Counties with the highest unemployment in Kentucky

While today’s unemployment rates are significantly lower than the COVID-19 pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, the fear of job losses remains as workers stare down an uncertain economic future.

Experts are mixed in their views of a potential recession. The return of student loan payments, continually high gas prices, persistent inflation, and insurance price escalations are just a few of the factors that could limit consumer spending and potentially prompt another recession. The last economic recession before the pandemic—the Great Recession of 2007-09—sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years.

But as of October 2023, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.9%—little changed from the previous month, and up about 0.2 percentage points from the same time last year. Regional and state employment varies widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 1.7% in Maryland to 5.4% in Nevada.

Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Kentucky using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in October 2023, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.

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#50. Whitley County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 14,149 people (595 unemployed)

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#49. Hopkins County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 17,500 people (734 unemployed)

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#48. Livingston County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 3,697 people (158 unemployed)

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#47. McLean County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 3,840 people (166 unemployed)

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#46. Union County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,966 people (257 unemployed)

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#45. Estill County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,120 people (227 unemployed)

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#44. Pulaski County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 24,914 people (1,090 unemployed)

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#43. Morgan County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 4,017 people (180 unemployed)

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#42. Mason County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,423 people (287 unemployed)

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#41. Breckinridge County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,827 people (353 unemployed)

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#40. Fulton County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,074 people (96 unemployed)

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#39. Bath County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,641 people (213 unemployed)

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#38. Edmonson County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,752 people (217 unemployed)

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#37. Trigg County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,913 people (271 unemployed)

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#36. Robertson County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 834 people (39 unemployed)

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#35. Wolfe County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,296 people (107 unemployed)

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#34. Menifee County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,359 people (110 unemployed)

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#33. Clinton County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 3,396 people (158 unemployed)

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#32. Russell County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,200 people (290 unemployed)

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#31. Adair County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 6,986 people (326 unemployed)

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#30. Rowan County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,321 people (483 unemployed)

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#29. Metcalfe County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,782 people (182 unemployed)

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#28. Lawrence County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,638 people (271 unemployed)

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#27. Boyd County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 16,987 people (816 unemployed)

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#26. Wayne County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,767 people (339 unemployed)

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#25. Jackson County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,096 people (209 unemployed)

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#24. McCreary County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 4,819 people (249 unemployed)

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#23. Bell County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,130 people (425 unemployed)

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#22. Pike County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 18,805 people (979 unemployed)

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#21. Floyd County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,881 people (580 unemployed)

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#20. Perry County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,923 people (427 unemployed)

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#19. Knox County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,086 people (541 unemployed)

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#18. Greenup County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
— 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 12,770 people (693 unemployed)

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#17. Christian County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
— 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 24,460 people (1,352 unemployed)

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#16. Lee County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,036 people (115 unemployed)

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#15. Muhlenberg County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,671 people (544 unemployed)

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#14. Ohio County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,937 people (511 unemployed)

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#13. Carter County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
— 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 9,498 people (546 unemployed)

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#12. Johnson County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,605 people (386 unemployed)

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#11. Knott County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,208 people (249 unemployed)

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#10. Lewis County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,418 people (267 unemployed)

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#9. Clay County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,966 people (297 unemployed)

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#8. Letcher County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,687 people (342 unemployed)

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#7. Elliott County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
— 1-month change: Down 1.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,823 people (111 unemployed)

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#6. Harlan County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: No change
– Total labor force: 6,248 people (388 unemployed)

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#5. Breathitt County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,036 people (195 unemployed)

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#4. Owsley County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,034 people (67 unemployed)

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#3. Leslie County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,482 people (165 unemployed)

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#2. Magoffin County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.6%
— 1-month change: Down 1.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,197 people (243 unemployed)

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#1. Martin County

– October unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,072 people (165 unemployed)

This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.