Counties in Kentucky by unemployment rate

Lewis County had the highest unemployment rate of 120 counties in March 2026, at 8.4%. Woodford County had the lowest, at 3.5%. The median was 4.8% and the figure for Kentucky was 4.2%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest8.4Lewis County
Median4.8120 counties
Kentucky4.2History

Top 40 counties, March 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

Lewis CountyLewis County: 8.4 %8.4Wolfe CountyWolfe County: 8.4 %8.4Magoffin CountyMagoffin County: 7.8 %7.8Martin CountyMartin County: 7.7 %7.7Elliott CountyElliott County: 7.1 %7.1Menifee CountyMenifee County: 7 %7Jackson CountyJackson County: 6.9 %6.9Carter CountyCarter County: 6.6 %6.6Lawrence CountyLawrence County: 6.6 %6.6Wayne CountyWayne County: 6.5 %6.5Pike CountyPike County: 6.4 %6.4Johnson CountyJohnson County: 6.2 %6.2Harlan CountyHarlan County: 6.1 %6.1Bell CountyBell County: 6 %6Breathitt CountyBreathitt County: 6 %6Floyd CountyFloyd County: 6 %6Grayson CountyGrayson County: 6 %6Knott CountyKnott County: 5.9 %5.9Bath CountyBath County: 5.8 %5.8Estill CountyEstill County: 5.8 %5.8Knox CountyKnox County: 5.8 %5.8McCreary CountyMcCreary County: 5.8 %5.8Clay CountyClay County: 5.7 %5.7Edmonson CountyEdmonson County: 5.7 %5.7Greenup CountyGreenup County: 5.7 %5.7Morgan CountyMorgan County: 5.6 %5.6Muhlenberg CountyMuhlenberg County: 5.6 %5.6Christian CountyChristian County: 5.5 %5.5Clinton CountyClinton County: 5.5 %5.5Hardin CountyHardin County: 5.5 %5.5Laurel CountyLaurel County: 5.5 %5.5Mason CountyMason County: 5.5 %5.5Bracken CountyBracken County: 5.4 %5.4Breckinridge CountyBreckinridge County: 5.4 %5.4Robertson CountyRobertson County: 5.4 %5.4Boyd CountyBoyd County: 5.3 %5.3Butler CountyButler County: 5.3 %5.3Letcher CountyLetcher County: 5.3 %5.3Livingston CountyLivingston County: 5.3 %5.3Ohio CountyOhio County: 5.3 %5.3
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesMarch 2026 (%)Change on March 2025
1Lewis County8.4-0.3 pts
1Wolfe County8.4-0.6 pts
3Magoffin County7.8-1.7 pts
4Martin County7.7-2.5 pts
5Elliott County7.1-1.6 pts
6Menifee County7-1 pts
7Jackson County6.9-0.7 pts
8Carter County6.6-1.1 pts
8Lawrence County6.6-1.2 pts
10Wayne County6.5-0.1 pts
11Pike County6.4-0.3 pts
12Johnson County6.2-0.9 pts
13Harlan County6.1-1 pts
14Bell County6-0.9 pts
14Breathitt County6-1.7 pts
14Floyd County6-1 pts
14Grayson County6-0.7 pts
18Knott County5.9-1.4 pts
19Bath County5.8-1 pts
19Estill County5.8-0.8 pts
19Knox County5.8-0.9 pts
19McCreary County5.8-0.8 pts
23Clay County5.7-1.3 pts
23Edmonson County5.7-0.5 pts
23Greenup County5.7-0.9 pts
26Morgan County5.6-1 pts
26Muhlenberg County5.6-0.8 pts
28Christian County5.5-0.5 pts
28Clinton County5.5-0.1 pts
28Hardin County5.5+0.2 pts
28Laurel County5.5-0.6 pts
28Mason County5.5-0.9 pts
33Bracken County5.4-1 pts
33Breckinridge County5.4-0.6 pts
33Robertson County5.4-1.4 pts
36Boyd County5.3-0.8 pts
36Butler County5.3-0.4 pts
36Letcher County5.3-1.1 pts
36Livingston County5.3-0.7 pts
36Ohio County5.3-1.1 pts
41Marion County5.2-0.4 pts
41Rockcastle County5.2-0.6 pts
43Leslie County5.1-1.2 pts
44Larue County5-0.2 pts
44Lincoln County5-1.1 pts
44Lyon County5-1 pts
44Montgomery County5-0.6 pts
44Rowan County5-1.5 pts
49Barren County4.9-0.7 pts
49Bullitt County4.9+0.3 pts
49Meade County4.90 pts
49Nelson County4.9+0.3 pts
49Owsley County4.9-1.9 pts
49Trigg County4.9-0.6 pts
55Fleming County4.8-1.2 pts
55Green County4.8-1 pts
55Madison County4.8-0.4 pts
55Marshall County4.8-0.8 pts
55Monroe County4.8-0.3 pts
55Powell County4.8-0.2 pts
55Pulaski County4.8-0.7 pts
55Taylor County4.8-0.9 pts
63Calloway County4.7-1.1 pts
63Casey County4.7-1.2 pts
63Hart County4.7-0.6 pts
63Hickman County4.7-0.1 pts
63Jefferson County4.70 pts
63Lee County4.7-0.9 pts
63Logan County4.7-0.5 pts
63Mercer County4.7-0.2 pts
63Perry County4.7-0.7 pts
72Fulton County4.6-0.5 pts
72Henderson County4.6-0.6 pts
74Adair County4.5-0.8 pts
74Ballard County4.5-0.7 pts
74Boyle County4.5-1 pts
74Crittenden County4.5-1 pts
74Cumberland County4.5-0.6 pts
74Grant County4.5-0.5 pts
74Hancock County4.5-1 pts
74Hopkins County4.5-0.8 pts
74McLean County4.5-0.8 pts
74Metcalfe County4.5-1 pts
74Nicholas County4.5-0.3 pts
74Simpson County4.5-0.5 pts
74Spencer County4.50 pts
74Webster County4.5-1 pts
88Carlisle County4.4-0.7 pts
88Gallatin County4.4-0.7 pts
88Henry County4.4-0.4 pts
88Pendleton County4.4-1.2 pts
88Whitley County4.4-0.8 pts
93Allen County4.3-0.7 pts
93Anderson County4.3-0.5 pts
93Garrard County4.3-0.7 pts
93McCracken County4.3-0.7 pts
93Owen County4.3-0.5 pts
93Russell County4.3-1.3 pts
93Trimble County4.3-0.6 pts
93Union County4.3-0.5 pts
101Bourbon County4.1-0.5 pts
101Clark County4.1-0.8 pts
101Harrison County4.1-0.3 pts
101Washington County4.1-0.4 pts
105Carroll County4-0.9 pts
105Daviess County4-0.8 pts
105Shelby County4-0.2 pts
105Warren County4-0.7 pts
109Boone County3.9-0.6 pts
109Caldwell County3.9-0.7 pts
109Graves County3.9-0.7 pts
109Kenton County3.9-0.6 pts
113Campbell County3.8-0.8 pts
113Franklin County3.8-0.8 pts
113Jessamine County3.8-0.7 pts
113Oldham County3.8-0.6 pts
117Fayette County3.7-0.6 pts
117Scott County3.7-0.6 pts
119Todd County3.6-0.8 pts
120Woodford County3.5-0.4 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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Questions

Which county has the highest unemployment rate?

Lewis County, with 8.4% in March 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Woodford County, with 3.5% in March 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

Counties in Kentucky: more rankings