Cities in Kentucky by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate)

Radcliff, KY had the highest unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate) of 42 cities in 2023, at 9.9%. Shelbyville, KY had the lowest, at 1.4%. The median was 4.5% and the figure for Kentucky was 4.8%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest9.9Radcliff, KY
Median4.542 cities
Kentucky4.8History

All cities, 2023

Radcliff, KY: 9.9 %Radcliff, KY9.9Campbellsville, KY: 8.7 %Campbellsville, KY8.7Somerset, KY: 8.7 %Somerset, KY8.7Ashland, KY: 8.4 %Ashland, KY8.4Hopkinsville, KY: 8.2 %Hopkinsville, KY8.2Madisonville, KY: 7.8 %Madisonville, KY7.8Frankfort, KY: 7.2 %Frankfort, KY7.2Danville, KY: 6.9 %Danville, KY6.9Richmond, KY: 6.7 %Richmond, KY6.7Newport, KY: 6.5 %Newport, KY6.5Shively, KY: 6.4 %Shively, KY6.4Elizabethtown, KY: 5.6 %Elizabethtown, KY5.6Franklin, KY: 5.5 %Franklin, KY5.5Winchester, KY: 5.2 %Winchester, KY5.2Glasgow, KY: 5.2 %Glasgow, KY5.2Bowling Green, KY: 5.1 %Bowling Green, KY5.1Lexington, KY: 5 %Lexington, KY5Louisville, KY: 5 %Louisville, KY5Murray, KY: 5 %Murray, KY5Owensboro, KY: 4.8 %Owensboro, KY4.8Covington, KY: 4.6 %Covington, KY4.6Erlanger, KY: 4.4 %Erlanger, KY4.4Paris, KY: 4.4 %Paris, KY4.4Lyndon, KY: 4.3 %Lyndon, KY4.3Bardstown, KY: 4.2 %Bardstown, KY4.2Versailles, KY: 4.1 %Versailles, KY4.1Shepherdsville, KY: 4 %Shepherdsville, KY4St. Matthews, KY: 4 %St. Matthews, KY4La Grange, KY: 4 %La Grange, KY4Georgetown, KY: 3.9 %Georgetown, KY3.9Mount Washington, KY: 3.7 %Mount Washington, KY3.7Berea, KY: 3.7 %Berea, KY3.7Paducah, KY: 3.5 %Paducah, KY3.5Fort Thomas, KY: 3.4 %Fort Thomas, KY3.4Jeffersontown, KY: 3.4 %Jeffersontown, KY3.4Nicholasville, KY: 3.3 %Nicholasville, KY3.3Independence, KY: 2.8 %Independence, KY2.8Florence, KY: 2.7 %Florence, KY2.7Henderson, KY: 2.6 %Henderson, KY2.6Alexandria, KY: 2.3 %Alexandria, KY2.3Lawrenceburg, KY: 2 %Lawrenceburg, KY2Shelbyville, KY: 1.4 %Shelbyville, KY1.4Radcliff, KY: 9.9 %Radcliff, KY9.9Campbellsville, KY: 8.7 %Campbellsville, KY8.7Somerset, KY: 8.7 %Somerset, KY8.7Ashland, KY: 8.4 %Ashland, KY8.4Hopkinsville, KY: 8.2 %Hopkinsville, KY8.2Madisonville, KY: 7.8 %Madisonville, KY7.8Frankfort, KY: 7.2 %Frankfort, KY7.2Danville, KY: 6.9 %Danville, KY6.9Richmond, KY: 6.7 %Richmond, KY6.7Newport, KY: 6.5 %Newport, KY6.5Shively, KY: 6.4 %Shively, KY6.4Elizabethtown, KY: 5.6 %Elizabethtown, KY5.6Franklin, KY: 5.5 %Franklin, KY5.5Winchester, KY: 5.2 %Winchester, KY5.2Glasgow, KY: 5.2 %Glasgow, KY5.2Bowling Green, KY: 5.1 %Bowling Green, KY5.1Lexington, KY: 5 %Lexington, KY5Louisville, KY: 5 %Louisville, KY5Murray, KY: 5 %Murray, KY5Owensboro, KY: 4.8 %Owensboro, KY4.8Covington, KY: 4.6 %Covington, KY4.6Erlanger, KY: 4.4 %Erlanger, KY4.4Paris, KY: 4.4 %Paris, KY4.4Lyndon, KY: 4.3 %Lyndon, KY4.3Bardstown, KY: 4.2 %Bardstown, KY4.2Versailles, KY: 4.1 %Versailles, KY4.1Shepherdsville, KY: 4 %Shepherdsville, KY4St. Matthews, KY: 4 %St. Matthews, KY4La Grange, KY: 4 %La Grange, KY4Georgetown, KY: 3.9 %Georgetown, KY3.9Mount Washington, KY: 3.7 %Mount Washington, KY3.7Berea, KY: 3.7 %Berea, KY3.7Paducah, KY: 3.5 %Paducah, KY3.5Fort Thomas, KY: 3.4 %Fort Thomas, KY3.4Jeffersontown, KY: 3.4 %Jeffersontown, KY3.4Nicholasville, KY: 3.3 %Nicholasville, KY3.3Independence, KY: 2.8 %Independence, KY2.8Florence, KY: 2.7 %Florence, KY2.7Henderson, KY: 2.6 %Henderson, KY2.6Alexandria, KY: 2.3 %Alexandria, KY2.3Lawrenceburg, KY: 2 %Lawrenceburg, KY2Shelbyville, KY: 1.4 %Shelbyville, KY1.4
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Radcliff, KY9.9+0.8 pts
2Campbellsville, KY8.7+0.6 pts
2Somerset, KY8.7+0.1 pts
4Ashland, KY8.4-0.1 pts
5Hopkinsville, KY8.2+0.4 pts
6Madisonville, KY7.8-1.5 pts
7Frankfort, KY7.2+1.8 pts
8Danville, KY6.9-1.2 pts
9Richmond, KY6.7-0.6 pts
10Newport, KY6.5+0.4 pts
11Shively, KY6.4+0.7 pts
12Elizabethtown, KY5.6-0.3 pts
13Franklin, KY5.5+0.3 pts
14Winchester, KY5.2-0.4 pts
15Glasgow, KY5.2+0.1 pts
16Bowling Green, KY5.1-0.5 pts
17Lexington, KY50 pts
18Louisville, KY5-0.3 pts
19Murray, KY5-0.1 pts
20Owensboro, KY4.8+0.6 pts
21Covington, KY4.6-1.5 pts
22Erlanger, KY4.4-0 pts
23Paris, KY4.4-1.5 pts
24Lyndon, KY4.3+0.3 pts
25Bardstown, KY4.2+0.8 pts
26Versailles, KY4.1+1.2 pts
27Shepherdsville, KY4+0.4 pts
28St. Matthews, KY4+0.3 pts
29La Grange, KY4-0.8 pts
30Georgetown, KY3.9+0.3 pts
31Mount Washington, KY3.7-1 pts
32Berea, KY3.7+1.3 pts
33Paducah, KY3.5-0.3 pts
34Fort Thomas, KY3.4-0.4 pts
35Jeffersontown, KY3.4-1.1 pts
36Nicholasville, KY3.3-1.9 pts
37Independence, KY2.8-0.8 pts
38Florence, KY2.7-0.2 pts
39Henderson, KY2.6-0.7 pts
40Alexandria, KY2.3-0.4 pts
41Lawrenceburg, KY2-4 pts
42Shelbyville, KY1.4-1.5 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed civilians aged 16 and over as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

An average over five years of survey responses, so it moves slowly. The official monthly and annual rates for states and counties are unemployment_rate, from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b23025.dat. 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. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (Cities in Kentucky by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b23025.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Kentucky by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b23025.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/kentucky-cities?period=2023. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Cities in Kentucky by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b23025.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/kentucky-cities?period=2023.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Kentucky by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b23025.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/kentucky-cities?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_kentucky_by_2023,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Kentucky by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b23025.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/kentucky-cities?period=2023. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b23025.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Kentucky by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b23025.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/kentucky-cities?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/kentucky-cities?period=2023.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b23025.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Rank Cities in Kentucky by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which city has the highest unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Radcliff, KY, with 9.9% in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Shelbyville, KY, with 1.4% in 2023.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate): other rankings

Cities in Kentucky: more rankings