Perry County unemployment rate falls to 4.8 percent in February

Perry County’s unemployment rate fell to 4.8 percent in February, leaving 500 people unemployed in a labor force of 10,516. The local figure was still above Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted statewide rate of 4.2 percent, a sign that the county’s job market has improved but remains tighter than the state as a whole.

The county numbers came from Kentucky Center for Statistics data released April 30. KYSTATS said unemployment rates fell in 119 Kentucky counties between February 2025 and February 2026 and held steady in Wolfe County. County estimates are not seasonally adjusted, so the Perry County figure reflects the raw monthly labor picture rather than a smoothed statewide trend.

Perry County’s February rate sits far below the pandemic-era peak of 17.3 percent in April 2020, but it also remains above the county’s recent low of 3.6 percent in December 2025. That gap shows how quickly local labor conditions can shift in Eastern Kentucky, where employers, schools and workforce agencies are still working to connect residents to jobs that pay enough to keep them close to home.

The labor data landed as Perry County picked up a major economic-development announcement: Toothsure said April 30 that it plans a new $7.3 million manufacturing operation in the county. The project is expected to create 60 full-time jobs in Kentucky over 15 years, with an average hourly wage of $55.25, including benefits. The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority approved up to $150,000 in tax incentives through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act.

That combination of a lower unemployment rate and a new industrial project gives local readers a clearer snapshot of the county’s work force than any single headline can. Perry County has long leaned on workforce development, including participation in Kentucky’s Work Ready initiative, and the state Department of Workforce Development says it connects Kentuckians to apprenticeships, career development, education, employment and training. For a county where young adults often weigh whether they can build a future in Hazard or elsewhere in Eastern Kentucky, the real question is whether new jobs will mean steadier work, better pay and more people staying in the labor force.