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KENTUCKY
COAL FACTS

Provided by

Kentucky Coal Association
through an education grant per
KRS 224.10-100-(29) from

Kentucky Department for Energy
Development and Independence

* Highlights
Production
Kentucky produced 112.9 million tons of coal in 2009 (107.3 according to Federal
data), compared to the record production of 179.4 million tons set in 1990. Kentucky has
been one of the top three coal producers in the United States for the last 50 years.

Employment
The Kentucky coal industry paid $1.437 billion in direct wages in 2009. According to
State figures the industry directly employed 23,340 persons, indirectly providing 3 additional
jobs for every miner employed. The average weekly wage for coal miners in Kentucky was
$1,214 during 2009.

Economy
The Kentucky coal industry brought approximately $5.3 billion (assuming average $58
coal price) into Kentucky during 2009 through coal sales to customers in 25 other states
and 4 foreign countries. Kentucky coal companies paid $270.34 million in coal severance
taxes in Fiscal Year 2009-10.

Coal Markets
Electric power plants, located in 21 states, accounted for almost 94% of the Kentucky
coal sold during 2009. The remainder is sold for industrial uses.
Approximately 73% of the coal produced in Kentucky is sold out-of-state each year.
There are 21 major coal-burning electric generating plants in Kentucky, and almost all
(92.7%) of Kentucky's electricity is generated from coal.

Environment
All surface-mined land today is reclaimed equal to or better than it was prior to mining.
Kentucky mining companies have received 25 national reclamation awards from 1986 thru
2005 for outstanding achievement in surface mining.
Coal mining creates valuable lands such as wildlife habitats, gently rolling mountaintops, wetlands, and industrial sites where only steep, unproductive hillsides had once existed.
Kentucky operators have paid over $1.052 billion into the Federal Abandoned Mine
Land Fund since 1978 to reclaim abandoned coal mines. Nationwide, operators have paid
over $9 billion into this fund. Until 2006, all contributions were not allocated from the fund,
but the Surface Mine Act was amended to force distribution of all monies within 7 years.

Coal Resources
Kentucky has two distinct coal fields, one in Western Kentucky and one in Eastern
Kentucky. Kentucky's 86.3 billion tons of remaining coal resources represent 82% of the
original resource.

Electricity
Average retail electricity costs in Kentucky were 6.03 cents/kilowatt-hour in 2009, the
lowest in the United States.
This publication is for informational use only. Printed in 2011, it contains mainly 2009 statistics —the
most recent year of complete information. It includes some extrapolative second and third party data as
well as some broad estimates, and should not necessarily be construed as official source data or be
construed as advocating or reflecting any policy position of the Kentucky Department for Energy Development and Independence, the Kentucky Coal Association, or the Kentucky Geological Survey .
Coal mine and production data are compiled by both Kentucky and Federal agencies. Both sources
are used in this publication for completeness, however the reader should be aware that differences exist
between the sources.
Totals given in some tables of this book do not appear to sum correctly due to rounding of the
original data.
All coal tonnages in this report are given in short tons (2000 lbs.)

i

* Table of Contents
Highlights..................................................................................................................... i
Contents ..................................................................................................................... 1
Changes and Trends .................................................................................................. 2
Data Sources ............................................................................................................. 3
History of Coal ......................................................................................................... 4-5
Types of Mining .......................................................................................................... 6

PRODUCTION
U.S. Coal Production .................................................................................................. 7
Kentucky Coal Production .......................................................................................... 8
County Coal Production ............................................................................................. 9

EMPLOYMENT
Employment ............................................................................................................. 10
Productivity ............................................................................................................... 11
Employment / Wages by County .............................................................................. 12
Safety and Training .................................................................................................. 13

ECONOMY
Severance Tax by County ........................................................................................ 14
Coal Taxes Returned ............................................................................................... 15
Economic Impact ...................................................................................................... 16
Coal Prices ............................................................................................................... 17

COAL MARKETS
Transportation .......................................................................................................... 18
Uses of Coal ............................................................................................................. 19
Coal Deliveries — State to State ............................................................................ 20
Electric Utility Shipments.......................................................................................... 21
Coal Imports / Exports .............................................................................................. 22

ENVIRONMENT
Air Quality / By-Products .......................................................................................... 23
Reclamation ............................................................................................................. 24
Post-Mining Land Uses ....................................................................................... 25-26
AML Reclamation ..................................................................................................... 27

COAL RESOURCES
Coal Origin and Properties ....................................................................................... 28
U.S. National Coal Production ................................................................................. 29
U.S. Coal Reserves .................................................................................................. 30
Kentucky Coal Resources ................................................................................... 31-32
Coal Properties / Improvements............................................................................... 33
Why We Use Coal .................................................................................................... 34

ELECTRICITY
Electricity Costs ........................................................................................................ 35
Utility Market Share .................................................................................................. 36
Coal-Fired Power Plants .......................................................................................... 37

GASIFICATION
Coal—America’s Energy Future.......................................................................... 38-39

RESOURCES
State Contacts .......................................................................................................... 40
Information Assistance ............................................................................................. 41

1

* Changes & Trends
Western Kentucky

Western Kentucky coal production has been increasing since
2003 as a result of greater demand for lower-cost, medium-sulfur coal
suitable for power plants with emission control technology. This trend
is expected to continue in the near term because of new mine openings in the region and anticipated improvements to coal-fired plants.

Eastern Kentucky

The number of eastern Kentucky underground mines has decreased steadily from around 900 in 1985 to 186 in 2009. While the
current mines have larger production than earlier mines, total underground production has been falling incrementally from 70 to 80 million
tons (MT) in the 1990’s and 50 to 60 MT in the early 2000’s to 37 MT
in 2009. This change is believed to be due to the high cost of underground mining in the region and reduced demand arising from power
plants switching to sulfur-reduction technology or cheaper western
U.S. coal.

Market Share

Kentucky remains the third largest coal producer in the U.S., but
its share of the domestic coal market has continued to fall (23% in
1975; 10% in 2009) as western U.S. coal captures more market
share.

Employment

After nearly three decades of declining employment due to increased efficiency and fewer mines, Kentucky mining employment
has risen in the last decade. Western Kentucky mines have added
1,200 employees and eastern Kentucky mines have added 2,157
employees.

Coal Prices

After three decades of level coal prices in the $20 per ton range,
coal prices have risen dramatically over the past ten years to a current average price of $58 per ton.

Mine Productivity

Between 2000 and 2009, mine productivity has declined in Kentucky and the United States, reversing a century-long trend of increased productivity.

Power Plant Emissions

Kentucky’s NOx and SO2 emissions from electric power plants
have declined steadily since 1990 when the Clean Air Act Amendments were instituted. During the same period, CO2 emissions have
risen 20% due to increased power consumption.

2

* Data Sources
The information in this booklet is compiled by a number of State, Federal, and private
agencies. Without the assistance of those organizations and their representatives, this publication would not be possible. Each page lists the specific sources used for this update. This
page gives contact information for the organizations and who assisted us with data collection.
Some of the historical data shown in this issue was derived from earlier versions of this booklet, and the data sources referenced here may no longer be readily available.

U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration
www.eia.doe.gov
Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet, Department for Natural Resources
Office of Mine Safety and Licensing
http://omsl.ky.gov
Coal production, mines, and licensing
John Hiett (John.Hiett@ky.gov)
http://omsl.ky.gov/Pages/AnnualReports.aspx
Safety Analysis, Training & Certification
Frank Reed (Frank.Reed@ky.gov)
http://omsl.ky.gov/Pages/SafetyAnalysis,TrainingandCertification.aspx
Division of Mine Reclamation and Enforcement
http://dmre.ky.gov/
Mr. Clay Baxter (Clay.Baxter@ky.gov): Reclamation
Department for Natural Resources, Division of Abandoned Mine Lands
http://aml.ky.gov/
Mr. Steve Hohmann (Steve.Hohmann@ky.gov): AML
Kentucky Office of Employment and Training, Research and Statistics Branch,
Employment and Wage Section
http://oet.ky.gov/
Ms. Beverly Dearborn (beverlym.dearborn@ky.gov): wages
Kentucky Department of Revenue
http://revenue.ky.gov/
Mr. Randy Murray (Randy.Murray@ky.gov)
Ms. Sarah Pence (Sarah.Pence@ky.gov): Unmined minerals tax
Kentucky Department for Local Government
http://www.dlg.ky.gov/
Ms. Kim Tompkins (Kim.Tompkins@ky.gov): Coal severance tax
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Coal Haul Highway System
http://transportation.ky.gov/planning/maps/coalhaul/coalhaul.asp
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, IRP
http://dmc.kytc.ky.gov/irp
Mr. Jeff Tipton (Jeff.Tipton@ky.gov): Truck Haulage
Environmental Protection Agency, Air Emission Sources
http://www.epa.gov/air/emissions/where.htm

3

* History of Coal
1701
1748
1750
1755
1758
1820
1850
1860
1866
1870
1872
1877
1880

1890

1900

1910
1914
1918
1920
1923
1932
1940
1942

1947
1956
1960
1966

4

Coal discovered in Virginia.
First recorded U.S. coal production.
April 13th-Dr. Thomas Walker was the first recorded person to discover and use coal in Kentucky.
Lewis Evan's map showing coal in what is now the Greenup County and Boyd County area of
Kentucky.
First commercial U.S. coal shipment.
First commercial mine, known as the "McLean drift bank" opened in Kentucky, near the Green
River and Paradise in Muhlenberg County.
328 short tons mined and sold in Kentucky.
Lexington and Big Sandy Railroad proposed.
Kentucky Geological Survey established.
Pre-Civil War Kentucky production record of 285,760 tons.
Surface mining begins near Danville, Illinois.
Post-Civil War Kentucky production decline to 150,582 tons.
St. Louis & Southern Railroad completed from Henderson to Earlington, Kentucky.
First train off the Big Sandy Railroad.
Coal mined with steam-powered shovel.
Mechanical stokers introduced.
First coke ovens in West Kentucky.
Mine Ventilation Law.
First train from Williamson, West Virginia to Pike County, Kentucky.
Coal mining machines come into general use.
N&W Railroad's first mine at Goody in Pike County.
Hopkins County in West Kentucky leading coal producer in the state for 18 straight years.
Miner Pay Law.
United Mine Workers of America formed.
Machines developed to undercut coalbeds.
5,000 kilowatt steam turbine generates electricity.
Child Labor Law.
Edgewater Coal Company's first production in Pike County.
First train off the Lexington and Eastern Railroad.
Independent Geological Survey established.
First train from the Cumberland Valley Railroad.
Fordson Coal Company's first production at Pond Creek.
Pike-Floyd Coal Company's first production at Betsy Layne.
World War I increases demand for coal; Kentucky produced 20.3 million tons.
Short-flame or "permissible" explosives developed.
Mine Safety Law.
First pulverized coal firing in electric power plants.
Federal Mineral Leasing Act.
All-time high U.S. employment of 704,793 bituminous coal and lignite miners.
First dragline excavators built especially for surface mining.
Walking dragline excavators developed.
World War II - coal production in Kentucky rises to 72.4 million tons for the war effort.
Auger surface mining introduced.
Republic Steel Company's first production - Road Creek, Kentucky.
Post-War Marshall Plan - production rose to 88.7 million tons in Kentucky.
Continuous underground mining systems developed.
Kentucky Water Contamination Legislation.
Kentucky Coal Association founded.
Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act.
Railroads converting from coal to diesel fuel.
Roof bolting introduced in underground mines.
Railroads began using unit coal trains.
First longwall mining with powered roof supports.
Kentucky Surface Mining Legislation.
National Historic Preservation Act.
C&O Railroad to John's Creek constructed - Pike County.

* History of Coal
1969
1970
1972
1973
1976
1977
1980
1983

1988

1988
1990
1992
1993
1994
1996
1997
1998
2001
2005

2006

2007

2009
2010
2011

Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act.
Federal Clean Air Act.
Kentucky Coal Severance Tax established.
Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
Kentucky becomes the leading coal production state.
Endangered Species Act.
OPEC oil embargo: Coal production and prices rise.
Federal Coal Leasing Amendments Act.
Federal Surface Mine Control and Reclamation Act.
Congress enacts the National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP) Study, a 10
year research program, which invested $550 million for the study of "acid rain." Industries
spend over $1 billion on Air Pollution Control Equipment during 1980.
OPEC cuts oil prices for first time.
U.S. Clean Coal Technology Demonstration Program established $2.5 billion in Federal matching funds committed to assist the private sector to develop and demonstrate improved clean
coal technologies.
Kentucky Supreme Court rules that the unmined minerals tax on coal is subject to the same
state and local property tax rates as other real estate.
TVA 160-MW Atmospheric Fluidized Bed Combustion Unit on line.
Wyoming displaces Kentucky as the leading coal producing state.
Broad Form Deed legislation passes in Kentucky.
Federal Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.
U.S. coal production exceeds 1 billion tons.
U.S. Energy Policy Act of 1992.
CEDAR, Inc. (Coal Education Development and Resources) formed in Pike County.
Western Kentucky CEDAR, Inc. was formed in Webster and Union Counties.
Kentucky Coal Education (www.coaleducation.org) was introduced to the Internet.
Workers' Comp Reform Laws are passed in Kentucky.
The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to reintroduce elk into 14 eastern Kentucky
counties on post-mined lands, citing mountaintop mining areas and old mine benches as good
elk habitat. Kentucky has the only large free-ranging elk herd in the eastern United States.
Federal synthetic fuel tax credit for use of coal fines begins.
Natural gas prices increase more than 50% in one year.
Electricity shortages result in rolling blackouts in California.
East Kentucky Power Cooperative’s Gilbert coal-fueled fluidized-bed power plant begins operation, the first coal-fired plant in over 15 years.
Energy Policy Act of 2005 signed by President Bush; includes major Clean Coal Technology
programs.
EPA adopts Clean Air Mercury Rule to reduce power plant HG emissions to 15 tons by 2018.
Kentucky Energy Security National Leadership Act (HB 299) enacted; Act calls for strategy for
producing liquid and gaseous fuels from Kentucky coal.
Kentucky Coal Academy founded to train new coal miners.
Kentucky becomes the first coal state to adopt a drug testing program for certification of coal
miners.
Congress passes Mine Improvement & New Emergency Response Act, (MINER Act). The most
significant federal mine safety legislation in 30 years, requiring underground coal operators to
improve accident preparedness.
First year with no underground coal mining fatalities in Kentucky since records began.
House Bill 1, providing incentives for development in Kentucky of industries for producing
transportation fuels and synthetic natural gas by gasification of coal enacted.
U.S. Air Force flies B-52 bomber and C-17 transport aircraft on a 50-50 blend of conventional
jet fuel and jet fuel produced by the Fischer-Tropsch process that converts gasified coal into
liquid fuels and chemicals.
EPA proposes rule making for regulating coal combustion residues as hazardous materials.
EPA proposes Clean Air Transport Rule for reducing SO2 and NOx at power plants.
EPA proposes to develop new standards for cooling water intake structures at power plants
EPA proposes new rules for reductions in Mercury emissions.

Sources: Energy Information Administration, (www.eia.doe.gov), Kentucky Department of Mines and Minerals,
Annual Reports, and Willard Rouse Jillson, Coal Industry in Kentucky, 1922.

5

* Types of Mining

Kentucky has two distinct coal fields, each containing numerous deposits of bituminous
coal of various characteristics and mines of every type and size. In surface mining, the use of
large mining equipment maximizes the recovery through the excavation of one or more coal
seam deposits in the large area surface mines of the gently rolling Western Kentucky coal field
and in the large mountain top mines in the steeper terrain of the Eastern Kentucky coal field.
Both the eastern and western Kentucky coal fields have large, modern, and efficient underground mines (of various entry types) utilizing improved mining methods with increased mechanization including continuous miners, continuous haulage, and longwall mining. Of Kentucky's
107.3* million tons of 2009 coal production, 63.1 million tons were produced by underground
mining methods and 44.2 million tons were produced by surface mining methods.

Mine Type

No. of
Production
Mines (million tons)

Surface

251

44.2

E KY
W KY

239
12

37.5
6.6

Underground

198

63.2

E KY

186

37.2

W KY

12

25.9

E KY Total

425

74.7

W KY Total

24

32.6

State Totals

449

107.3

*NOTE: This is the official USDOE production figure for Kentucky. State and Federal numbers typically differ.

Sources: Coal mining method graphic courtesy of Dr. Stephen F. Greb, Kentucky Geological Survey, University of
Kentucky. 2009 production data is from USDOE/EIA Annual Coal Report, Table 1.

6

* U.S. Coal Production
KY and U.S. Coal Production 1970—2009 (millions of tons)
Year

Eastern

1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009

72.5
87.3
109.2
113.3
128.4
118.5
105.0
109.1
99.4
91.3
90.9
93.3
93.6
87.1
90.3
74.7

Kentucky
Western
52.8
56.4
41.0
39.0
44.9
35.2
25.8
24.7
24.7
21.5
23.4
26.4
27.2
28.2
30.1
32.6

Total

United
States

KY as
% of U.S.

125.3
143.6
150.1
152.3
173.3
153.7
130.7
133.8
124.1
112.8
114.2
119.7
120.8
115.3
120.4
107.3

602.9
648.4
829.7
883.6
1,029.1
1,033.0
1,073.6
1,125.9
1,094.3
1,071.8
1,112.1
1,131.5
1,162.7
1,146.6
1,171.8
1,074.9

20.8
22.1
18.1
17.2
16.8
14.9
12.2
11.9
11.3
10.5
10.3
10.6
10.4
10.1
10.3
10.0

Note: This chart contains the official U.S. DOE production numbers for Kentucky. Federal and state
(page 8) production numbers typically differ.

U. S. Leading Coal Producers

Kentucky ranked
third in the United
States in coal
production during
2009.

2009
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

State
Wyoming
West Virginia
Kentucky
Pennsylvania
Montana
Indiana
Texas
Illinois
North Dakota
Colorado

Millions
of Tons
431.1
137.0
107.3
58.0
39.5
35.7
35.1
33.7
29.9
28.3

Sources: U. S. Bureau of Mines, Mineral Yearbook, 1970-1976; U.S. DOE/EIA; Coal Production, 1977-1992,
Coal Industry Annual, 1993-2006, Annual Coal Reports, 2007-2009.

7

* Kentucky Coal Production
Kentucky produced 112.9 million tons of bituminous coal in 2009 (KY data), down
more than 66 million tons from the record 179.4 million tons set in 1990.
Underground
East KY
West KY
44,068,538
19,430,489
41,280,096
24,757,456
59,603,430
19,558,157
75,530,607
21,188,598
81,577,417
27,375,465
73,922,358
24,763,534
59,956,626
21,543,143
52,679,423
21,751,538
50,853,952
25,971,680
46,016,208
26,021,994
45,418,682
26,985,702
37,811,510
28,515,085

Year
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009

Surface
East KY
28,527,422
46,957,448
49,582,095
52,294,115
49,393,390
47,288,817
44,335,363
45,073,132
45,537,968
44,166,862
48,021,888
38,718,788

State
Total
125,308,395
144,204,511
150,143,973
171,616,063
179,373,269
157,787,682
131,845,988
124,407,575
125,960,611
120,243,020
125,821,459
112,859,201

West KY
33,281,946
31,209,511
21,400,291
22,602,743
21,026,997
11,812,973
6,010,856
4,903,482
3,597,011
4,037,956
5,395,187
7,813,818

Source: Kentucky Division of Mines & Minerals, Annual Reports, 1960-2002; Office of Mine Safety & Licensing, Annual Reports, 2003-2009.

Number of Kentucky Coal Mines, 1985-2009
Year
1985
1990
1995
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009

Underground
East KY
West KY
897
601
339
234
253
219
201
212
211
214
191
205
186

24
26
22
12
11
14
12
11
13
13
10
11
12

Surface
East KY West KY
836
301
201
148
187
180
174
185
193
202
203
241
239

101
59
36
14
16
14
13
11
15
13
13
12
12

State
Total
1,858
987
598
408
467
427
400
419
432
442
417
469
449

Source: U.S. DOE-Energy Information Administration, Coal Industry Annual, 1993-2009; Coal
Production, 1984-2004.

Number of Kentucky Mine Licenses, 1985-2009
Year

Underground
East KY
West KY

Surface
East KY
West KY

State
Total

1985
1990
1995
2000
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009

1,153
799
456
309
300
268
282
278
287
239
263
233

1,548
860
665
256
310
240
298
281
329
282
338
329

2,871
1,769
1,197
605
648
541
608
594
647
550
626
592

31
27
28
14
18
17
14
16
15
15
11
12

139
83
48
26
20
16
14
19
16
14
14
18

Source: Kentucky Division of Mines & Minerals, Annual Reports, 1960-2002; Office of Mine Safety & Licensing,
Annual Reports, 2003-2009. (The number of actual mines is smaller than the final number of mine licenses issued each
year. A new license is required when the company name or ownership changes.)

8

* County Coal Production
There were 449 mines in Kentucky during 2009.
These 449 mines were issued 592 mine licenses and
produced 112.9 million tons.
198 underground mines (245 licenses) accounted
for 58.8% of Kentucky's production and 251 surface
mines (347 licenses) accounted for 41.2% of
Kentucky’s production.
78.5% of western Kentucky and 49.4% of eastern
Kentucky’s coal production was from underground
mines during 2009.
In 2009, 28 Kentucky counties produced coal;
seven western Kentucky counties and 21 eastern
Kentucky counties.

Production and Mine Licenses by County and Mine Type, 2009
(thousands of tons)
Underground
Area/County

Surface

Mines Licenses Production

Total

Mines Licenses Production Mines Licenses Production

East KY
Bell
Breathitt
Clay
Elliott
Floyd
Harlan
Jackson
Johnson
Knott
Knox
Lawrence
Lee
Leslie
Letcher
Magoffin
Martin
Morgan
Owsley
Perry
Pike
Whitley
East KY Total

7
2
20
34
1
22
2
1
6
25
1
8
7
48
2
186

10
2
1
28
44
2
26
4
1
8
29
2
7
7
61
1
233

686
767
1,113
7,507
1,668
3,200
123
210
1,912
4,751
56
2,220
4,286
9,306
6
37,812

22
5
7
2
14
29
1
8
13
8
11
1
7
13
9
7
1
3
27
43
6
237

31
6
11
4
30
29
1
12
21
10
12
1
12
23
12
9
3
4
28
61
8
328

2,323
110
443
14
3,799
2,934
30
641
2,391
470
541
1
1,778
1,674
1,664
1,926
104
34
10,450
7,128
264
38,719

29
7
7
2
34
63
1
9
35
10
12
1
13
38
10
15
1
3
34
91
8
423

41
8
12
4
58
73
1
14
47
14
13
1
20
52
14
16
3
4
35
122
9
561

3,009
877
443
14
4,912
10,441
30
2,309
5,591
593
750
1
3,690
6,424
1,720
4,147
104
34
14,736
16,434
271
76,530

West KY
Daviess
Henderson
Hopkins
Muhlenberg
Ohio
Union
Webster
West KY Total

1
4
2
1
3
1
12

1
4
2
1
3
1
12

1,953
16,133
2,040
589
4,888
2,913
28,515

1
1
8
2
12

1
1
13
2
1
1
19

407
1,201
2,123
3,973
110
7,814

1
2
4
10
3
3
1
24

1
2
4
15
3
4
2
31

407
3,154
16,133
4,163
4,561
4,998
2,913
36,329

198

245

66,327

249

347

46,533

447

592

112,859

KY Total

Source: Production and Licenses: Kentucky Office of Mine Safety and Licensing; Mines: USDOE/EIA, Annual Coal
Report, 2009, Table 2.
The number of licenses is greater than the number of mines because a mine may be relicensed if the company changes
name or ownership. Some columns do not total correctly due to rounding.

9

* Employment
The Kentucky coal mining industry had a 2009 work force of approximately 18,850* people
directly employed in coal mining jobs. The Western Kentucky coal field directly employs
approximately 3,703 persons, while the Eastern Kentucky coal field provides 15,147 direct
mining jobs.

Kentucky’s Coal Mining Work Force Trends, 1980-2009
50000
45000

40000
35000
30000

25000
20000

15000
10000

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

Eastern Kentucky averaged slightly more than 80% of Kentucky’s coal mining work force
and accounted for nearly 68% of Kentucky’s total coal production in 2009. Western Kentucky
averaged approximately 20% of Kentucky’s coal mining work force and accounted for nearly
32% of Kentucky’s total coal production in 2009.
Direct mining employment shows an upward trend since the year 2000, primarily as a result
of increased employment at western Kentucky underground mines and eastern Kentucky
surface mines.

Kentucky Coal Mining Employment, 1980 to 2009
Year

Western Kentucky
Surface Underground Total

Eastern Kentucky
Surface Underground Total

Kentucky
Total

1980

3,995

7,879

11,874

11,819

22,702

34,521

46,395

1985

3,421

4,294

7,715

10,516

18,583

29,099

36,814

1990

2,095

3,491

5,586

7,505

17,407

24,912

30,498

1995

1,109

3,176

4,285

5,474

11,366

16,840

21,125

2000

450

2,060

2,510

4,162

8,828

12,990

15,500

2005

446

2,254

2,700

5,407

8,883

14,290

16,990

2006

350

2,599

2,949

5,707

9,303

15,010

17,959

2007

430

2,508

2,938

5,334

8,038

13,372

16,310

2008

505

2,793

3,298

6,423

8,853

15,276

18,574

2009

619

3,084

3,703

6,197

8,950

15,147

18,850

*Note: State employment numbers on page 12 differ from these federal EIA employment numbers.
Source: U.S.DOE—EIA; Coal Industry Annual, 1993-2009, Coal Production 1979-1992.

10

* Productivity
Kentucky Coal Mine Productivity
The average Kentucky and U.S. coal mine productivity increased steadily until 2000, and
has since decreased at about the same rate. Mine productivity can be affected by individual
seam or mine conditions as well as factors such as safety requirements. The declines over the
past ten years are both a Kentucky and national trend, therefore is not likely to be primarily
related to mine conditions but some other external factor.

Mine Productivity, 1980-2009 (tons/miner/hour)
Year

Kentucky
Appalachian Interior Western
U.S.
Eastern Western Average
Region
Region Region Average

1980

1.7

2.0

1.7

1.4

2.3

5.6

1.9

1985

2.1

2.6

2.2

1.9

2.8

8.6

2.7

1990

2.7

3.5

2.8

2.6

3.9

11.8

3.8

1995

3.5

4.0

3.6

3.3

5.0

15.7

5.4

2000

3.9

4.5

4.0

4.1

5.8

19.6

7.0

2005

2.9

4.1

3.1

3.3

5.3

20.5

6.4

2006

2.8

3.8

3.0

3.1

5.1

20.2

6.3

2007

2.8

4.0

3.0

3.1

4.9

20.4

6.3

2008

2.6

3.8

2.8

2.9

4.8

19.9

6.0

2009

2.3

3.7

2.6

2.7

4.5

18.3

5.6

Kentucky and U.S. Mine Productivity Trends, 1977-2009

Source: U.S. Department of Energy —EIA: Coal Industry Annual, 1993-2009, Coal Production: 1977-1992.

11

* Employment / Wages by County
Coal County Employment and Wages, 2009
County1

Direct Percent Miners as
Mining of Labor % of Total
EmployForce Employed
ment

Mining
Wages

Percent
of Total
County
Wages

Average
Weekly
Mining
Earnings3

Eastern Kentucky
Bell
Boyd
Breathitt
Carter
Clay
Clark
Floyd
Harlan
Johnson
Knott
Knox
Laurel
Lawrence
Lee
Letcher
Magoffin
Martin
Perry
Pike
Pulaski
Whitley
EKY Total2

1,282
181
110
110
89
31
1,301
1,693
302
1,327
160
316
70
104
1,191
156
755
2,292
4,478
71
139
16,158

12.8
0.8
1.9
0.8
1.3
0.2
8.2
15.8
3.0
19.6
1.2
1.2
1.1
3.7
13.3
3.4
19.9
19.3
16.7
0.3
0.9

13.0
0.7
3.4
1.8
2.5
0.2
11.0
20.6
4.9
36.8
1.9
1.4
2.1
5.7
20.6
7.3
28.1
17.6
18.6
0.3
1.2

$66,738,178
12,789,548
6,484,222
4,987,627
4,025,230
1,162,216
74,039,693
119,979,404
16,659,107
85,672,715
8,552,670
19,813,627
3,175,928
3,221,216
78,943,867
7,770,601
51,428,138
158,883,929
287,904,386
3,006,871
4,589,232
$1,019,828,405

29.1
1.3
10.0
4.3
5.9
0.3
21.6
46.7
12.3
67.1
4.3
3.2
3.7
8.9
43.6
17.7
59.8
35.6
34.6
0.5
1.6

$1,001
1,359
1,134
884
878
721
1,100
1,355
1,061
1,242
1,028
1,206
925
596
1,275
965
1,309
1,333
1,236
814
647
$1,051

3.4
0.3
1.3
6.3
6.8
10.5
1.4

3.9
0.4
1.6
8.5
10.9
14.5
3.2

8,809,689
513,281
22,718,862
114,280,110
60,392,925
61,757,188
3,764,037

0.8
0.3
4.1
20.9
25.8
35.5
4.7

1,015
658
1,456
1,480
1,221
1,443
798

Western Kentucky
Daviess
Hancock
Henderson
Hopkins
Muhlenberg
Union
Webster

167
15
300
1,484
951
823
91

WKY Total2

3,831

$272,236,092

$1,153

State Total2

23,340

$1,473,008,254

$1,214

Fayette &
Jefferson
Counties
1

2
3

Note: The direct mining employment classification does not include most of the
administrative/professional employees of coal companies located in these Kentucky
metropolitan areas and does not include any private services or indirect employment.

Counties with less than three employers or one employer with 80% of the total county miner workforce were
withheld to avoid disclosure of individual company data. These counties are as follows: Boyle, Elliott,
Fayette, Greenup, Jackson, Jefferson, Leslie, McCreary, McLean, Mason, & Ohio. It is suspected that multi county mining employment attributes to some counties being under reported and others being over reported.
Columns do not add to the EKY & WKY totals due to withheld data and do not equal state totals due to
county of employment being reported outside of coal field.
Variation in average weekly mining income affected greatly by hours worked per week as well as hourly
wage rate. Values and methodologies used in this table may not be consistent w