STAFF REPORT
Glasgow News 1
Barren County’s unemployment rate fell by more than a full percentage point between February 2025 and February 2026, according to new data from the Kentucky Center for Statistics.
Barren County’s jobless rate was at 5.1 percent for February 2026, which is down from 6.3 percent in February 2025.
Barren County had 18,020 people in its labor force in February 2026, with 916 listed as unemployed. The labor force figure includes non-military workers and unemployed residents who were actively seeking work during the survey period.
The center reports that Kentucky’s overall unemployment rate for February 2026 was 4.8 percent, while the national rate stood at 4.7 percent during the same month. That places Barren County slightly above both the state and national averages, even as the local rate improved from the previous year.
The Kentucky Center for Statistics, an agency within the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet, notes that county unemployment rates and employment levels are not seasonally adjusted. Because county-level samples are small, officials say the figures can fluctuate sharply due to seasonal events such as weather changes, harvests, holidays and school schedules.
Unemployment statistics are based on estimates and are compiled primarily to measure trends rather than to count every person who is working or looking for work, according to the center.
The data, according to the center, should only be compared to the same month in previous years.
Key Facts
• Barren County’s unemployment rate was 5.1% in February 2026, according to the Kentucky Center for Statistics.
• The rate is down from 6.3% in February 2025.
• There were 18,020 people in the labor force and 916 unemployed in February 2026.
• Kentucky’s February 2026 unemployment rate was 4.8%.
• The U.S. unemployment rate for February 2026 was 4.7%.
• County unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted and are meant to show trends over time.
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