Kentucky Holds July Unemployment at 4.7% as Nonfarm Payrolls Add 2,300 Jobs
Updated
Updated · User-generated content · Aug 23
Kentucky Holds July Unemployment at 4.7% as Nonfarm Payrolls Add 2,300 Jobs
2 articles · Updated · User-generated content · Aug 23
Summary
Kentucky’s preliminary July jobless rate stayed at 4.7%, with the civilian labor force rising by 6,183, employment up 4,760 and the number unemployed increasing by 1,423.
2,300 nonfarm jobs were added from June, lifting payrolls to 2,033,300, though total nonfarm employment was still down 2,600 jobs from July 2025.
1,700 manufacturing jobs and 1,300 education and health services jobs led July gains, while leisure and hospitality lost 900 jobs and government and construction each shed 500.
4.1% was the U.S. unemployment rate in July, down from 4.2% in June, leaving Kentucky 0.6 percentage point above the national level.
July marked Kentucky’s first monthly increase in household employment in 2026, but state economists said it remains unclear whether the manufacturing rebound signals a lasting shift.