Barren County12.625Simpson County: 12.597 %Simpson County12.597Bullitt County: 12.581 %Bullitt County12.581Larue County: 12.336 %Larue County12.336Owen County: 29.6 %Owen County29.6Menifee County: 29.339 %Menifee County29.339Martin County: 27.28 %Martin County27.28Caldwell County: 23.732 %Caldwell County23.732Butler County: 21.044 %Butler County21.044Webster County: 20.006 %Webster County20.006Powell County: 19.266 %Powell County19.266Livingston County: 18.449 %Livingston County18.449Marshall County: 18.312 %Marshall County18.312Morgan County: 17.422 %Morgan County17.422Boyle County: 17.259 %Boyle County17.259Edmonson County: 16.826 %Edmonson County16.826Bath County: 16.609 %Bath County16.609Spencer County: 16.556 %Spencer County16.556Mercer County: 16.43 %Mercer County16.43Carlisle County: 16.349 %Carlisle County16.349Graves County: 16.229 %Graves County16.229Crittenden County: 16.115 %Crittenden County16.115McCracken County: 15.994 %McCracken County15.994Pendleton County: 15.913 %Pendleton County15.913Nelson County: 15.874 %Nelson County15.874Ohio County: 15.843 %Ohio County15.843Green County: 14.996 %Green County14.996Todd County: 14.914 %Todd County14.914Garrard County: 14.817 %Garrard County14.817McCreary County: 14.517 %McCreary County14.517McLean County: 14.514 %McLean County14.514Floyd County: 14.018 %Floyd County14.018Hickman County: 13.91 %Hickman County13.91Trimble County: 13.881 %Trimble County13.881Casey County: 13.873 %Casey County13.873Clark County: 13.795 %Clark County13.795Robertson County: 13.483 %Robertson County13.483Muhlenberg County: 13.066 %Muhlenberg County13.066Bourbon County: 12.909 %Bourbon County12.909Clay County: 12.661 %Clay County12.661Barren County: 12.625 %Barren County12.625Simpson County: 12.597 %Simpson County12.597Bullitt County: 12.581 %Bullitt County12.581Larue County: 12.336 %Larue County12.336
%. 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

RankCounties2018 (%)Change on 2017
1Owen County29.6+8.01 pts
2Menifee County29.339+14.05 pts
3Martin County27.28-2.25 pts
4Caldwell County23.732+11.77 pts
5Butler County21.044+10.52 pts
6Webster County20.006+6.01 pts
7Powell County19.266+5.84 pts
8Livingston County18.449+10.57 pts
9Marshall County18.312+7.76 pts
10Morgan County17.422+7.59 pts
11Boyle County17.259+7.73 pts
12Edmonson County16.826+4.72 pts
13Bath County16.609-9.37 pts
14Spencer County16.556+8.79 pts
15Mercer County16.43+6.58 pts
16Carlisle County16.349+4.03 pts
17Graves County16.229+5.78 pts
18Crittenden County16.115+0.37 pts
19McCracken County15.994+5.2 pts
20Pendleton County15.913+6.52 pts
21Nelson County15.874+6.81 pts
22Ohio County15.843+6.83 pts
23Green County14.996-6.79 pts
24Todd County14.914+1.35 pts
25Garrard County14.817+5.16 pts
26McCreary County14.517-0.58 pts
27McLean County14.514+2.51 pts
28Floyd County14.018+0.18 pts
29Hickman County13.91-2.94 pts
30Trimble County13.881+6.46 pts
31Casey County13.873+7.33 pts
32Clark County13.795+5.48 pts
33Robertson County13.483-48.83 pts
34Muhlenberg County13.066-2.93 pts
35Bourbon County12.909+3.64 pts
36Clay County12.661+3.23 pts
37Barren County12.625+0.58 pts
38Simpson County12.597+7.53 pts
39Bullitt County12.581+0.77 pts
40Larue County12.336+3.78 pts
41Elliott County12.233+3.85 pts
42Bell County12.182-2.15 pts
43Lyon County12.172-6.69 pts
44Oldham County12.074-0.33 pts
45Warren County12.044+3.5 pts
46Shelby County11.799+3.19 pts
47Boyd County11.576+0.37 pts
48Johnson County11.396-0.82 pts
49Magoffin County11.208-8.24 pts
50Daviess County11.032+0.76 pts
51Anderson County10.928+3.34 pts
52Hardin County10.909+0.57 pts
53Adair County10.867+0.81 pts
54Bracken County10.865+3.38 pts
55Pulaski County10.852+1.17 pts
56Lincoln County10.766-4.14 pts
57Hopkins County10.728-3.31 pts
58Estill County10.718+0.34 pts
59Trigg County10.677-2.95 pts
60Pike County10.52-1.14 pts
61Grant County10.434-1.69 pts
62Breckinridge County10.378-4.7 pts
63Fayette County10.231-3.52 pts
64Fleming County10.189-0.35 pts
65Whitley County10.05-5.36 pts
66Jefferson County10.006-1.02 pts
67Boone County10-7.26 pts
68Lewis County9.985-7.76 pts
69Logan County9.948+0.5 pts
70Woodford County9.828+1.17 pts
71Leslie County9.743-5.07 pts
72Montgomery County9.616+2.43 pts
73Allen County9.487+0.14 pts
74Jessamine County9.369-1.41 pts
75Carter County9.344-2.67 pts
76Perry County9.311-1.74 pts
77Grayson County9.27+1.46 pts
78Meade County9.208-8.34 pts
79Christian County9.192-3.85 pts
80Nicholas County9.07-0.46 pts
81Jackson County8.947-3.1 pts
82Monroe County8.875+3.23 pts
83Henry County8.86-18.66 pts
84Franklin County8.594-1.48 pts
85Campbell County8.526-3.44 pts
86Henderson County8.513-3.81 pts
87Harlan County8.465-3.35 pts
88Kenton County8.368-1.88 pts
89Mason County8.276-4.49 pts
90Rowan County8.018-0.5 pts
91Hart County7.993-1.06 pts
92Russell County7.96-1.3 pts
93Cumberland County7.875-3 pts
94Breathitt County7.808+0.03 pts
95Union County7.751-2.73 pts
96Madison County7.722-4.28 pts
97Wayne County7.72-6.33 pts
98Calloway County7.696-5.06 pts
99Letcher County7.668-13.1 pts
100Rockcastle County7.61-0.27 pts
101Laurel County7.583-2.36 pts
102Wolfe County7.413-1.88 pts
103Carroll County7.386-1.98 pts
104Fulton County7.254-1.18 pts
104Knox County7.254-6.16 pts
106Greenup County7.199-6.82 pts
107Gallatin County7.062-7.9 pts
108Lawrence County7.02+1.34 pts
109Owsley County6.727-1.08 pts
110Harrison County6.708-0.98 pts
111Washington County6.545-16.48 pts
112Marion County6.314-2.41 pts
113Clinton County6.198-0.68 pts
114Scott County6.136-0.78 pts
115Metcalfe County5.882-1.78 pts
116Taylor County5.852-2.23 pts
117Knott County5.812-5.1 pts
118Lee County5.679-6.36 pts
119Ballard County5.027-32.67 pts
120Hancock County4.624+0.99 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, 2018) [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, 2018. 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=2018. 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, 2018. 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=2018.

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, 2018 [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=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_kentucky_by_2018,
  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, 2018}},
  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=2018. 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, 2018
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=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/kentucky-counties?period=2018.
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?

Owen County, with 29.6% in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job destruction rate?

Hancock County, with 4.624% in 2018.

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