Data / Rankings / Job destruction rate / Counties in Kentucky

Counties in Kentucky by job destruction rate

Greenup County had the highest job destruction rate of 120 counties in 2021, at 38.463%. Gallatin County had the lowest, at 4.879%. The median was 12.845% and the figure for Kentucky was 13.964%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest38.463Greenup County
Lowest4.879Gallatin County
Median12.845120 counties
Kentucky13.964History

Map of counties, 2021

Adair County: 10.834 %Allen County: 10.012 %Anderson County: 10.882 %Ballard County: 9.813 %Barren County: 20.503 %Bath County: 15.907 %Bell County: 12.293 %Boone County: 12.982 %Bourbon County: 9.315 %Boyd County: 12.975 %Boyle County: 12.938 %Bracken County: 11.118 %Breathitt County: 8.757 %Breckinridge County: 8.499 %Bullitt County: 10.525 %Butler County: 15.606 %Caldwell County: 8.157 %Calloway County: 9.502 %Campbell County: 17.491 %Carlisle County: 11.451 %Carroll County: 9.696 %Carter County: 13.574 %Casey County: 19.947 %Christian County: 13.416 %Clark County: 17.179 %Clay County: 9.395 %Clinton County: 8.095 %Crittenden County: 11.512 %Cumberland County: 12.819 %Daviess County: 10.299 %Edmonson County: 16.376 %Elliott County: 19.688 %Estill County: 15.719 %Fayette County: 17.191 %Fleming County: 9.577 %Floyd County: 21.369 %Franklin County: 13.941 %Fulton County: 9.025 %Gallatin County: 4.879 %Garrard County: 10.926 %Grant County: 12.053 %Graves County: 14.755 %Grayson County: 13.65 %Green County: 14.411 %Greenup County: 38.463 %Hancock County: 5.723 %Hardin County: 14.576 %Harlan County: 18.935 %Harrison County: 11.661 %Hart County: 9.283 %Henderson County: 10.607 %Henry County: 12.196 %Hickman County: 14.426 %Hopkins County: 11.873 %Jackson County: 10.816 %Jefferson County: 13.616 %Jessamine County: 10.723 %Johnson County: 13.32 %Kenton County: 13.864 %Knott County: 11.148 %Knox County: 15.844 %Larue County: 11.277 %Laurel County: 10.026 %Lawrence County: 17.149 %Lee County: 9.788 %Leslie County: 11.408 %Letcher County: 12.006 %Lewis County: 10.688 %Lincoln County: 13.672 %Livingston County: 15.222 %Logan County: 28.645 %Lyon County: 12.437 %McCracken County: 16.831 %McCreary County: 13.535 %McLean County: 28.835 %Madison County: 12.403 %Magoffin County: 8.401 %Marion County: 17.734 %Marshall County: 13.815 %Martin County: 22.363 %Mason County: 13.363 %Meade County: 17.999 %Menifee County: 13.516 %Mercer County: 9.054 %Metcalfe County: 10.4 %Monroe County: 9.839 %Montgomery County: 15.584 %Morgan County: 9.439 %Muhlenberg County: 16.431 %Nelson County: 10.781 %Nicholas County: 18.291 %Ohio County: 17.943 %Oldham County: 14.341 %Owen County: 13.068 %Owsley County: 14.286 %Pendleton County: 10.695 %Perry County: 15.242 %Pike County: 15.529 %Powell County: 10.972 %Pulaski County: 11.218 %Robertson County: 27.879 %Rockcastle County: 12.871 %Rowan County: 10.681 %Russell County: 14.203 %Scott County: 7.416 %Shelby County: 13.644 %Simpson County: 9.523 %Spencer County: 14.253 %Taylor County: 9.91 %Todd County: 12.085 %Trigg County: 22.253 %Trimble County: 9.935 %Union County: 10.127 %Warren County: 13.137 %Washington County: 13.523 %Wayne County: 8.411 %Webster County: 10.568 %Whitley County: 17.841 %Wolfe County: 12.377 %Woodford County: 21.045 %
  • Under 9.8
  • 9.8 to 11
  • 11 to 13
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  • 17 and over
%, 2021. 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, 2021

Greenup County: 38.463 %Greenup County38.463McLean County: 28.835 %McLean County28.835Logan County: 28.645 %Logan County28.645Robertson County: 27.879 %Robertson County27.879Martin County: 22.363 %Martin County22.363Trigg County: 22.253 %Trigg County22.253Floyd County: 21.369 %Floyd County21.369Woodford County: 21.045 %Woodford County21.045Barren County: 20.503 %Barren County20.503Casey County: 19.947 %Casey County19.947Elliott County: 19.688 %Elliott County19.688Harlan County: 18.935 %Harlan County18.935Nicholas County: 18.291 %Nicholas County18.291Meade County: 17.999 %Meade County17.999Ohio County: 17.943 %Ohio County17.943Whitley County: 17.841 %Whitley County17.841Marion County: 17.734 %Marion County17.734Campbell County: 17.491 %Campbell County17.491Fayette County: 17.191 %Fayette County17.191Clark County: 17.179 %Clark County17.179Lawrence County: 17.149 %Lawrence County17.149McCracken County: 16.831 %McCracken County16.831Muhlenberg County: 16.431 %Muhlenberg County16.431Edmonson County: 16.376 %Edmonson County16.376Bath County: 15.907 %Bath County15.907Knox County: 15.844 %Knox County15.844Estill County: 15.719 %Estill County15.719Butler County: 15.606 %Butler County15.606Montgomery County: 15.584 %Montgomery County15.584Pike County: 15.529 %Pike County15.529Perry County: 15.242 %Perry County15.242Livingston County: 15.222 %Livingston County15.222Graves County: 14.755 %Graves County14.755Hardin County: 14.576 %Hardin County14.576Hickman County: 14.426 %Hickman County14.426Green County: 14.411 %Green County14.411Oldham County: 14.341 %Oldham County14.341Owsley County: 14.286 %Owsley County14.286Spencer County: 14.253 %Spencer County14.253Russell County: 14.203 %Russell County14.203Greenup County: 38.463 %Greenup County38.463McLean County: 28.835 %McLean County28.835Logan County: 28.645 %Logan County28.645Robertson County: 27.879 %Robertson County27.879Martin County: 22.363 %Martin County22.363Trigg County: 22.253 %Trigg County22.253Floyd County: 21.369 %Floyd County21.369Woodford County: 21.045 %Woodford County21.045Barren County: 20.503 %Barren County20.503Casey County: 19.947 %Casey County19.947Elliott County: 19.688 %Elliott County19.688Harlan County: 18.935 %Harlan County18.935Nicholas County: 18.291 %Nicholas County18.291Meade County: 17.999 %Meade County17.999Ohio County: 17.943 %Ohio County17.943Whitley County: 17.841 %Whitley County17.841Marion County: 17.734 %Marion County17.734Campbell County: 17.491 %Campbell County17.491Fayette County: 17.191 %Fayette County17.191Clark County: 17.179 %Clark County17.179Lawrence County: 17.149 %Lawrence County17.149McCracken County: 16.831 %McCracken County16.831Muhlenberg County: 16.431 %Muhlenberg County16.431Edmonson County: 16.376 %Edmonson County16.376Bath County: 15.907 %Bath County15.907Knox County: 15.844 %Knox County15.844Estill County: 15.719 %Estill County15.719Butler County: 15.606 %Butler County15.606Montgomery County: 15.584 %Montgomery County15.584Pike County: 15.529 %Pike County15.529Perry County: 15.242 %Perry County15.242Livingston County: 15.222 %Livingston County15.222Graves County: 14.755 %Graves County14.755Hardin County: 14.576 %Hardin County14.576Hickman County: 14.426 %Hickman County14.426Green County: 14.411 %Green County14.411Oldham County: 14.341 %Oldham County14.341Owsley County: 14.286 %Owsley County14.286Spencer County: 14.253 %Spencer County14.253Russell County: 14.203 %Russell County14.203
%. 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

RankCounties2021 (%)Change on 2020
1Greenup County38.463+29.03 pts
2McLean County28.835-1.17 pts
3Logan County28.645+17.71 pts
4Robertson County27.879+11.72 pts
5Martin County22.363+5.36 pts
6Trigg County22.253+6.37 pts
7Floyd County21.369+5.29 pts
8Woodford County21.045+1.47 pts
9Barren County20.503+7.26 pts
10Casey County19.947+13.02 pts
11Elliott County19.688+9.16 pts
12Harlan County18.935-10.64 pts
13Nicholas County18.291+1.7 pts
14Meade County17.999+5.07 pts
15Ohio County17.943+3.08 pts
16Whitley County17.841+7.34 pts
17Marion County17.734+5.51 pts
18Campbell County17.491+5.63 pts
19Fayette County17.191+5.58 pts
20Clark County17.179+4.22 pts
21Lawrence County17.149+7.48 pts
22McCracken County16.831+6.13 pts
23Muhlenberg County16.431-8.33 pts
24Edmonson County16.376-5.93 pts
25Bath County15.907+8.29 pts
26Knox County15.844+2.08 pts
27Estill County15.719+7.58 pts
28Butler County15.606+4.7 pts
29Montgomery County15.584+2.31 pts
30Pike County15.529+0.63 pts
31Perry County15.242+4.51 pts
32Livingston County15.222-1.62 pts
33Graves County14.755+3.89 pts
34Hardin County14.576+5.52 pts
35Hickman County14.426+5.92 pts
36Green County14.411+6.84 pts
37Oldham County14.341+4.64 pts
38Owsley County14.286+1.75 pts
39Spencer County14.253+3.77 pts
40Russell County14.203+6.12 pts
41Franklin County13.941+1.14 pts
42Kenton County13.864+3.96 pts
43Marshall County13.815+1.09 pts
44Lincoln County13.672+1.38 pts
45Grayson County13.65+1.17 pts
46Shelby County13.644+4.42 pts
47Jefferson County13.616+3.58 pts
48Carter County13.574+7.4 pts
49McCreary County13.535-1.66 pts
50Washington County13.523+2.63 pts
51Menifee County13.516-1.47 pts
52Christian County13.416+1.36 pts
53Mason County13.363+4.49 pts
54Johnson County13.32+1.28 pts
55Warren County13.137+2.76 pts
56Owen County13.068-4.76 pts
57Boone County12.982+3.34 pts
58Boyd County12.975+4.01 pts
59Boyle County12.938+6.01 pts
60Rockcastle County12.871+5.51 pts
61Cumberland County12.819+0.85 pts
62Lyon County12.437-7.28 pts
63Madison County12.403+0.41 pts
64Wolfe County12.377+0.5 pts
65Bell County12.293-2.84 pts
66Henry County12.196+1.53 pts
67Todd County12.085-0.94 pts
68Grant County12.053+3.76 pts
69Letcher County12.006-6.11 pts
70Hopkins County11.873+1.06 pts
71Harrison County11.661+4.75 pts
72Crittenden County11.512-16.99 pts
73Carlisle County11.451-0.94 pts
74Leslie County11.408+4.21 pts
75Larue County11.277+4.06 pts
76Pulaski County11.218-0.43 pts
77Knott County11.148-26.66 pts
78Bracken County11.118-6.7 pts
79Powell County10.972-2.74 pts
80Garrard County10.926-6.2 pts
81Anderson County10.882+1.04 pts
82Adair County10.834+0.91 pts
83Jackson County10.816+3.7 pts
84Nelson County10.781+0.25 pts
85Jessamine County10.723-0.1 pts
86Pendleton County10.695-0.57 pts
87Lewis County10.688-2.69 pts
88Rowan County10.681-5.73 pts
89Henderson County10.607-2.08 pts
90Webster County10.568-2.43 pts
91Bullitt County10.525-0.89 pts
92Metcalfe County10.4+1.37 pts
93Daviess County10.299+1.02 pts
94Union County10.127+2.05 pts
95Laurel County10.026-1.68 pts
96Allen County10.012-3.92 pts
97Trimble County9.935-2.92 pts
98Taylor County9.91+4.17 pts
99Monroe County9.839+1.05 pts
100Ballard County9.813-4.7 pts
101Lee County9.788+2.69 pts
102Carroll County9.696-2.44 pts
103Fleming County9.577-3.45 pts
104Simpson County9.523-3.3 pts
105Calloway County9.502-10.9 pts
106Morgan County9.439-1.25 pts
107Clay County9.395-1.19 pts
108Bourbon County9.315+1.18 pts
109Hart County9.283-1.87 pts
110Mercer County9.054+1.83 pts
111Fulton County9.025+0.35 pts
112Breathitt County8.757-42.7 pts
113Breckinridge County8.499-1.05 pts
114Wayne County8.411+1.15 pts
115Magoffin County8.401-4.19 pts
116Caldwell County8.157-7.31 pts
117Clinton County8.095-10.42 pts
118Scott County7.416-0.81 pts
119Hancock County5.723+0.66 pts
120Gallatin County4.879-0.38 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, 2021) [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, 2021. 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=2021. 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, 2021. 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=2021.

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, 2021 [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=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_kentucky_by_2021,
  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, 2021}},
  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=2021. 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, 2021
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=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/kentucky-counties?period=2021.
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?

Greenup County, with 38.463% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job destruction rate?

Gallatin County, with 4.879% in 2021.

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