Private Sector Employment
In 2022, there were a total of 1,920,135 people employed in Kentucky. A large majority – 85.4% – were employed by the private sector while 8.7% were employed by local government, 4.1% by state government and 1.8% by the federal government.
The percentage of people employed by the private sector varies significantly by county, however. In six counties (Boone, Scott, Jefferson, Carroll, Simpson and Jackson), more than 90% of employment is in the private sector. In six counties (Owsley, McCreary, Edmonson, Martin, Robertson and Elliott), employment in the private sector falls below 60%.
Local Government Employment*
Statewide, there were 166,342 people employed by local government in 2022 or 8.7% of total employment. A majority of those employed by local government (65.2%) are in the education and health services sector.
The percentage of people employed by local government by county ranges from a low of 5% in Boone County to a high of 33.7% in Owsley County.
State Government Employment*
Statewide, there were 79,485 people employed by state government in 2022 or 4.1% of total employment. A majority of those employed by state government (65.4%) are in the education and health services sector.
The percentage of people employed by state government by county ranges from a low of .3% in Boone County to a high of 32.9% in Elliott County.
Federal Government Employment
Statewide, there were 34,403 people employed by the federal government in Kentucky in 2022 or 1.8% of total employment. Half of those employed by the federal government are listed in the public administration sector.
The percentage of people employed by the federal government by county ranges from a low of .7% in Bullitt County to a high of 21.3% in Martin County.
*Data are unavailable for three counties (Hancock, Carlisle and Robertson).
Distribution of employment, by county – public and private – in 2022
| County | Total Covered Employment | Private (% of total) | Local Government (% of total) | State Government (% of total) | Federal Government (% of total) |
| Statewide | 1,920,135 | 85.4% | 8.7% | 4.1% | 1.8% |
| Adair | 4,583 | 80.1% | 13.8% | 5.1% | 1.1% |
| Allen | 4,794 | 82.6% | 15.2% | 1.4% | 0.9% |
| Anderson | 4,961 | 80.1% | 15.5% | 3.6% | 0.8% |
| Ballard | 2,605 | 85.9% | 11.7% | 1.5% | 1.0% |
| Barren | 15,364 | 85.7% | 11.5% | 2.1% | 0.6% |
| Bath | 2,044 | 73.2% | 23.1% | 2.3% | 1.4% |
| Bell | 8,076 | 80.1% | 13.9% | 4.7% | 1.3% |
| Boone | 104,401 | 93.4% | 5.0% | 0.3% | 1.3% |
| Bourbon | 6,860 | 85.6% | 13.3% | 0.6% | 0.5% |
| Boyd | 24,646 | 86.8% | 8.7% | 2.9% | 1.6% |
| Boyle | 14,633 | 86.9% | 9.1% | 3.6% | 0.4% |
| Bracken | 1,403 | 67.5% | 28.6% | 2.7% | 1.2% |
| Breathitt | 2,581 | 68.5% | 19.2% | 10.3% | 1.9% |
| Breckinridge | 3,605 | 76.2% | 19.9% | 2.4% | 1.5% |
| Bullitt | 29,097 | 89.4% | 9.7% | 0.7% | 0.2% |
| Butler | 2,948 | 78.6% | 17.7% | 2.7% | 0.9% |
| Caldwell | 4,962 | 87.1% | 10.4% | 1.9% | 0.6% |
| Calloway | 15,418 | 74.2% | 15.0% | 10.3% | 0.5% |
| Campbell | 30,412 | 81.8% | 9.5% | 7.8% | 0.9% |
| Carlisle | 1,034 | 77.3% | NA | NA | 1.3% |
| Carroll | 7,858 | 90.9% | 7.3% | 1.4% | 0.4% |
| Carter | 5,603 | 77.1% | 18.5% | 3.2% | 1.1% |
| Casey | 3,928 | 81.6% | 15.9% | 1.8% | 0.7% |
| Christian | 30,803 | 80.8% | 7.1% | 2.2% | 9.9% |
| Clark | 13,395 | 87.8% | 10.5% | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Clay | 3,923 | 65.6% | 20.1% | 5.6% | 8.6% |
| Clinton | 3,565 | 83.6% | 13.5% | 1.9% | 1.0% |
| Crittenden | 1,932 | 77.8% | 18.9% | 2.4% | 0.8% |
| Cumberland | 2,107 | 82.2% | 13.1% | 4.2% | 0.4% |
| Daviess | 45,377 | 88.5% | 9.4% | 1.5% | 0.6% |
| Edmonson | 1,559 | 55.1% | 30.0% | 2.4% | 12.5% |
| Elliott | 806 | 35.4% | 30.8% | 32.9% | 1.0% |
| Estill | 2,290 | 68.9% | 26.4% | 3.7% | 1.0% |
| Fayette | 195,449 | 79.4% | 5.6% | 12.9% | 2.1% |
| Fleming | 3,140 | 78.6% | 15.3% | 4.6% | 1.5% |
| Floyd | 10,720 | 78.6% | 13.6% | 6.8% | 1.1% |
| Franklin | 32,616 | 62.0% | 6.7% | 30.0% | 1.4% |
| Fulton | 2,209 | 76.6% | 20.2% | 1.9% | 1.3% |
| Gallatin | 2,527 | 82.6% | 14.8% | 1.3% | 1.3% |
| Garrard | 2,384 | 72.8% | 23.3% | 3.1% | 0.8% |
| Grant | 5,172 | 77.0% | 19.4% | 2.6% | 0.9% |
| Graves | 11,153 | 83.7% | 12.3% | 2.2% | 1.8% |
| Grayson | 7,590 | 82.8% | 14.3% | 1.9% | 1.1% |
| Green | 1,760 | 70.4% | 25.9% | 2.6% | 1.1% |
| Greenup | 6,877 | 78.7% | 18.5% | 2.0% | 0.8% |
| Hancock | 4,041 | 89.7% | NA | NA | 0.4% |
| Hardin | 45,386 | 78.3% | 8.4% | 2.2% | 11.0% |
| Harlan | 5,985 | 70.1% | 19.6% | 9.3% | 1.0% |
| Harrison | 5,124 | 84.1% | 13.2% | 1.9% | 0.7% |
| Hart | 4,974 | 82.3% | 15.6% | 1.2% | 0.8% |
| Henderson | 18,294 | 87.7% | 9.9% | 2.0% | 0.5% |
| Henry | 2,707 | 70.3% | 22.2% | 3.6% | 3.9% |
| Hickman | 844 | 74.4% | 19.0% | 4.3% | 2.4% |
| Hopkins | 16,901 | 84.0% | 11.1% | 4.1% | 0.8% |
| Jackson | 1,727 | 61.1% | 32.3% | 4.7% | 1.9% |
| Jefferson | 471,396 | 91.2% | 5.2% | 2.1% | 1.5% |
| Jessamine | 17,993 | 87.1% | 10.9% | 1.6% | 0.4% |
| Johnson | 5,176 | 72.3% | 20.5% | 6.4% | 0.8% |
| Kenton | 71,614 | 88.0% | 7.4% | 1.1% | 3.5% |
| Knott | 2,063 | 67.0% | 26.7% | 4.7% | 1.6% |
| Knox | 7,772 | 81.6% | 15.3% | 1.6% | 1.6% |
| Larue | 2,486 | 76.5% | 20.2% | 1.6% | 1.8% |
| Laurel | 26,478 | 89.5% | 7.8% | 1.8% | 0.9% |
| Lawrence | 4,041 | 83.3% | 14.1% | 1.7% | 0.9% |
| Lee | 1,645 | 74.9% | 20.1% | 4.4% | 0.5% |
| Leslie | 1,597 | 65.5% | 29.3% | 4.4% | 0.8% |
| Letcher | 4,186 | 76.2% | 19.3% | 3.7% | 0.8% |
| Lewis | 1,964 | 69.0% | 27.4% | 2.5% | 1.0% |
| Lincoln | 3,947 | 75.6% | 20.9% | 2.2% | 1.4% |
| Livingston | 2,816 | 80.9% | 13.8% | 1.7% | 3.6% |
| Logan | 8,915 | 86.3% | 11.8% | 1.2% | 0.7% |
| Lyon | 2,552 | 69.9% | 11.6% | 17.2% | 1.3% |
| Madison | 34,320 | 80.0% | 8.5% | 8.1% | 3.3% |
| Magoffin | 1,884 | 69.9% | 26.0% | 3.6% | 0.6% |
| Marion | 8,466 | 89.1% | 9.7% | 0.7% | 0.5% |
| Marshall | 10,824 | 85.0% | 12.7% | 1.6% | 0.8% |
| Martin | 1,811 | 54.6% | 20.9% | 3.3% | 21.3% |
| Mason | 7,758 | 85.5% | 9.5% | 4.4% | 0.6% |
| McCracken | 39,616 | 90.4% | 6.1% | 2.2% | 1.3% |
| McCreary | 2,785 | 56.6% | 23.8% | 2.2% | 17.5% |
| McLean | 1,726 | 71.1% | 21.7% | 5.5% | 1.7% |
| Meade | 4,652 | 77.8% | 20.1% | 1.5% | 0.7% |
| Menifee | 942 | 60.0% | 30.0% | 4.7% | 5.3% |
| Mercer | 6,560 | 86.9% | 11.0% | 1.5% | 0.6% |
| Metcalfe | 1,944 | 77.6% | 19.1% | 2.3% | 1.0% |
| Monroe | 3,220 | 80.7% | 16.4% | 2.2% | 0.7% |
| Montgomery | 11,004 | 89.1% | 9.4% | 1.0% | 0.5% |
| Morgan | 2,726 | 65.4% | 17.8% | 15.9% | 0.9% |
| Muhlenberg | 7,770 | 78.5% | 15.4% | 4.5% | 1.5% |
| Nelson | 17,333 | 89.5% | 9.4% | 0.7% | 0.4% |
| Nicholas | 846 | 61.8% | 31.9% | 4.8% | 1.4% |
| Ohio | 7,238 | 77.2% | 20.7% | 1.2% | 0.8% |
| Oldham | 16,013 | 82.3% | 12.7% | 4.5% | 0.4% |
| Owen | 1,477 | 66.7% | 28.0% | 4.5% | 0.9% |
| Owsley | 662 | 59.4% | 33.7% | 5.6% | 1.4% |
| Pendleton | 2,221 | 72.8% | 23.1% | 2.8% | 1.2% |
| Perry | 11,125 | 80.6% | 11.3% | 6.9% | 1.2% |
| Pike | 20,023 | 85.2% | 11.3% | 2.7% | 0.8% |
| Powell | 2,987 | 74.0% | 21.4% | 3.4% | 1.1% |
| Pulaski | 25,422 | 85.8% | 10.0% | 3.4% | 0.8% |
| Robertson | 308 | 45.1% | NA | NA | 0.3% |
| Rockcastle | 3,766 | 80.0% | 17.0% | 2.2% | 0.8% |
| Rowan | 10,649 | 76.9% | 8.9% | 13.4% | 0.8% |
| Russell | 5,859 | 82.8% | 14.1% | 1.9% | 1.2% |
| Scott | 29,125 | 91.5% | 7.6% | 0.6% | 0.2% |
| Shelby | 16,115 | 84.5% | 12.6% | 2.4% | 0.5% |
| Simpson | 9,174 | 90.7% | 8.2% | 0.8% | 0.4% |
| Spencer | 2,090 | 68.0% | 28.1% | 2.5% | 1.5% |
| Taylor | 11,697 | 83.8% | 14.2% | 1.3% | 0.7% |
| Todd | 2,491 | 74.5% | 22.3% | 1.8% | 1.4% |
| Trigg | 2,967 | 77.7% | 16.4% | 3.3% | 2.5% |
| Trimble | 1,012 | 70.7% | 24.6% | 3.2% | 1.6% |
| Union | 4,830 | 85.8% | 11.9% | 1.3% | 1.0% |
| Warren | 66,504 | 87.4% | 7.3% | 4.7% | 0.6% |
| Washington | 3,275 | 84.1% | 13.2% | 1.8% | 0.9% |
| Wayne | 5,408 | 80.9% | 15.5% | 3.0% | 0.7% |
| Webster | 2,590 | 74.8% | 21.5% | 2.3% | 1.5% |
| Whitley | 13,376 | 83.2% | 14.8% | 1.4% | 0.7% |
| Wolfe | 1,546 | 73.1% | 22.2% | 3.5% | 1.3% |
| Woodford | 9,269 | 83.8% | 11.9% | 3.8% | 0.5% |
