Fayette County's jobless rate fell from 4.3% in July to 3.6% in August, below Kentucky's 4.3%. About 175,000 residents had jobs, 1,852 more than a year ago.
Fayette County’s unemployment rate fell to 3.6% in August, down from 4.3% in July. That is the county’s lowest rate since April, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The August figure is preliminary. The bureau can revise it when it publishes the next month’s numbers.
Lexington and Fayette County share one government and one boundary, so the county figure is the city’s figure.
The numbers
The bureau’s Local Area Unemployment Statistics for Fayette County show, for August 2026:
| Measure | August 2026 | August 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 3.6% | 3.7% | down 0.1 point |
| People in the labor force | 181,570 | 179,910 | up 1,660 |
| People with jobs | 175,087 | 173,235 | up 1,852 |
| People unemployed | 6,483 | 6,675 | down 192 |
Sources: the bureau’s series for the county’s unemployment rate, unemployed residents, employed residents and labor force.
The number of people out of work fell by 1,411 in a month, from 7,894 in July.
A summer bump, then a drop
The rate climbed through late spring and peaked at 4.8% in June. It then fell in July and again in August.
The same thing happened last year. The rate was 4.4% in July 2025 and 3.7% in August 2025. These county figures are not seasonally adjusted, so they rise and fall with the seasons.
The lowest rate in the past year was 2.9%, in December 2025. The bureau published no October 2025 figure.
| Month | Fayette County rate |
|---|---|
| August 2025 | 3.7% |
| September 2025 | 3.8% |
| November 2025 | 3.2% |
| December 2025 | 2.9% |
| January 2026 | 3.5% |
| February 2026 | 3.6% |
| March 2026 | 3.7% |
| April 2026 | 3.3% |
| May 2026 | 4.0% |
| June 2026 | 4.8% |
| July 2026 | 4.3% |
| August 2026 | 3.6% (preliminary) |
Against Kentucky
Fayette County’s rate stayed below the state’s. Kentucky’s rate, on the same not seasonally adjusted basis, was 4.3% in August 2026 and 4.4% in August 2025, according to the bureau’s statewide series.
What it means for you
- The job market is a little bigger than a year ago. About 1,850 more Fayette County residents had jobs in August than in August 2025.
- The rate counts residents, not jobs in the county. A Lexington resident who works in Georgetown or Nicholasville counts here. Someone who commutes in from Versailles does not.
Weighing a move? Our moving to Lexington guide and home prices page have more on living here.
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