New employment data for February 2026 is out from the Kentucky Center for Statistics.
In Wayne County, the unemployment rate was 5.4 percent. This represents a decrease of half a percentage point from the 5.9 percent rate recorded in January 2026.
Compared to the same time last year, the improvement is more pronounced. The February 2026 rate of 5.4 percent is significantly lower than the 7.1 percent jobless rate recorded in February 2025.
Elsewhere in the Lake Cumberland region, McCreary County holds the highest rate at 6.1 percent, followed by Clinton County at 5.2 percent, Pulaski County at 4.7 percent, and Russell County with the area low of 4.3 percent.