Data / Rankings / Unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate) / Counties in Kentucky

Counties in Kentucky by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024

Wolfe County had the highest unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate) of 120 counties in 2024, at 13.1%. Larue County had the lowest, at 1.5%. The median was 4.8% and the figure for Kentucky was 4.9%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest13.1Wolfe County
Lowest1.5Larue County
Median4.8120 counties
Kentucky4.9History

Map of counties, 2024

Adair County: 6.8 %Allen County: 6.9 %Anderson County: 2.2 %Ballard County: 1.6 %Barren County: 4.2 %Bath County: 2.6 %Bell County: 10.1 %Boone County: 3.1 %Bourbon County: 4.2 %Boyd County: 6.4 %Boyle County: 5.8 %Bracken County: 4.8 %Breathitt County: 9.3 %Breckinridge County: 4.5 %Bullitt County: 4.3 %Butler County: 4.4 %Caldwell County: 4.4 %Calloway County: 4.5 %Campbell County: 4 %Carlisle County: 3.7 %Carroll County: 6.1 %Carter County: 5.3 %Casey County: 8.9 %Christian County: 6.3 %Clark County: 4.4 %Clay County: 9.3 %Clinton County: 5 %Crittenden County: 3.4 %Cumberland County: 4 %Daviess County: 4.5 %Edmonson County: 7.7 %Elliott County: 6.5 %Estill County: 7 %Fayette County: 4.9 %Fleming County: 7.5 %Floyd County: 7.7 %Franklin County: 5.9 %Fulton County: 3.3 %Gallatin County: 4.6 %Garrard County: 5.2 %Grant County: 4.9 %Graves County: 3.4 %Grayson County: 6.6 %Green County: 7.2 %Greenup County: 6.8 %Hancock County: 4.4 %Hardin County: 6.6 %Harlan County: 9.5 %Harrison County: 3.2 %Hart County: 3.8 %Henderson County: 2.5 %Henry County: 5 %Hickman County: 3.1 %Hopkins County: 6.2 %Jackson County: 4 %Jefferson County: 5.2 %Jessamine County: 3.1 %Johnson County: 4.2 %Kenton County: 4.3 %Knott County: 9.3 %Knox County: 8.1 %Larue County: 1.5 %Laurel County: 3.5 %Lawrence County: 7.7 %Lee County: 4.7 %Leslie County: 3.8 %Letcher County: 6.2 %Lewis County: 6 %Lincoln County: 6.5 %Livingston County: 4.2 %Logan County: 5.7 %Lyon County: 2.9 %McCracken County: 3.2 %McCreary County: 4.2 %McLean County: 5.6 %Madison County: 5.1 %Magoffin County: 9 %Marion County: 4.2 %Marshall County: 4.5 %Martin County: 5.5 %Mason County: 4.9 %Meade County: 4.8 %Menifee County: 7.9 %Mercer County: 4.4 %Metcalfe County: 4.9 %Monroe County: 4 %Montgomery County: 4 %Morgan County: 3.1 %Muhlenberg County: 5.7 %Nelson County: 3.3 %Nicholas County: 6.1 %Ohio County: 5 %Oldham County: 3.5 %Owen County: 7 %Owsley County: 12.6 %Pendleton County: 4.5 %Perry County: 5.8 %Pike County: 5.2 %Powell County: 5.8 %Pulaski County: 4.9 %Robertson County: 3.8 %Rockcastle County: 4.6 %Rowan County: 4.1 %Russell County: 6.5 %Scott County: 4.3 %Shelby County: 4.2 %Simpson County: 3.6 %Spencer County: 5 %Taylor County: 5.1 %Todd County: 3.2 %Trigg County: 4.2 %Trimble County: 6.2 %Union County: 2.7 %Warren County: 4.4 %Washington County: 3.4 %Wayne County: 5.8 %Webster County: 4.1 %Whitley County: 5.4 %Wolfe County: 13.1 %Woodford County: 2.5 %
  • Under 3.5
  • 3.5 to 4.2
  • 4.2 to 4.8
  • 4.8 to 5.7
  • 5.7 to 6.8
  • 6.8 and over
%, 2024. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2024

Wolfe County: 13.1 %Wolfe County13.1Owsley County: 12.6 %Owsley County12.6Bell County: 10.1 %Bell County10.1Harlan County: 9.5 %Harlan County9.5Breathitt County: 9.3 %Breathitt County9.3Clay County: 9.3 %Clay County9.3Knott County: 9.3 %Knott County9.3Magoffin County: 9 %Magoffin County9Casey County: 8.9 %Casey County8.9Knox County: 8.1 %Knox County8.1Menifee County: 7.9 %Menifee County7.9Lawrence County: 7.7 %Lawrence County7.7Floyd County: 7.7 %Floyd County7.7Edmonson County: 7.7 %Edmonson County7.7Fleming County: 7.5 %Fleming County7.5Green County: 7.2 %Green County7.2Estill County: 7 %Estill County7Owen County: 7 %Owen County7Allen County: 6.9 %Allen County6.9Adair County: 6.8 %Adair County6.8Greenup County: 6.8 %Greenup County6.8Grayson County: 6.6 %Grayson County6.6Hardin County: 6.6 %Hardin County6.6Elliott County: 6.5 %Elliott County6.5Lincoln County: 6.5 %Lincoln County6.5Russell County: 6.5 %Russell County6.5Boyd County: 6.4 %Boyd County6.4Christian County: 6.3 %Christian County6.3Hopkins County: 6.2 %Hopkins County6.2Trimble County: 6.2 %Trimble County6.2Letcher County: 6.2 %Letcher County6.2Nicholas County: 6.1 %Nicholas County6.1Carroll County: 6.1 %Carroll County6.1Lewis County: 6 %Lewis County6Franklin County: 5.9 %Franklin County5.9Boyle County: 5.8 %Boyle County5.8Perry County: 5.8 %Perry County5.8Powell County: 5.8 %Powell County5.8Wayne County: 5.8 %Wayne County5.8Logan County: 5.7 %Logan County5.7Wolfe County: 13.1 %Wolfe County13.1Owsley County: 12.6 %Owsley County12.6Bell County: 10.1 %Bell County10.1Harlan County: 9.5 %Harlan County9.5Breathitt County: 9.3 %Breathitt County9.3Clay County: 9.3 %Clay County9.3Knott County: 9.3 %Knott County9.3Magoffin County: 9 %Magoffin County9Casey County: 8.9 %Casey County8.9Knox County: 8.1 %Knox County8.1Menifee County: 7.9 %Menifee County7.9Lawrence County: 7.7 %Lawrence County7.7Floyd County: 7.7 %Floyd County7.7Edmonson County: 7.7 %Edmonson County7.7Fleming County: 7.5 %Fleming County7.5Green County: 7.2 %Green County7.2Estill County: 7 %Estill County7Owen County: 7 %Owen County7Allen County: 6.9 %Allen County6.9Adair County: 6.8 %Adair County6.8Greenup County: 6.8 %Greenup County6.8Grayson County: 6.6 %Grayson County6.6Hardin County: 6.6 %Hardin County6.6Elliott County: 6.5 %Elliott County6.5Lincoln County: 6.5 %Lincoln County6.5Russell County: 6.5 %Russell County6.5Boyd County: 6.4 %Boyd County6.4Christian County: 6.3 %Christian County6.3Hopkins County: 6.2 %Hopkins County6.2Trimble County: 6.2 %Trimble County6.2Letcher County: 6.2 %Letcher County6.2Nicholas County: 6.1 %Nicholas County6.1Carroll County: 6.1 %Carroll County6.1Lewis County: 6 %Lewis County6Franklin County: 5.9 %Franklin County5.9Boyle County: 5.8 %Boyle County5.8Perry County: 5.8 %Perry County5.8Powell County: 5.8 %Powell County5.8Wayne County: 5.8 %Wayne County5.8Logan County: 5.7 %Logan County5.7
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2024 (%)Change on 2023
1Wolfe County13.1-2.7 pts
2Owsley County12.6+1.3 pts
3Bell County10.1-0.4 pts
4Harlan County9.5-1.5 pts
5Breathitt County9.30 pts
6Clay County9.3-0.9 pts
7Knott County9.3-2.4 pts
8Magoffin County9-3.3 pts
9Casey County8.9-0 pts
10Knox County8.1+0.2 pts
11Menifee County7.9+3 pts
12Lawrence County7.7+1.7 pts
13Floyd County7.7+0.5 pts
14Edmonson County7.7+0.9 pts
15Fleming County7.5+0.6 pts
16Green County7.2-1.3 pts
17Estill County7-0.2 pts
18Owen County7+1.8 pts
19Allen County6.9-0.7 pts
20Adair County6.8-0.9 pts
21Greenup County6.8+1 pts
22Grayson County6.6+1.6 pts
23Hardin County6.6-0.1 pts
24Elliott County6.5-0.2 pts
24Lincoln County6.5-1.1 pts
26Russell County6.5+0.4 pts
27Boyd County6.4-0.2 pts
28Christian County6.3-1.4 pts
29Hopkins County6.2-0.2 pts
30Trimble County6.2-1.6 pts
31Letcher County6.2+0.3 pts
32Nicholas County6.1-1.1 pts
33Carroll County6.1-0.9 pts
34Lewis County6-1.6 pts
35Franklin County5.9+0.3 pts
36Boyle County5.8-0.1 pts
37Perry County5.8-0.1 pts
38Powell County5.8-1.3 pts
39Wayne County5.8+0.8 pts
40Logan County5.7+0.8 pts
41Muhlenberg County5.7+1.6 pts
42McLean County5.6-1 pts
43Martin County5.5-0.5 pts
44Whitley County5.4+0.2 pts
45Carter County5.3+1.2 pts
46Pike County5.2-1 pts
47Jefferson County5.2+0.4 pts
48Garrard County5.2-1 pts
49Taylor County5.1+0.1 pts
50Madison County5.1-0.2 pts
51Ohio County5-0.2 pts
52Clinton County5-0.6 pts
53Henry County5+1.1 pts
53Spencer County5-0.9 pts
55Pulaski County4.9-0.3 pts
56Mason County4.9+0.1 pts
57Grant County4.9+0.2 pts
57Metcalfe County4.9-0.5 pts
59Fayette County4.9-0.2 pts
60Meade County4.8+1.1 pts
61Bracken County4.8-0.8 pts
62Lee County4.7-2.3 pts
63Gallatin County4.6+1.1 pts
64Rockcastle County4.6-1.5 pts
65Pendleton County4.5-0.4 pts
66Marshall County4.5+0.8 pts
67Breckinridge County4.5-0.7 pts
68Calloway County4.5+0.1 pts
68Daviess County4.50 pts
70Warren County4.4-0.1 pts
71Clark County4.4-0.4 pts
72Caldwell County4.4+1.6 pts
72Hancock County4.4+0.5 pts
74Butler County4.4+0.1 pts
74Mercer County4.4+1.5 pts
76Kenton County4.3+0.6 pts
77Scott County4.3+0.3 pts
78Bullitt County4.3+0.1 pts
79Johnson County4.2-0.5 pts
80Livingston County4.2-0.5 pts
81Marion County4.2-1.3 pts
82Bourbon County4.2-0.2 pts
83McCreary County4.2+1.9 pts
83Shelby County4.2+1.3 pts
83Trigg County4.20 pts
86Barren County4.2-0.7 pts
87Rowan County4.1-0.2 pts
88Webster County4.1-1.3 pts
89Monroe County4-0.1 pts
90Cumberland County4+1 pts
91Montgomery County4-0.1 pts
92Campbell County4+0.3 pts
93Jackson County4-1.9 pts
94Robertson County3.8-4.7 pts
95Leslie County3.8-3.6 pts
96Hart County3.8-0.7 pts
97Carlisle County3.7-0.5 pts
98Simpson County3.6-0.4 pts
99Laurel County3.5-0.1 pts
100Oldham County3.5+0.1 pts
101Graves County3.4-0.6 pts
102Crittenden County3.40 pts
103Washington County3.4-0.8 pts
104Fulton County3.3-3.9 pts
105Nelson County3.3+0.3 pts
106McCracken County3.2+0.2 pts
107Harrison County3.2+0.3 pts
107Todd County3.2-0.2 pts
109Boone County3.1+0.3 pts
110Jessamine County3.1-0.1 pts
111Morgan County3.1-0.9 pts
112Hickman County3.1-1 pts
113Lyon County2.9-0.7 pts
114Union County2.7-0.4 pts
115Bath County2.6-1.4 pts
116Woodford County2.5-1 pts
117Henderson County2.5-0.5 pts
118Anderson County2.2-0.3 pts
119Ballard County1.6-2.5 pts
120Larue County1.5-0.3 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 counties 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. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-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 (Counties in Kentucky by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-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, Counties in Kentucky by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/kentucky-counties. 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. Counties in Kentucky by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/kentucky-counties.

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, Counties in Kentucky by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/kentucky-counties (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_kentucky_by_2024,
  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: Counties in Kentucky by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/kentucky-counties. 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. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-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: Counties in Kentucky by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/kentucky-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/kentucky-counties.
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. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

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

Wolfe County, with 13.1% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Larue County, with 1.5% in 2024.

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. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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

Counties in Kentucky: more rankings