South region · state data

Kentucky unemployment rate and jobs

Kentucky's unemployment rate was 4.7% in Sep 2026, 0.5 percentage points above the U.S. rate of 4.2%. That was up from 4.5% a year earlier.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics and Current Employment Statistics) via FRED®. Monthly data, seasonally adjusted. Latest observation Sep 2026; snapshot taken Oct 27, 2026, 2:15 AM EDT.

Unemployment rate (Sep 2026)

4.7%

U.S. rate, same month

4.2%

Difference from U.S.

+0.5 pt

A year earlier

4.5%

Rank (1 = lowest rate)

42nd of 51

Nonfarm jobs (Sep 2026)

2.03 million

Job growth, 12 months

-0.0%

Record low rate

4.0% (Jul 2022)

Unemployment rate: Kentucky vs. the U.S.

4.7% Sep 2026 · Percent

Kentucky unemployment rate U.S. unemployment rate

Percent of the labor force, seasonally adjusted. Kentucky data from Jan 1976 to Sep 2026; the dashed line is the national rate (UNRATE).

How Kentucky compares

In Sep 2026, Kentucky had the 8th highest rate of the 51 states and DC (tied with Nevada, New Mexico). Across the 16 states and DC in the South region, the simple average was 4.0%, so Kentucky was 0.7 points above it.

Since the state series began in 1976, Kentucky's rate has ranged from a low of 4.0% in Jul 2022 to a high of 16.7% in Apr 2020. Just before the pandemic, in February 2020, it was 4.1%, 0.6 points lower than now. Over the last 12 months the rate averaged 4.5% and was above the national rate in 6 of them.

Jobs in Kentucky

Employers in Kentucky reported 2.03 million nonfarm payroll jobs in Sep 2026, seasonally adjusted. That is 400 fewer than a year earlier (-0.0%), compared with +0.3% for the nation as a whole. Its 12-month job growth rate ranked 43rd of 51. The record high was 2.04 million in Aug 2024. Compared with February 2020, payrolls are up 3.9%.

2,031.7K Sep 2026 · Thousands of persons

Total nonfarm payroll jobs, thousands, seasonally adjusted, from the BLS survey of employers. Data from Jan 1990.

Last 12 months in Kentucky
Month	Unemployment rate	U.S. rate	Nonfarm jobs	Monthly job change
Sep 2026	4.7%	4.2%	2.03 million	-800
Aug 2026	4.7%	4.1%	2.03 million	-1,500
Jul 2026	4.7%	4.1%	2.03 million	+3,000
Jun 2026	4.7%	4.2%	2.03 million	+700
May 2026	4.5%	4.3%	2.03 million	-3,900
Apr 2026	4.3%	4.3%	2.03 million	+900
Mar 2026	4.2%	4.3%	2.03 million	+1,200
Feb 2026	4.2%	4.4%	2.03 million	-900
Jan 2026	4.3%	4.3%	2.03 million	+3,700
Dec 2025	4.4%	4.4%	2.03 million	+2,000
Nov 2025	4.4%	4.5%	2.03 million	-4,800
Sep 2025	4.5%	4.4%	2.03 million	-3,900

Record high unemployment rate: 16.7% (Apr 2020). Monthly figures are revised each year when BLS benchmarks the state data.

States with similar unemployment rates

Delaware · 4.6%Illinois · 4.6%New Mexico · 4.7%Nevada · 4.7%

Other South states

Alabama Arkansas Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Louisiana Maryland Mississippi North Carolina Oklahoma South Carolina Tennessee Texas Virginia West Virginia All 50 states and DC U.S. unemployment rate

This page shows public labor market data for general information. It is not financial or career advice and does not predict future values.

Sources

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Unemployment Rate in Kentucky [KYUR], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/KYUR, Oct 27, 2026.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, All Employees: Total Nonfarm in Kentucky [KYNA], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/KYNA, Oct 27, 2026.
View KYUR on FRED® · View KYNA on FRED® · BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics · BLS State and Metro Area Employment

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