Lexington-Fayette, KY Salaries
Highest published occupation medians in Lexington-Fayette, KY - BLS OEWS May 2025
Observed metro pay change
What changed, BLS OEWS 2024–2025
- BLS's published All Occupations median in Lexington-Fayette, KY moved from $47,580 in May 2024 to $48,620 in May 2025 (+2.2%).
- Across the 393 metros priced in both releases, the median place changed +3.1%.
- Lexington-Fayette, KY sits -0.9 pp behind that median, nominal dollars, no price deflator applied.
Transparent derived index from BLS and BEA data, not an official government rating. Based on wage level, year-over-year wage growth, and regional-price-parity-adjusted purchasing power, not job availability, industry mix, or day-to-day livability. See the exact dimensions, weights, and formula.
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators shows the widest metro-area vs national median gap in Lexington-Fayette, KY
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators publishes $59,730 here versus $44,650 nationally (+33.8%; 8,650metro-area jobs). Next is General and Operations Managers at $80,440 locally versus $105,770 nationally (-23.9%).
- Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$59,730 in Lexington-Fayette, KY sits 33.8% above the national Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators median of $44,650 (8,650 published local jobs).
- General and Operations Managers$80,440 in Lexington-Fayette, KY sits 23.9% below the national General and Operations Managers median of $105,770 (8,100 published local jobs).
- Food Preparation Workers$27,340 in Lexington-Fayette, KY sits 22.6% below the national Food Preparation Workers median of $35,320 (2,310 published local jobs).
- Registered Nurses$79,040 in Lexington-Fayette, KY sits 19.0% below the national Registered Nurses median of $97,550 (8,070 published local jobs).
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators and the other occupations above are descriptive OEWS endpoints for Lexington-Fayette, KY; they are not findings about taxes, employers, or worker experience.
BLS OEWS metro wage desk
MSA 30460 · Lexington-Fayette, KY $62K mean
MEAN-MID · RPP-LOW · OCC-MOST · TOP-LEAD · EMP-MIX · TREND-INLINE · PHOTO-FINISH · BOOK-FULL
- MEAN-MID #155/528
- RPP-LOW 92.9
- OCC-MOST 468 occs
- TOP-LEAD Cardiologists · $558K
- EMP-MIX Pharmacists
- TREND-INLINE -0.9 pp
- PHOTO-FINISH Salisbury, MD
- BOOK-FULL 461 rows · May 2025
Read with Salisbury, MD ($62 on published-row mean) · Highest-paying careers
Instrument codes from this MSA’s OEWS published-row mean, BEA RPP, occupation book, employment lead, All Occupations pay change, and nearest peer, not a moving recommendation.
Published-row mean neighbourhood around Lexington-Fayette, KY
Employment scale inside Lexington-Fayette, KY's top-pay list
Pharmacists and Financial Managers lead published employment inside Lexington-Fayette, KY's top-pay sample, order follows OEWS job counts, not median wage.
- 1. Pharmacists 1,060 jobs · $136,530
- 2. Financial Managers 940 jobs · $135,760
- 3. Physicians, All Other 820 jobs · $283,730
- 4. General Internal Medicine Physicians 470 jobs · $180,790
- 5. Computer and Information Systems Managers 470 jobs · $144,160
- 6. Architectural and Engineering Managers 390 jobs · $161,170
- 7. Nurse Anesthetists 270 jobs · $242,700
- 8. Chief Executives 270 jobs · $179,520
- 9. Pediatricians, General 250 jobs · $165,300
- 10. Anesthesiologists 230 jobs · $273,190
- 11. Family Medicine Physicians 210 jobs · $237,650
- 12. Education Administrators, Postsecondary 200 jobs · $137,250
- 13. Emergency Medicine Physicians 160 jobs · $148,180
- 14. Cardiologists 140 jobs · $558,180
- 15. Natural Sciences Managers 100 jobs · $161,450
- 16. Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric 80 jobs · $256,240
- 17. Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary 80 jobs · $138,890
- 18. Psychiatrists 70 jobs · $132,450
Occupations Tracked
468
with wage data
Published-Row Mean
$61,892
employment-weighted, 461 complete rows
Top Salary
$558,180
Cardiologists
Cost of Living
92.9
7% below US avg
Highest Paying Jobs in Lexington-Fayette, KY
| # | Occupation | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiologists | $558,180 |
| 2 | Physicians, All Other | $283,730 |
| 3 | Anesthesiologists | $273,190 |
| 4 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 80 workers (fewer than 100). | $256,240 |
| 5 | Nurse Anesthetists | $242,700 |
| 6 | Family Medicine Physicians | $237,650 |
| 7 | Economics Teachers, Postsecondary Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 30 workers (fewer than 100). | $220,690 |
| 8 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $208,770 |
| 9 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 30 workers (fewer than 100). | $182,490 |
| 10 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $180,790 |
| 11 | Chief Executives | $179,520 |
| 12 | Pediatricians, General | $165,300 |
| 13 | Natural Sciences Managers | $161,450 |
| 14 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $161,170 |
| 15 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | $148,180 |
| 16 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $144,160 |
| 17 | Fundraising Managers Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 60 workers (fewer than 100). | $140,090 |
| 18 | Optometrists Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 40 workers (fewer than 100). | $139,060 |
| 19 | Physics Teachers, Postsecondary Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 50 workers (fewer than 100). | $138,980 |
| 20 | Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 80 workers (fewer than 100). | $138,890 |
| 21 | Education Administrators, Postsecondary | $137,250 |
| 22 | Pharmacists | $136,530 |
| 23 | Financial Managers | $135,760 |
| 24 | Psychiatrists Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 70 workers (fewer than 100). | $132,450 |
| 25 | Psychologists, All Other Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 60 workers (fewer than 100). | $130,400 |
Small sample marks a row whose BLS estimate rests on fewer than 100 workers. It is still a published figure, but BLS reports more sampling error for cells this small: the median relative standard error of the mean wage is 3.4% under 100 workers against 2.1% at 100 or more (May 2025 metro estimates). Small gaps in rank between neighbouring rows may not be meaningful.
Lowest Paying Jobs in Lexington-Fayette, KY
| Occupation | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers | $24,090 |
| Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers | $24,990 |
| Motor Vehicle Operators, All Other Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 50 workers (fewer than 100). | $25,020 |
| Cooks, Fast Food | $26,840 |
| Amusement and Recreation Attendants | $26,940 |
| Food Preparation Workers | $27,340 |
| Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop | $27,920 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $27,990 |
| Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $28,380 |
| Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers | $29,180 |
Small sample marks a row whose BLS estimate rests on fewer than 100 workers. It is still a published figure, but BLS reports more sampling error for cells this small: the median relative standard error of the mean wage is 3.4% under 100 workers against 2.1% at 100 or more (May 2025 metro estimates). Small gaps in rank between neighbouring rows may not be meaningful.
Other BLS Wage Areas in KY
Other metropolitan or nonmetropolitan OEWS areas assigned to the same state. Cross-state pay and employment peers live in Nationwide similar metros below.
Nationwide metros with similar published-row mean pay or employment scale
Two OEWS peer sets outside KY. Same-state wage areas above stay geographic; these neighborhoods are cross-state nearest neighbors on employment-weighted published-row mean wage ($61,892 here) and summed published employment.
Similar mean wage
Nearest other metros by employment-weighted published-row annual mean wage.
Similar employment scale
Nearest headcount peers (floor 100,000 summed published jobs), distinct from the mean-wage column.
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on BLS OEWS employment-weighted published-row mean wage and summed occupation employment. Employment peers exclude metros already listed in the mean-wage column so the two link sets stay distinct. Mean wage here is not a worker-level median.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average salary in Lexington-Fayette, KY? ▼
Which published medians lead Lexington-Fayette, KY? ▼
What is the cost of living in Lexington-Fayette, KY? ▼
Where does BLS salary data for Lexington-Fayette, KY come from? ▼
Related federal data
What to do with this data
How to use Lexington-Fayette, KY wage figures in a real decision
- Cardiologists leads published medians in Lexington-Fayette, KY at $558,180/year; open the occupation for percentile bands and state rows. Cardiologists
- The employment-weighted published-row mean of $61,892 adjusts to about $66,630 on a national-price basis at BEA RPP 92.9. Salary vs cost of living
- Compare this metropolitan statistical area against the statewide occupation table for KY before treating one geography as the other. State wage page
BLS OEWS estimates reflect the May 2025 reference period; small occupation-area cells can be suppressed, and figures are not employer offers.
Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Occupation rows use BLS OEWS May 2025. The metro benchmark is WageDex's employment-weighted mean of published occupation means; where BEA RPP is available, the price-level figure divides that benchmark by the published area parity. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.