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County Employment and Wages in Kentucky — Third Quarter 2025
Among Kentucky’s three largest counties, employment declined in Jefferson (-1.6 percent) from September 2024 to September 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that employment increased in Boone and Fayette. (See chart 1 and table 1.)
Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Kentucky, September 2025
County
Percent change, September 2025
Jefferson
-1.6
Fayette
1.2
Boone
3.8
Among the three largest counties in Kentucky, employment was highest in Jefferson (476,800) in September 2025. Together, the three largest counties accounted for 39.7 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 372 largest counties comprise 73.2 percent of total covered employment in the United States. (Large counties and county equivalents are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2024.)
Large county average weekly wages in the third quarter 2025
All three large Kentucky counties reported average weekly wage increases over the year. (See chart 2.) Jefferson had the largest increase (+5.2 percent), followed by Fayette (+4.7 percent) and Boone (+3.3 percent).
Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Kentucky, third quarter 2025
County
Percent change, third quarter 2025
Jefferson
5.2
Fayette
4.7
Boone
3.3
Weekly wages in all large counties in Kentucky were below the national average of $1,459. Jefferson had the highest average weekly wage ($1,384), followed by Fayette ($1,277) and Boone ($1,136).
Smaller county average weekly wages in the third quarter of 2025
Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 117 small counties in Kentucky, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2024. (See table 2.) Wage levels in 116 of the 117 smaller counties were below the national average. Hancock reported the highest average weekly wage ($1,594). Robertson reported the lowest average weekly wage ($699) in the state.
Among all 120 Kentucky counties, 24 reported average weekly wages of less than $850, 32 had wages from $850 to $924, 20 had wages from $925 to $999, 15 had wages from $1,000 to $1,074, and 29 had average weekly wages of $1,075 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)
Map 1. Average weekly wages by county in Kentucky, third quarter 2025
(U.S. average = $1,459)
Additional statistics and other information
QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3.
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications. (3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in Kentucky, third quarter 2025
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state, third quarter 2025
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (3) Data not included in the national ranking.
Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
United States Department of Labor
