Kentucky coal jobs continued to slide in the third quarter of 2026 even production increased.
The latest report from the Energy and Environment Cabinet shows just fewer than 3,300 coal jobs statewide, a 14% drop from the June-to-September quarter in 2025.
Eastern Kentucky saw the biggest decline in jobs, with a more than 20% loss over last year, leaving a few more than 1,800 workers in the region.
Western Kentucky declined slightly, leaving more than 1,500 coal workers.
Despite the job loss, state production exceeded 6 million tons in the third quarter, an 8.5% increase from last year.
Henderson County led the pack with about 2 million tons, followed by Hopkins at around 1 million tons.
No single county in Eastern Kentucky produced close to 1 million tons in the quarter. Harlan led the region with 670,000 tons, followed by Letcher and Pike with less than 300,000 tons each.
Pike County once led the state in production. Recently, though, it has fallen far behind. It has lost more than half its coal mining jobs since the beginning of the year and now has fewer than 300 such workers.
That’s in part because about 300 workers lost their jobs earlier this year with the bankruptcy of Clintwood JOD LLC, a Pike-based producer. The company’s assets were sold for a fraction of its debts at auction over the summer.
The laid-off workers sued, claiming they were not notified of the operation’s closure as required by federal labor law. They sought 60 days of back pay and benefits. A judge dismissed the case, however.
According to state data, Pike County has about 500 direct jobs in tourism, more than the once-dominant coal industry. Pikeville Medical Center alone has 3,400 workers, more than the number of coal workers left statewide.
There were 10,000 coal jobs statewide as recently as the first quarter of 2015.
President Donald Trump has attempted to inject new life into the coal industry in recent years, rolling back regulations and declaring an energy emergency to keep plants from shutting down.
Federal data, though, show coal’s share of electricity generation has continued to decline since the beginning of last year. In May, solar outpaced coal for the first time.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration forecasts a decline in coal generation to 14% in 2027 from 16% in 2026 and 17% in 2025 amid record electricity generation nationwide.
