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Ham radio operators in Kentucky: new licenses by county

9,768 licensed amateur radio operators; 311 new in the past 12 months. Updated weekly from FCC data.

At a glance · Data as of

New hams · last 30 days
25
New hams · last 12 months
311
▼ 8% vs prior 12 mo
Active licensed hams
9,768
Upgrades · 12 mo
160
Vanity callsigns · 12 mo
98
Address updates · 12 mo
174
Often a move into the area
Expiring · next 6 mo
580

About ham radio in Kentucky

New licenses held steady in Kentucky: 311 new hams in the past 12 months (down 8% from the year before). Kentucky ranks #28 of 52 states and territories for new licenses. Jefferson County leads the state with 34 new hams. Technicians make up 46% of the state’s licensees, close to the U.S. average of 48%. 160 operators upgraded their license in the past year, the moment many buy their first HF rig.

New hams by month

New hams per month in Kentucky, October 2025 to September 2026 300 in total. Highest: 38 in February 2026. Lowest: 0 in October 2025. Down 8% from the prior 12 months. Oct 2025: 0 new hams 0 Oct 2025 Nov 2025: 29 new hams 29 Nov Dec 2025: 38 new hams 38 Dec Jan 2026: 25 new hams 25 Jan 2026 Feb 2026: 38 new hams 38 Feb Mar 2026: 26 new hams 26 Mar Apr 2026: 20 new hams 20 Apr May 2026: 36 new hams 36 May Jun 2026: 32 new hams 32 Jun Jul 2026: 23 new hams 23 Jul Aug 2026: 17 new hams 17 Aug Sep 2026: 16 new hams 16 Sep
Complete calendar months only, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026. The current month is left out until it ends.
Show data table
New hams per month in Kentucky
MonthNew hams
Oct 20250
Nov 202529
Dec 202538
Jan 202625
Feb 202638
Mar 202626
Apr 202620
May 202636
Jun 202632
Jul 202623
Aug 202617
Sep 202616
Total300

License classes

Active licensees in Kentucky by license class, compared with U.S.
ClassHamsShareU.S.
Technician 4,46146%48%
General 2,68428%25%
Amateur Extra 2,10522%21%
Advanced 3333%3%
Novice / Other 1852%2%

Bar = Kentucky share · Tick = U.S. share

In the past 12 months, 77 operators upgraded to General and 73 to Amateur Extra.

How Kentucky compares

#28 of 52 states and territories for new hams in the past 12 months

Rates per 1,000 active licensees
Per 1,000 active hamsKentuckyU.S.
New hams, past 12 months31.833.3
Upgrades, past 12 months16.415.3
Expiring, next 6 months59.458.2

311 new hams in Kentucky this past year. Get next month’s list free.

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Top 10 Kentucky counties for new hams

Scroll sideways for more columns →

#CountyNew hams 12 moChange vs prior yearActive hamsNew per 1,000
1Jefferson County34▼ 13%1,10530.8
2Fayette County270%61144.2
3Christian County12▼ 14%15875.9
4Floyd County10—100100.0
5Scott County10—18055.6
6Kenton County9—26534.0
7Hardin County8—25331.6
8Pike County6—12747.2
9Warren County6▼ 40%29420.4
10Boone County5▼ 62%30816.2

— in Change means fewer than 10 new hams the year before.

All Kentucky counties

35 counties with their own page. Numbers are new hams in the past 12 months.

Smaller Kentucky counties

These 85 counties have too few licensees or too little recent activity for a page of their own, so their numbers are listed here.

Show all 85 smaller counties
CountyActive hamsNew hams · 12 mo
Adair County451
Allen County391
Ballard County211
Bath County330
Bell County340
Bourbon County322
Boyle County790
Bracken County181
Breathitt County210
Breckinridge County200
Butler County161
Caldwell County744
Carlisle County120
Carroll County120
Carter County470
Casey County180
Clay County190
Clinton County131
Crittenden County250
Cumberland County190
Edmonson County220
Elliott County141
Estill County440
Fleming County420
Fulton County260
Gallatin County130
Garrard County500
Grant County581
Graves County643
Grayson County530
Green County260
Greenup County901
Hancock County220
Harlan County700
Harrison County455
Hart County300
Henderson County910
Henry County360
Hickman County101
Jackson County360
Johnson County623
Knott County220
Larue County270
Lawrence County444
Lee County141
Leslie County141
Letcher County540
Lewis County250
Lincoln County520
Lyon County181
Magoffin County160
Marion County263
Martin County260
Mason County481
McCreary County320
McLean County241
Meade County562
Menifee County151
Mercer County673
Metcalfe County220
Monroe County211
Montgomery County711
Morgan County312
Nelson County1202
Nicholas County120
Ohio County451
Owen County140
Owsley County70
Pendleton County210
Perry County530
Powell County213
Robertson County30
Rockcastle County340
Russell County320
Simpson County441
Spencer County602
Taylor County373
Todd County251
Trigg County402
Trimble County100
Union County190
Washington County181
Wayne County633
Webster County301
Wolfe County90

Neighboring states

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Figures may be reused with credit to Ham Recruiter (CC BY 4.0).

Questions about hams in Kentucky

How many ham radio operators are in Kentucky?

9,768 active amateur radio licensees are on file for Kentucky as of Oct 12, 2026.

How many new hams were licensed in Kentucky last year?

311 people in Kentucky received their first FCC amateur radio license in the 12 months ending Oct 12, 2026.

Which Kentucky counties have the most new hams?

In the past 12 months: Jefferson County (34), Fayette County (27) and Christian County (12).

Where does this data come from?

From the FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) public amateur license database, which we download every Monday. Addresses are matched to counties with the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder. This page shows totals only.

Can I see the names or call signs on this page?

No. Public pages show totals only. Verified Ham Recruiter users can search and export lists for outreach; see how licensee information is handled.

About this data

Data as of . Source: FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) weekly amateur license database; county from U.S. Census Bureau geocoding. Aggregates only, no individual licensee data is shown. Aggregate figures © Ham Recruiter, CC BY 4.0.

How we count

  • New ham: an active licensee whose first license was granted in the period.
  • Address updates: a change of FCC mailing address, often a move into the area.
  • Counts use each licensee’s current FCC address. Someone licensed here who later moved is counted where they live now.
  • Each license keeps only its most recent event of each type, so two upgrades in one year count once.
  • PO-box-only addresses often can’t be matched to a county, so rural counties are slightly undercounted.

100% of Kentucky licensees could be matched to a county.