How many jobs were added in last month?

Updated Apr. 14, 2026Refreshed monthly
Kentucky gained 5,600 jobs in January 2026, ranking it 17th among states in job growth. Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' state employment report, which tracks monthly job changes. Job numbers can swing month to month as local economies expand or contract, but over the past five years the state has averaged about 2,600 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.

+5.6K

month to month change in number of jobs (January 2026)

17th

rank among states in monthly job growth (January 2026)
January 2026's gain of 5,600 jobs was the second consecutive month of positive job growth in Kentucky. Monthly job growth was up from the 2,000 new jobs in December 2025.
During the latest five year period (February 2021 to January 2026), Kentucky gained jobs in 44 out of 60 months. January 2026 had the 16th-highest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in October 2021 (+21,000) while job growth was weakest in January 2025 (-7,500).

There were 5,600 more jobs in January 2026 in Kentucky than the previous month.

Monthly change in nonfarm employment, February 2021–January 2026, seasonally adjusted

Which Kentucky sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in January 2026?

The three supersectors with the highest job growth in January 2026 were health care and social assistance, retail trade, and administrative and support and waste management and remediation services. Health care and social assistance added 2,000 jobs. Retail trade gained 1,500 jobs, while administrative and support and waste management and remediation services added 1,300. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.

The health care and social assistance sector gained 2,000 jobs during January 2026.

Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Kentucky (January 2026)

How does Kentucky's job growth in 2025 compare to previous years?

In 2025, the state has gained an average of 525 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 1,300, and the smallest since 2024. The 2025 average ranks as the 16th-highest in job growth since 2006.
When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 4,800 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 3,500 on average every month in 2022.

In 2025, Kentucky gained an average of 525 jobs every month.

Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted

Job growth among six metro areas at least partially in Kentucky during January 2026 ranged from a gain of 100 jobs in the Owensboro, KY area to a gain of 3,300 jobs in the Louisville, KY area metro area.

Monthly job growth, by metro area

Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within Kentucky

Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areaChange in jobs

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.