The local economy of Kentucky and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
4.7%
+0.2 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Woodford County 3.2%, highest Martin County 8.5%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,248
+2.9%vs a year ago
1,979,083 jobs at 162,989 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
13,410
-10.1%this year vs last year
Most in Jefferson County 2,338, Warren County 1,126.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
+5,850
+1.7 per 1,000residents
87,649 moved in and 81,799 moved out. Most newcomers came from Ohio.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
Kentucky gas price
$4.06
+$1.30vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Henderson County $3.69, highest Kenton County $4.37. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Kentucky, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
94K
+0.9%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
1.71M
+2.5%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (16.2%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$93.6B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$54,805
Highest sector: Utilities $104,771.
Per employee per year
Share of Kentucky's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 153,390 | $20,035 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 81,591 | $68,098 |
| Couriers and Express Delivery Services | 48,008 | $82,892 |
| Employment Services | 45,041 | $37,212 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 43,321 | $94,573 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 42,713 | $29,394 |
| Offices of Physicians | 40,637 | $106,389 |
| Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing | 40,500 | $58,098 |
| Warehousing and Storage | 31,783 | $46,942 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 30,142 | $67,612 |
| Grocery Stores | 27,917 | $27,909 |
| Depository Credit Intermediation | 25,321 | $65,622 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Kentucky, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Kentucky is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for Kentucky, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in Kentucky was 4.7% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 4.5% a year earlier. 2,010,261 people were employed out of a labor force of 2,109,516. Among its counties, Woodford County had the lowest rate (3.2%) and Martin County the highest (8.5%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Kentucky was $1,248 in Q1 2026, up 2.9% from a year earlier, across 1,979,083 jobs at 162,989 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 1,380 new homes in Kentucky in August 2026 (793 single-family and 490 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 9,183, down 10.1% from the same months last year, and 13,410 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Jefferson County (2,338), Warren County (1,126), Fayette County (1,116) over the last 12 months.
Yes. From 2022 to 2023, 87,649 people moved to Kentucky and 81,799 moved away, a net gain of 5,850 (+1.7 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Ohio, Tennessee, Indiana, and most people who left went to Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee.
Regular gasoline in Kentucky averaged $4.06 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $1.30 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $6.14. Among its counties, Henderson County had the lowest regular price ($3.69) and Kenton County the highest ($4.37).
Health Care and Social Assistance (277,311 employees), Manufacturing (257,247 employees), Retail Trade (215,414 employees) were the largest sectors in Kentucky in 2023. In all, 94,402 business locations employed 1,708,602 people at an average pay of $54,805 a year.