Coal mining jobs in Kentucky fell by more than 100 from March to June, most of them in eastern parts of the state.
That left fewer than 3,400 coal jobs statewide as of June 30, according to the latest figures from the Energy and Environment Cabinet. In the first half of the year, the state lost more than 300 coal jobs, due in part to the bankruptcy of a Pike County producer.
That’s a drastic drop from the more than 19,000 workers the industry employed statewide in the first quarter of 2009. The first three months of that year were also the last time Kentucky mines produced more than 30 million tons of coal in a single quarter.
In this year’s second quarter, the state produced shy of 6 million tons, an increase of about 3% from the second quarter of 2025.
The declines come amid a surge in the growth of solar power and despite Trump administration policies intended to boost coal use. That includes federal grants it announced in June.
Kentucky Power’s Mitchell plant in West Virginia got $51 million for a new cooling tower. East Kentucky Power’s Spurlock and Cooper plants in Mason and Pulaski counties received $90 million for a partial conversion to natural gas.
In May, solar surpassed coal nationwide in electricity generation for the first time. Federal data show U.S. coal plants generated less electricity every month from January to May in 2026 than they did in the same period in 2025.
First quarter state coal data only became available last month because of a delay in supporting federal data.
Contributing to the state’s job losses is the bankruptcy of Pike County coal operator Clintwood JOD LLC, which was sold at auction for $1.1 million, a fraction of what it owes its creditors.
About 300 laid-off workers sued for back pay and benefits. Earlier this month, though, Clintwood’s attorneys asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to dismiss the lawsuit, saying there is no money left to satisfy the workers’ claims. A trial had been scheduled for November.
Coal production in Eastern Kentucky fell more than 5% in the second quarter. Harlan County produced the most, at 600,000 tons, followed by Perry and Letcher counties at about 300,000 each.
Pike County, which once led the state in coal production, came in fourth at about 250,000 tons.
Whitley, Leslie and Bell counties each produced about 100,000 tons in the second quarter.
Western Kentucky coal production rose nearly 8%. Henderson County remains the leader, producing nearly 1.9 million tons in the quarter, almost as much as all of Eastern Kentucky.
Hopkins and Union rounded out the region, with 1.1 million and 800,000 tons respectively.
