Kentucky’s Highest Average Weekly Wage Is in Hancock County

Have you ever wondered which Kentucky county has the highest average weekly wage? Would it surprise you to learn that it's Hancock County? It surprised me; I immediately thought of Jefferson and Fayette Counties as the possible leaders. But in the first quarter of 2026, Hancock County's average weekly wage was $1,780, higher than any other county in the state. Next door in Daviess County, the figure was $1,099. So what puts Hancock at the top?

What Hancock County’s Wage Figure Really Means

Now, before your eyes pop out of your head, that does not mean that everyone in Hancock County is pulling in $1,780 a week. The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts jobs where people work, including those who may live across a county line. Full- and part-time jobs are also counted, and the wage total can include bonuses. So this is a look at Hancock County's workplaces; we're not talking about a snapshot of every household in the county.

Why Hancock County Stands Out

For such a small county (population 9,050 as of July 1, 2025), Hancock County has a long industrial history along the Ohio River, including aluminum and paper production. But one prominent aluminum site—the former Century smelter in Hawesville—has been idled and is being redeveloped. That makes it harder to say from the countywide wage figure exactly which workplaces put Hancock on top.

The former Century Aluminum smelter in Hawesville, Kentucky. Photo courtesy of Dave Spencer

And this wasn’t a one-quarter fluke. Hancock County's average weekly wage was $1,750 in the first quarter of 2025, also the highest in Kentucky. The new figure of $1,780 is $30 higher than it was a year earlier. For perspective, Jefferson County—the one I guessed might lead—came in at $1,540 in the first quarter of 2026, while Fayette County was at $1,336.