Counties in Kentucky by unemployment rate, August 2026
Martin County had the highest unemployment rate of 120 counties in August 2026, at 8.5%. Woodford County had the lowest, at 3.2%. The median was 4.4% and the figure for Kentucky was 4.7%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Top 40 counties, August 2026
Full ranking
| Rank | Counties | August 2026 (%) | Change on August 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martin County Provisional | 8.5 | -0.6 pts |
| 2 | Magoffin County Provisional | 7.6 | -0.6 pts |
| 3 | Wolfe County Provisional | 7.1 | 0 pts |
| 4 | Elliott County Provisional | 7 | -0.1 pts |
| 5 | Lewis County Provisional | 6.9 | -0.3 pts |
| 6 | Carter County Provisional | 6.5 | -0.2 pts |
| 6 | Jackson County Provisional | 6.5 | -0.4 pts |
| 8 | Lawrence County Provisional | 6.3 | -0.3 pts |
| 9 | Pike County Provisional | 6.1 | 0 pts |
| 10 | Harlan County Provisional | 5.9 | -0.9 pts |
| 11 | Knott County Provisional | 5.8 | -0.3 pts |
| 11 | Knox County Provisional | 5.8 | -0.5 pts |
| 13 | Johnson County Provisional | 5.7 | -0.4 pts |
| 13 | McCreary County Provisional | 5.7 | -0.2 pts |
| 13 | Wayne County Provisional | 5.7 | 0 pts |
| 16 | Clay County Provisional | 5.6 | -0.5 pts |
| 17 | Floyd County Provisional | 5.5 | -0.5 pts |
| 17 | Grayson County Provisional | 5.5 | -0.2 pts |
| 19 | Christian County Provisional | 5.4 | 0 pts |
| 19 | Greenup County Provisional | 5.4 | -0.2 pts |
| 21 | Bell County Provisional | 5.3 | -0.7 pts |
| 22 | Estill County Provisional | 5.2 | -0.1 pts |
| 22 | Laurel County Provisional | 5.2 | -0.1 pts |
| 22 | Mason County Provisional | 5.2 | -0.4 pts |
| 22 | Menifee County Provisional | 5.2 | -0.2 pts |
| 22 | Robertson County Provisional | 5.2 | +0.2 pts |
| 27 | Rowan County Provisional | 5.1 | -0.6 pts |
| 28 | Breathitt County Provisional | 5 | -0.6 pts |
| 28 | Edmonson County Provisional | 5 | -0.1 pts |
| 30 | Bath County Provisional | 4.9 | -0.6 pts |
| 30 | Boyd County Provisional | 4.9 | -0.3 pts |
| 30 | Clinton County Provisional | 4.9 | -0.3 pts |
| 30 | Morgan County Provisional | 4.9 | -0.2 pts |
| 30 | Muhlenberg County Provisional | 4.9 | -0.4 pts |
| 30 | Rockcastle County Provisional | 4.9 | 0 pts |
| 36 | Fulton County Provisional | 4.8 | +0.1 pts |
| 36 | Leslie County Provisional | 4.8 | -0.5 pts |
| 36 | Madison County Provisional | 4.8 | +0.2 pts |
| 39 | Butler County Provisional | 4.7 | +0.1 pts |
| 39 | Calloway County Provisional | 4.7 | -0.4 pts |
| 39 | Hardin County Provisional | 4.7 | 0 pts |
| 39 | Letcher County Provisional | 4.7 | -0.9 pts |
| 39 | Marion County Provisional | 4.7 | -0.4 pts |
| 39 | Taylor County Provisional | 4.7 | -0.5 pts |
| 45 | Breckinridge County Provisional | 4.6 | -0.5 pts |
| 45 | Crittenden County Provisional | 4.6 | 0 pts |
| 45 | Fleming County Provisional | 4.6 | -0.6 pts |
| 45 | Green County Provisional | 4.6 | -0.2 pts |
| 45 | Lincoln County Provisional | 4.6 | -0.4 pts |
| 45 | Ohio County Provisional | 4.6 | -0.8 pts |
| 45 | Owsley County Provisional | 4.6 | -0.5 pts |
| 52 | Hickman County Provisional | 4.5 | +0.4 pts |
| 52 | Livingston County Provisional | 4.5 | +0.1 pts |
| 52 | Trigg County Provisional | 4.5 | 0 pts |
| 55 | Ballard County Provisional | 4.4 | -0.3 pts |
| 55 | Boyle County Provisional | 4.4 | -0.4 pts |
| 55 | Bullitt County Provisional | 4.4 | +0.3 pts |
| 55 | Casey County Provisional | 4.4 | -0.5 pts |
| 55 | Marshall County Provisional | 4.4 | -0.2 pts |
| 55 | Meade County Provisional | 4.4 | -0.1 pts |
| 55 | Montgomery County Provisional | 4.4 | -0.3 pts |
| 55 | Pulaski County Provisional | 4.4 | -0.1 pts |
| 55 | Simpson County Provisional | 4.4 | 0 pts |
| 64 | Barren County Provisional | 4.3 | -0.2 pts |
| 64 | Hancock County Provisional | 4.3 | -0.4 pts |
| 64 | Jefferson County Provisional | 4.3 | 0 pts |
| 64 | Larue County Provisional | 4.3 | +0.1 pts |
| 64 | Lee County Provisional | 4.3 | -0.1 pts |
| 64 | Logan County Provisional | 4.3 | 0 pts |
| 64 | Whitley County Provisional | 4.3 | -0.5 pts |
| 71 | Adair County Provisional | 4.2 | -0.4 pts |
| 71 | Carlisle County Provisional | 4.2 | -0.2 pts |
| 71 | Hart County Provisional | 4.2 | -0.2 pts |
| 71 | Henderson County Provisional | 4.2 | -0.1 pts |
| 71 | Hopkins County Provisional | 4.2 | -0.3 pts |
| 71 | Lyon County Provisional | 4.2 | +0.3 pts |
| 71 | Mercer County Provisional | 4.2 | -0.1 pts |
| 71 | Monroe County Provisional | 4.2 | +0.1 pts |
| 71 | Perry County Provisional | 4.2 | -0.6 pts |
| 71 | Spencer County Provisional | 4.2 | +0.1 pts |
| 81 | McLean County Provisional | 4.1 | -0.4 pts |
| 81 | Nelson County Provisional | 4.1 | 0 pts |
| 81 | Powell County Provisional | 4.1 | -0.1 pts |
| 81 | Webster County Provisional | 4.1 | -0.3 pts |
| 85 | Anderson County Provisional | 4 | -0.3 pts |
| 85 | Bracken County Provisional | 4 | -0.8 pts |
| 85 | Gallatin County Provisional | 4 | -0.2 pts |
| 85 | Henry County Provisional | 4 | -0.1 pts |
| 85 | McCracken County Provisional | 4 | -0.2 pts |
| 85 | Nicholas County Provisional | 4 | -0.2 pts |
| 85 | Russell County Provisional | 4 | -0.4 pts |
| 85 | Union County Provisional | 4 | -0.2 pts |
| 93 | Bourbon County Provisional | 3.9 | 0 pts |
| 93 | Grant County Provisional | 3.9 | -0.2 pts |
| 93 | Metcalfe County Provisional | 3.9 | -0.4 pts |
| 93 | Owen County Provisional | 3.9 | -0.2 pts |
| 93 | Warren County Provisional | 3.9 | -0.3 pts |
| 98 | Allen County Provisional | 3.8 | -0.3 pts |
| 98 | Caldwell County Provisional | 3.8 | -0.3 pts |
| 98 | Carroll County Provisional | 3.8 | -0.3 pts |
| 98 | Daviess County Provisional | 3.8 | -0.3 pts |
| 98 | Garrard County Provisional | 3.8 | -0.3 pts |
| 98 | Graves County Provisional | 3.8 | -0.1 pts |
| 98 | Pendleton County Provisional | 3.8 | -0.2 pts |
| 98 | Trimble County Provisional | 3.8 | -0.1 pts |
| 98 | Washington County Provisional | 3.8 | -0.1 pts |
| 107 | Clark County Provisional | 3.7 | -0.4 pts |
| 107 | Harrison County Provisional | 3.7 | -0.1 pts |
| 107 | Jessamine County Provisional | 3.7 | -0.2 pts |
| 107 | Oldham County Provisional | 3.7 | -0.1 pts |
| 107 | Shelby County Provisional | 3.7 | -0.1 pts |
| 112 | Boone County Provisional | 3.6 | -0.2 pts |
| 112 | Fayette County Provisional | 3.6 | -0.1 pts |
| 112 | Franklin County Provisional | 3.6 | -0.3 pts |
| 112 | Kenton County Provisional | 3.6 | -0.2 pts |
| 116 | Campbell County Provisional | 3.5 | -0.3 pts |
| 116 | Scott County Provisional | 3.5 | -0.2 pts |
| 116 | Todd County Provisional | 3.5 | -0.2 pts |
| 119 | Cumberland County Provisional | 3.4 | -0.4 pts |
| 120 | Woodford County Provisional | 3.2 | -0.4 pts |
Other periods
About this ranking
Unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force, using the survey definition of unemployment: without work, available and looking for work. Spain: EPA, aged 16 and over. EU: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74. United States: civilian labour force aged 16 and over, from the Current Population Survey for the nation and from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics models, consistent with that survey, for states and counties. Other countries and the World: ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank, aged 15 and over.
Survey-based. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states and US counties, not Spanish municipalities. For municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate. US national and state rates are seasonally adjusted; county rates are not. Countries without a national or Eurostat series get the annual ILO modelled estimate, a model output rather than a survey result.
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. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
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Rank Counties in Kentucky by unemployment rate using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions
Which county has the highest unemployment rate?
Martin County, with 8.5% in August 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?
Woodford County, with 3.2% in August 2026.
Where does this ranking come from?
Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
Unemployment rate: other rankings
- Countries
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- EU regions (NUTS 2)
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Counties in Kentucky: more rankings
- Asian population share
- Bachelor's degree or higher, population 25 and over
- Live births, July to June
- Black or African American population share
- Crude birth rate, July to June
- Crude death rate, July to June
- Deaths, July to June
- Foreign-born population share
- Real GDP growth
- GDP per capita, US dollars
- Gross domestic product (GDP), US dollars
- Hispanic or Latino population share
- Homeownership rate (US, housing units)
- Median age
- Median gross rent (monthly)
- Median home value