Employment in Kentucky’s three largest counties showed mixed trends between March 2024 and March 2025, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Boone County experienced the highest employment growth among these counties, increasing by 1.3 percent over the year.
Jefferson County reported the largest number of employed persons at 478,100 as of March 2025. Combined, Jefferson, Fayette, and Boone counties represented nearly 40 percent of all covered employment in Kentucky. Across the United States, large counties—defined as those with annual average employment levels of at least 75,000 in 2024—accounted for more than 73 percent of total covered employment.
Average weekly wages rose in all three major Kentucky counties during this period. Fayette County led with a wage increase of 3.1 percent, followed by Boone at 2.6 percent and Jefferson at 2.4 percent.
Despite these increases, average weekly wages in each of Kentucky’s largest counties remained below the national average of $1,589 per week. Jefferson posted the highest county wage at $1,485 per week; Fayette averaged $1,300; and Boone recorded $1,156.
For Kentucky’s smaller counties—those with fewer than 75,000 employees—employment and wage data were also reported. Of these 117 small counties, all but one had average weekly wages below the national figure. Hancock County was an exception with an average weekly wage of $1,750—the highest among small counties—while Nicholas County had the lowest at $699 per week.
Across all Kentucky counties (120 total), there was a wide range in wage levels: sixteen reported averages under $800 per week; thirty-four ranged from $800 to $899; twenty-seven fell between $900 and $999; nineteen were between $1,000 and $1,099; and twenty-four reported averages above $1,100 per week.
“Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that Boone County had the larger over-the-year increase in employment, with a gain of 1.3 percent.”
Additional information about quarterly employment and wages is available through technical notes and on the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (https://www.bls.gov/cew/).
The next release covering second quarter data for 2025 is scheduled for December 3rd at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time.
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