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 recorded the highest employment growth among these counties, with a 1.3 percent increase over the year.
Jefferson County had the highest employment total, with 478,100 jobs as of March 2025. The combined employment for Jefferson, Fayette, and Boone counties made up nearly 40 percent of all covered employment in Kentucky. Across the United States, large counties—those with annual average employment levels of at least 75,000 in 2024—represented more than 73 percent of total covered employment.
All three large Kentucky counties saw increases in average weekly wages from March 2024 to March 2025. 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 gains, weekly wages in each of these large Kentucky counties remained below the national average of $1,589 per week. Jefferson reported the highest local average at $1,485 per week; Fayette’s was $1,300 and Boone’s was $1,156.
For smaller counties in Kentucky—those with fewer than 75,000 employees—employment and wage data are also available. In this group of 117 small counties, Hancock County had the state’s highest average weekly wage at $1,750 while Nicholas County had the lowest at $699 per week.
Across all Kentucky counties (120 total), there were wide variations in weekly wages: sixteen reported averages below $800; thirty-four ranged from $800 to $899; twenty-seven fell between $900 and $999; nineteen ranged from $1,000 to $1,099; and twenty-four reported averages above $1,100.
The release notes that more detailed quarterly county-level data can be found on the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website and through related technical documents published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“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.”
The next update covering second quarter data for 2025 is scheduled for December 3.
