Counties in Kentucky by wages and salaries paid

Jefferson County had the highest wages and salaries paid of 120 counties in 2016, at $25.6 billion. Robertson County had the lowest, at $9.11 million. The median was $177.15 million and the figure for Kentucky was $87.83 billion. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest25,596.7Jefferson County
Median177.1120 counties
Kentucky87,833.2History

Map of counties, 2016

Adair County: 155.1 USD millionAllen County: 170.5 USD millionAnderson County: 176.7 USD millionBallard County: 90.9 USD millionBarren County: 626 USD millionBath County: 71.7 USD millionBell County: 291.6 USD millionBoone County: 4,117.8 USD millionBourbon County: 287.4 USD millionBoyd County: 1,135.6 USD millionBoyle County: 584.1 USD millionBracken County: 54.9 USD millionBreathitt County: 111.3 USD millionBreckinridge County: 125.4 USD millionBullitt County: 903.1 USD millionButler County: 110.8 USD millionCaldwell County: 143.5 USD millionCalloway County: 587.9 USD millionCampbell County: 1,351.1 USD millionCarlisle County: 54.4 USD millionCarroll County: 401.4 USD millionCarter County: 188 USD millionCasey County: 132.6 USD millionChristian County: 3,109.4 USD millionClark County: 627.7 USD millionClay County: 155.7 USD millionClinton County: 117 USD millionCrittenden County: 73.6 USD millionCumberland County: 62.2 USD millionDaviess County: 1,953.1 USD millionEdmonson County: 54.3 USD millionElliott County: 31 USD millionEstill County: 85.2 USD millionFayette County: 9,646.2 USD millionFleming County: 108.2 USD millionFloyd County: 439.6 USD millionFranklin County: 1,453.5 USD millionFulton County: 76.8 USD millionGallatin County: 121.9 USD millionGarrard County: 84.8 USD millionGrant County: 206.2 USD millionGraves County: 415.9 USD millionGrayson County: 272.9 USD millionGreen County: 58.2 USD millionGreenup County: 353.9 USD millionHancock County: 284.9 USD millionHardin County: 2,454.1 USD millionHarlan County: 220.6 USD millionHarrison County: 206.7 USD millionHart County: 184.8 USD millionHenderson County: 835.8 USD millionHenry County: 106 USD millionHickman County: 32.8 USD millionHopkins County: 771.4 USD millionJackson County: 60.1 USD millionJefferson County: 25,596.7 USD millionJessamine County: 675.3 USD millionJohnson County: 189.1 USD millionKenton County: 3,511.3 USD millionKnott County: 84.3 USD millionKnox County: 286.7 USD millionLarue County: 93.2 USD millionLaurel County: 953.8 USD millionLawrence County: 123.1 USD millionLee County: 54.6 USD millionLeslie County: 64.1 USD millionLetcher County: 156.4 USD millionLewis County: 67 USD millionLincoln County: 146.5 USD millionLivingston County: 117.5 USD millionLogan County: 371.7 USD millionLyon County: 78.3 USD millionMcCracken County: 1,755 USD millionMcCreary County: 98.9 USD millionMcLean County: 71.3 USD millionMadison County: 1,373.9 USD millionMagoffin County: 56.4 USD millionMarion County: 337.6 USD millionMarshall County: 563.8 USD millionMartin County: 125.1 USD millionMason County: 359.2 USD millionMeade County: 168.9 USD millionMenifee County: 30.2 USD millionMercer County: 314.3 USD millionMetcalfe County: 67 USD millionMonroe County: 106 USD millionMontgomery County: 421.5 USD millionMorgan County: 105.8 USD millionMuhlenberg County: 393.4 USD millionNelson County: 634.3 USD millionNicholas County: 30.1 USD millionOhio County: 260.5 USD millionOldham County: 710.5 USD millionOwen County: 69.8 USD millionOwsley County: 20.4 USD millionPendleton County: 99.2 USD millionPerry County: 434.6 USD millionPike County: 882 USD millionPowell County: 84.2 USD millionPulaski County: 916 USD millionRobertson County: 9.1 USD millionRockcastle County: 129.5 USD millionRowan County: 367.4 USD millionRussell County: 177.6 USD millionScott County: 1,468.2 USD millionShelby County: 682.7 USD millionSimpson County: 345 USD millionSpencer County: 75.3 USD millionTaylor County: 415.5 USD millionTodd County: 86.5 USD millionTrigg County: 105.2 USD millionTrimble County: 54.5 USD millionUnion County: 215.2 USD millionWarren County: 2,709.1 USD millionWashington County: 134.5 USD millionWayne County: 181.4 USD millionWebster County: 152.4 USD millionWhitley County: 470.1 USD millionWolfe County: 38.1 USD millionWoodford County: 419.8 USD million
  • Under 100
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USD million, 2016. Source: BEA, CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2016

Jefferson County: 25,596.7 USD millionJefferson County25,596.7Fayette County: 9,646.2 USD millionFayette County9,646.2Boone County: 4,117.8 USD millionBoone County4,117.8Kenton County: 3,511.3 USD millionKenton County3,511.3Christian County: 3,109.4 USD millionChristian County3,109.4Warren County: 2,709.1 USD millionWarren County2,709.1Hardin County: 2,454.1 USD millionHardin County2,454.1Daviess County: 1,953.1 USD millionDaviess County1,953.1McCracken County: 1,755 USD millionMcCracken County1,755Scott County: 1,468.2 USD millionScott County1,468.2Franklin County: 1,453.5 USD millionFranklin County1,453.5Madison County: 1,373.9 USD millionMadison County1,373.9Campbell County: 1,351.1 USD millionCampbell County1,351.1Boyd County: 1,135.6 USD millionBoyd County1,135.6Laurel County: 953.8 USD millionLaurel County953.8Pulaski County: 916 USD millionPulaski County916Bullitt County: 903.1 USD millionBullitt County903.1Pike County: 882 USD millionPike County882Henderson County: 835.8 USD millionHenderson County835.8Hopkins County: 771.4 USD millionHopkins County771.4Oldham County: 710.5 USD millionOldham County710.5Shelby County: 682.7 USD millionShelby County682.7Jessamine County: 675.3 USD millionJessamine County675.3Nelson County: 634.3 USD millionNelson County634.3Clark County: 627.7 USD millionClark County627.7Barren County: 626 USD millionBarren County626Calloway County: 587.9 USD millionCalloway County587.9Boyle County: 584.1 USD millionBoyle County584.1Marshall County: 563.8 USD millionMarshall County563.8Whitley County: 470.1 USD millionWhitley County470.1Floyd County: 439.6 USD millionFloyd County439.6Perry County: 434.6 USD millionPerry County434.6Montgomery County: 421.5 USD millionMontgomery County421.5Woodford County: 419.8 USD millionWoodford County419.8Graves County: 415.9 USD millionGraves County415.9Taylor County: 415.5 USD millionTaylor County415.5Carroll County: 401.4 USD millionCarroll County401.4Muhlenberg County: 393.4 USD millionMuhlenberg County393.4Logan County: 371.7 USD millionLogan County371.7Rowan County: 367.4 USD millionRowan County367.4Jefferson County: 25,596.7 USD millionJefferson County25,596.7Fayette County: 9,646.2 USD millionFayette County9,646.2Boone County: 4,117.8 USD millionBoone County4,117.8Kenton County: 3,511.3 USD millionKenton County3,511.3Christian County: 3,109.4 USD millionChristian County3,109.4Warren County: 2,709.1 USD millionWarren County2,709.1Hardin County: 2,454.1 USD millionHardin County2,454.1Daviess County: 1,953.1 USD millionDaviess County1,953.1McCracken County: 1,755 USD millionMcCracken County1,755Scott County: 1,468.2 USD millionScott County1,468.2Franklin County: 1,453.5 USD millionFranklin County1,453.5Madison County: 1,373.9 USD millionMadison County1,373.9Campbell County: 1,351.1 USD millionCampbell County1,351.1Boyd County: 1,135.6 USD millionBoyd County1,135.6Laurel County: 953.8 USD millionLaurel County953.8Pulaski County: 916 USD millionPulaski County916Bullitt County: 903.1 USD millionBullitt County903.1Pike County: 882 USD millionPike County882Henderson County: 835.8 USD millionHenderson County835.8Hopkins County: 771.4 USD millionHopkins County771.4Oldham County: 710.5 USD millionOldham County710.5Shelby County: 682.7 USD millionShelby County682.7Jessamine County: 675.3 USD millionJessamine County675.3Nelson County: 634.3 USD millionNelson County634.3Clark County: 627.7 USD millionClark County627.7Barren County: 626 USD millionBarren County626Calloway County: 587.9 USD millionCalloway County587.9Boyle County: 584.1 USD millionBoyle County584.1Marshall County: 563.8 USD millionMarshall County563.8Whitley County: 470.1 USD millionWhitley County470.1Floyd County: 439.6 USD millionFloyd County439.6Perry County: 434.6 USD millionPerry County434.6Montgomery County: 421.5 USD millionMontgomery County421.5Woodford County: 419.8 USD millionWoodford County419.8Graves County: 415.9 USD millionGraves County415.9Taylor County: 415.5 USD millionTaylor County415.5Carroll County: 401.4 USD millionCarroll County401.4Muhlenberg County: 393.4 USD millionMuhlenberg County393.4Logan County: 371.7 USD millionLogan County371.7Rowan County: 367.4 USD millionRowan County367.4
USD million. Source: BEA, CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016
USD million
Change on 2015
1Jefferson County25,596.7+3.7%
2Fayette County9,646.2+3.7%
3Boone County4,117.8+6.6%
4Kenton County3,511.3+4.7%
5Christian County3,109.4-2.3%
6Warren County2,709.1+5%
7Hardin County2,454.1+1.9%
8Daviess County1,953.1+2.9%
9McCracken County1,755+2.9%
10Scott County1,468.2+5.9%
11Franklin County1,453.5+4.4%
12Madison County1,373.9+1.2%
13Campbell County1,351.1+7.7%
14Boyd County1,135.6-6.8%
15Laurel County953.8+4.6%
16Pulaski County916+1.5%
17Bullitt County903.1+9.4%
18Pike County882-3.8%
19Henderson County835.8+2.1%
20Hopkins County771.4+1.2%
21Oldham County710.5+7.1%
22Shelby County682.7+5.8%
23Jessamine County675.3+3.3%
24Nelson County634.3+4.5%
25Clark County627.7+4.8%
26Barren County626+2.9%
27Calloway County587.9+1.7%
28Boyle County584.1+4.4%
29Marshall County563.8-1.4%
30Whitley County470.1+1.2%
31Floyd County439.6+1.1%
32Perry County434.6-8.3%
33Montgomery County421.50%
34Woodford County419.8+0.4%
35Graves County415.9+3%
36Taylor County415.5+6.7%
37Carroll County401.4+6.8%
38Muhlenberg County393.4-8.6%
39Logan County371.7+6.4%
40Rowan County367.4+4.2%
41Mason County359.2-6.9%
42Greenup County353.9-4.2%
43Simpson County345+3.5%
44Marion County337.6+5.9%
45Mercer County314.3+4.3%
46Bell County291.6-0.6%
47Bourbon County287.4-1.3%
48Knox County286.7+2.2%
49Hancock County284.9-6.9%
50Grayson County272.9+5.1%
51Ohio County260.5+1.7%
52Harlan County220.6-7.2%
53Union County215.2-4.6%
54Harrison County206.7+3.9%
55Grant County206.2+5.7%
56Johnson County189.1-4.5%
57Carter County188-1.4%
58Hart County184.8+3.7%
59Wayne County181.4+5.7%
60Russell County177.6+4.1%
61Anderson County176.7+3.2%
62Allen County170.5+7.8%
63Meade County168.9+3.5%
64Letcher County156.4-6.3%
65Clay County155.7+0.8%
66Adair County155.1+0.3%
67Webster County152.4-15.6%
68Lincoln County146.5+2.1%
69Caldwell County143.5+2.4%
70Washington County134.5+2.3%
71Casey County132.6+6.8%
72Rockcastle County129.5+8.9%
73Breckinridge County125.4+0.8%
74Martin County125.1-6.3%
75Lawrence County123.1-1.7%
76Gallatin County121.9+0.3%
77Livingston County117.5-4.7%
78Clinton County117+0.7%
79Breathitt County111.3-2.3%
80Butler County110.8+9.2%
81Fleming County108.2+1%
82Monroe County106+3.3%
83Henry County106+0.9%
84Morgan County105.8+4.7%
85Trigg County105.2-0.2%
86Pendleton County99.2-0.2%
87McCreary County98.9+0.2%
88Larue County93.2+4.6%
89Ballard County90.9-24.7%
90Todd County86.5+3.5%
91Estill County85.2-2.8%
92Garrard County84.8-1.9%
93Knott County84.3-8.5%
94Powell County84.20%
95Lyon County78.3+8.7%
96Fulton County76.8-1.9%
97Spencer County75.3+6.7%
98Crittenden County73.6+0.9%
99Bath County71.7+2.7%
100McLean County71.3+6.6%
101Owen County69.8+4%
102Lewis County67-2%
103Metcalfe County67+0.6%
104Leslie County64.1-0.3%
105Cumberland County62.2+3.9%
106Jackson County60.1-1.5%
107Green County58.2+1.3%
108Magoffin County56.4-11.6%
109Bracken County54.9+3%
110Lee County54.6+0.7%
111Trimble County54.5+12.8%
112Carlisle County54.4+73.7%
113Edmonson County54.3+3.3%
114Wolfe County38.1+1.1%
115Hickman County32.8-0.9%
116Elliott County31+5.2%
117Menifee County30.2+2.6%
118Nicholas County30.1+4.3%
119Owsley County20.4+0.1%
120Robertson County9.1+8%

Other periods

About this ranking

Total wages and salaries paid to employees for jobs located in a place, including tips, bonuses and pay in kind, before deductions, in millions of current US dollars. United States: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional accounts, table SAINC4 line 50 for the nation and states and CAINC4 line 50 for counties.

Counted where the jobs are, not where the workers live, so places with many commuters coming in can pay more in wages than their residents receive in personal income (the District of Columbia does). Excludes employer contributions to pensions, insurance and social security, and the income of the self-employed.

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 Economic Analysis. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. 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. Bureau of Economic Analysis. (2026). CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents (Counties in Kentucky by wages and salaries paid, 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip

MLA 9

CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents, Counties in Kentucky by wages and salaries paid, 2016. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 5 Feb. 2026, https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/kentucky-counties?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. 2026. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Counties in Kentucky by wages and salaries paid, 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/kentucky-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (2026) CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents, Counties in Kentucky by wages and salaries paid, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/kentucky-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_kentucky_by_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis}},
  title = {{CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents: Counties in Kentucky by wages and salaries paid, 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/kentucky-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
TI  - CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents: Counties in Kentucky by wages and salaries paid, 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/02/05
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/kentucky-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/kentucky-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest wages and salaries paid?

Jefferson County, with $25.6 billion in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Which county has the lowest wages and salaries paid?

Robertson County, with $9.11 million in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Wages and salaries paid: other rankings

Counties in Kentucky: more rankings