Average Salary in Kentucky
What workers in Kentucky earn: mean and median wages, monthly and hourly pay, the full wage distribution, household income and cost-of-living context. Wage data: BLS OEWS May 2025.
- Mean annual wage$58,990Rank #44 of 51 · US $69,770
- Median annual wage$46,920Rank #44 of 51 · US $50,980
- Mean hourly wage$28.36Median $22.56/hour
- Median monthly pay$3,910Mean $4,916/month
- Median household income$64,526ACS 2024 · rank #47
- Price level (RPP)90.2US = 100 · BEA 2024
What is the average salary in Kentucky?
The average (mean) annual wage across all occupations in Kentucky is $58,990, and the median annual wage is $46,920, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2025 OEWS estimates. The mean is 15.5% below the national mean of $69,770; the median is 8.0% below the national median of $50,980. Kentucky ranks #44 of the 50 states and DC for mean wage and #44 for median wage.
The mean is $12,070 (26%) higher than the median. That gap is normal: a minority of very high earners pulls the average up, so the median is the better guide to what a typical worker in Kentucky earns. Why mean and median differ →
The estimates cover 2,000,360 wage and salary jobs in Kentucky (self-employed workers are not included).
Monthly, weekly and hourly pay in Kentucky
Gross pay before taxes. Monthly = annual ÷ 12, bi-weekly = annual ÷ 26, weekly = annual ÷ 52. Hourly figures are published by BLS.
| Pay period | Mean (average) | Median (typical) |
|---|---|---|
| Annual | $58,990 | $46,920 |
| Monthly | $4,916 | $3,910 |
| Bi-weekly paycheck | $2,269 | $1,805 |
| Weekly | $1,134 | $902 |
| Hourly | $28.36 | $22.56 |
Estimate take-home pay on the Kentucky median wage (2026 tax year) →
What is a good salary in Kentucky?
“Good” depends on your household and where in the state you live, but the wage distribution shows where a salary stands relative to other workers in Kentucky:
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $27,970 | $2,331 | 90% of workers earn more |
| 25th | $35,410 | $2,951 | 75% earn more |
| 50th (median) | $46,920 | $3,910 | half earn more, half less |
| 75th | $66,760 | $5,563 | top 25% earn more than this |
| 90th | $98,380 | $8,198 | top 10% earn more than this |
In practice, a salary above $46,920 beats more than half of Kentucky workers, about $66,760 puts you in the top quarter, and $98,380 or more puts you in the top 10%. These are individual wages, not household income. Compare percentiles across states →
Household income and earnings in Kentucky
| Measure (ACS 2024) | Kentucky | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $64,526 | $81,604 |
| Median family income | $82,757 | $101,265 |
| Per-capita income | $35,955 | $45,256 |
| Median earnings, all workers with earnings | $41,577 | $46,949 |
| Median earnings, men working full-time year-round | $59,165 | $66,965 |
| Median earnings, women working full-time year-round | $49,277 | $55,678 |
Household income adds up the income of everyone in a household — often two earners, plus Social Security, investment and self-employment income — so it is higher than any per-worker wage figure. Women working full-time year-round in Kentucky have median earnings equal to 83% of men’s. Household income in every state →
Salary vs. cost of living in Kentucky
Prices in Kentucky are about 9.8% below the national average (BEA regional price parity 90.2; housing 64.3). Adjusted for that, the median wage of $46,920 is worth $52,018 at national-average prices (rank #28), and the mean wage is worth $65,399 (rank #37). Cost-of-living adjusted ranking →
Kentucky taxes wage income, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures above by federal tax, FICA and state income tax.
Kentucky vs. neighboring states
| State | Mean wage | Median wage | RPP | Adjusted median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | $58,990 | $46,920 | 90.2 | $52,018 |
| Illinois | $71,130 | $51,960 | 100.0 | $51,960 |
| Indiana | $60,840 | $47,860 | 93.3 | $51,297 |
| Missouri | $62,160 | $47,800 | 90.8 | $52,643 |
| Ohio | $64,390 | $49,380 | 92.8 | $53,211 |
| Tennessee | $60,800 | $47,380 | 91.9 | $51,556 |
| Virginia | $74,040 | $55,690 | 101.1 | $55,084 |
| West Virginia | $56,470 | $45,300 | 89.5 | $50,615 |
Highest-paying occupations in Kentucky
Detailed occupations with at least 300 jobs in the state, ranked by mean annual wage. “$239,200+” means BLS reports only that the wage is at or above that level.
| Occupation | Mean wage | Median wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physicians, All Other | $331,860 | $327,390 | 3,340 |
| Anesthesiologists | $310,560 | $347,960 | 1,090 |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $302,340 | $350,950 | 6,260 |
| Surgeons, All Other | $271,370 | $162,160 | 440 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $254,740 | $248,730 | 1,170 |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $250,140 | $241,530 | 1,060 |
| Chief Executives | $238,100 | $179,530 | 2,070 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $229,690 | $222,520 | 1,640 |
| Emergency Medicine Physicians | $214,570 | $169,390 | 620 |
| Pediatricians, General | $188,030 | $175,690 | 380 |
Most common jobs in Kentucky and what they pay
| Occupation | Employment | Median wage | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 57,930 | $42,770 | $20.56 |
| General and Operations Managers | 52,100 | $79,370 | $38.16 |
| Retail Salespersons | 51,250 | $29,650 | $14.26 |
| Registered Nurses | 50,300 | $81,040 | $38.96 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 47,730 | $36,810 | $17.70 |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 47,320 | $47,950 | $23.05 |
| Cashiers | 44,550 | $28,590 | $13.75 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 41,860 | $27,130 | $13.04 |
| Customer Service Representatives | 38,630 | $38,700 | $18.61 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 31,760 | $56,340 | $27.09 |
The largest occupation in Kentucky is laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand, with 57,930 jobs and a median wage of $42,770. Many of the most common jobs pay well below the state median, which is one reason the overall median sits far below the mean.
Salaries for 54 common occupations in Kentucky
Frequently asked questions
What is the average salary in Kentucky?
The average (mean) annual wage in Kentucky is $58,990, or $28.36 per hour, based on BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The median wage — what a typical worker earns — is $46,920 a year ($22.56 per hour).
What is the average monthly salary in Kentucky?
Dividing the annual figures by 12, the mean wage in Kentucky works out to about $4,916 per month and the median wage to about $3,910 per month, before taxes.
What is considered a good salary in Kentucky?
Earning more than the median of $46,920 puts you above half of all workers in Kentucky. A salary of $66,760 or more is in the top 25%, and $98,380 or more is in the top 10% of wage earners in the state.
What is the median household income in Kentucky?
Median household income in Kentucky was $64,526 in the Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey, compared with $81,604 nationally. Household income combines all earners and income sources in a home.
Does Kentucky have a state income tax on wages?
Yes. Kentucky taxes wage income, so state income tax is deducted from paychecks in addition to federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare.