State salary profile · Kentucky

Kentucky Salaries

Kentucky wages where BEA prices sit below the national average (RPP 90.2), from BLS OEWS May 2025. Published local OEWS areas include Bowling Green, KY, Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, Elizabethtown, KY, Lexington-Fayette, KY, Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN, then Owensboro, KY, Paducah, KY-IL, South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area.

$181,050
Mean of top 50 medians
699
Occupations
10
Local wage areas
61,840
Estimated jobs (top tier)

The equal-weighted mean of the top 50 published occupation medians in Kentucky is $181,050.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey, The May 2025 release has a published median for 699 occupations in Kentucky; percentile boundaries and local-area rows are available only where BLS publishes them. The highest-paying reported occupation, Cardiologists, earns $558,180, versus $23,500 for Cooks, Fast Food at the bottom of the range. Detail is available for 6 metro areas and 4 nonmetropolitan areas. Published local OEWS areas include Bowling Green, KY, Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, Elizabethtown, KY, Lexington-Fayette, KY, Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN, then Owensboro, KY, Paducah, KY-IL, South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area.

Kentucky · employment ≠ wage

In Kentucky, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand lead by published employment (57,930 jobs, #1 of 675) but rank #516 of 675 on median wage ($42,770), while Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers top the wage list at $350,950 (#1 of 675) with 6,260 jobs (#76 of 675). The largest payroll is not the highest published median.

57,930
Laborers and Freight employment #1
$350,950
Airline Pilots wage #1
#76
Employment rank of wage leader
#516
Wage rank of employment leader

Employment is OEWS tot_emp inside this state; pay is the occupation median. Same detailed-occupation pool, two rankings.

Employment of Kentucky's #1 occupations by headcount vs median wage

Same unit (published jobs) for both named leaders. BLS OEWS May 2025.

jobs

What this shows Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand lead Kentucky by employment; Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers lead on median wage at $350,950.

Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS As of May 2025

Kentucky, the picture in one line

Kentucky ranks #44 of 54 states and territories by BLS-published All Occupations annual mean wage; its highest published occupation median is Cardiologists at $558,180. Published local OEWS areas include Bowling Green, KY, Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, Elizabethtown, KY, Lexington-Fayette, KY, Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN, then Owensboro, KY, Paducah, KY-IL, South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area.

#44
of 54 states by published mean wage
$558,180
top-paying: Cardiologists
19th
percentile among all states
Bowling Green, KY
local OEWS: Bowling Green, KY and Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area

The state rank uses BLS's All Occupations mean. Occupation rows below use occupation-specific medians; the two statistics are not interchangeable. Start local checks in Bowling Green, KY.

Where Kentucky already employs the upper wage tier

Sales Managers and Financial Managers lead Kentucky's published employment inside this top-pay sample, order follows OEWS job counts, not median wage.

  1. 1. Sales Managers 6,650 jobs · $128,650
  2. 2. Financial Managers 6,630 jobs · $130,650
  3. 3. Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers 6,260 jobs · $350,950
  4. 4. Pharmacists 5,030 jobs · $136,530
  5. 5. Nurse Practitioners 4,770 jobs · $122,870
  6. 6. Physicians, All Other 3,340 jobs · $327,390
  7. 7. Computer and Information Systems Managers 3,130 jobs · $140,360
  8. 8. Managers, All Other 2,390 jobs · $122,930
  9. 9. Chief Executives 2,070 jobs · $179,530
  10. 10. Human Resources Managers 1,960 jobs · $121,460
  11. 11. Marketing Managers 1,930 jobs · $128,930
  12. 12. Architectural and Engineering Managers 1,800 jobs · $147,680
  13. 13. Nurse Anesthetists 1,640 jobs · $222,520
  14. 14. Physician Assistants 1,360 jobs · $120,760
  15. 15. Family Medicine Physicians 1,170 jobs · $248,730
  16. 16. Anesthesiologists 1,090 jobs · $347,960
  17. 17. General Internal Medicine Physicians 1,060 jobs · $241,530
  18. 18. Purchasing Managers 920 jobs · $124,350
  19. 19. Education Administrators, Postsecondary 890 jobs · $114,310
  20. 20. Commercial Pilots 800 jobs · $129,990

Local BLS wage areas inside Kentucky

Published local OEWS areas include Bowling Green, KY, Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, Elizabethtown, KY, Lexington-Fayette, KY, Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN, then Owensboro, KY, Paducah, KY-IL, South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area.

Bowling Green, KY Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area Elizabethtown, KY Lexington-Fayette, KY Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN Owensboro, KY Paducah, KY-IL South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area

Observed statewide pay change

What changed, BLS OEWS 2024–2025

May 2024 → May 2025
  • BLS's published All Occupations median in Kentucky moved from $45,740 in May 2024 to $46,920 in May 2025 (+2.6%).
  • Across the 54 states and territories priced in both releases, the median place changed +2.7%.
  • Kentucky sits -0.2 pp near that median, nominal dollars, no price deflator applied.

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers shows the widest statewide vs national median gap in Kentucky

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers publishes $350,950 here versus $232,140 nationally (+51.2%; 6,260statewide jobs). Next is Firefighters at $37,150 locally versus $59,280 nationally (-37.3%).

  1. Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers$350,950 in Kentucky sits 51.2% above the national Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers median of $232,140 (6,260 published local jobs).
  2. Firefighters$37,150 in Kentucky sits 37.3% below the national Firefighters median of $59,280 (5,150 published local jobs).
  3. Lawyers$101,550 in Kentucky sits 36.4% below the national Lawyers median of $159,670 (5,770 published local jobs).
  4. Correctional Officers and Jailers$42,310 in Kentucky sits 28.2% below the national Correctional Officers and Jailers median of $58,940 (6,770 published local jobs).

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers and the other occupations above are descriptive OEWS endpoints for Kentucky; they are not findings about taxes, employers, or worker experience.

· Source: BLS OEWS May 2025

The Kentucky OEWS table has a published median for 699 occupations. The displayed top 50 rows have summed published employment of approximately 61,840; that sum does not include the bottom table or rows whose employment is suppressed. BLS publishes means and percentile boundaries only where the corresponding estimate meets its publication standards. Averaging the medians of the top 50 highest-paying occupations gives $181,050 per year. That is only a mean of the displayed upper-tier occupation medians; it is not the BLS All Occupations mean or median and does not describe a typical worker. Published local OEWS areas include Bowling Green, KY, Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, Elizabethtown, KY, Lexington-Fayette, KY, Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN, then Owensboro, KY, Paducah, KY-IL, South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area. Local OEWS areas in this extract include Bowling Green, KY, Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, Elizabethtown, KY, Lexington-Fayette, KY, Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN, Owensboro, KY, Paducah, KY-IL, South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area.

At the top of the ranking, Cardiologists pays a Kentucky median of $558,180, the highest-paying reported occupation in the state. The number-two spot goes to Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers at $350,950, followed by Anesthesiologists at $347,960. At the bottom of the published range, Cooks, Fast Food has a median of $23,500, making the displayed endpoint ratio 23.8×. The endpoints do not establish a cause or career stage. WageDex has BLS occupation rows for 6 metro areas and 4 nonmetropolitan areas assigned to Kentucky, allowing comparisons below the statewide estimate without treating nonmetropolitan areas as MSAs.

Kentucky's lower BEA price level (RPP 90.2) lifts the national-price reading of the published mean to about $65,399. Even then, compare Cardiologists and Cooks, Fast Food inside a local OEWS area before treating either median as an offer. Published local OEWS areas include Bowling Green, KY, Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, Elizabethtown, KY, Lexington-Fayette, KY, Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN, then Owensboro, KY, Paducah, KY-IL, South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area. Local OEWS area names are state-specific; statewide means are not metro offers.

Top-Tier Sample

75

occupations shown below

Avg. Median Salary

$181,050

top 50 occupations

Top Salary

$558,180

Cardiologists

Where Kentucky ranks by published mean wage

BLS All Occupations annual mean vs. 54 states & territories; local OEWS includes Bowling Green, KY and Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area

$58,990 Bottom 19% higher than 19% of 54 states & territories

$0–$5,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $5,000–$10,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $10,000–$15,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $15,000–$20,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$25,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$30,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $30,000–$35,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $35,000–$40,000: 1 states & territories (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$45,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $45,000–$50,000: 1 states & territories (2%). Below this entry. $50,000–$55,000: 3 states & territories (6%). Below this entry. $55,000–$60,000: 8 states & territories (15%). This entry sits in this band. $60,000–$65,000: 16 states & territories (30%). Above this entry. $65,000–$70,000: 8 states & territories (15%). Above this entry. $70,000–$75,000: 8 states & territories (15%). Above this entry. $75,000–$80,000: 4 states & territories (7%). Above this entry. $80,000–$85,000: 3 states & territories (6%). Above this entry. $85,000–$90,000: 1 states & territories (2%). Above this entry. $90,000–$95,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Above this entry. $95,000–$100,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Above this entry. $100,000–$105,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Above this entry. $105,000–$110,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Above this entry. $110,000–$115,000: 1 states & territories (2%). Above this entry. This state $0 $115,000 every state & territory, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $5K-wide band; taller bars hold more states & territories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Read the chart as text · as of May 2025
Band Count Share
$0–$5,000 0 states & territories 0%
$5,000–$10,000 0 states & territories 0%
$10,000–$15,000 0 states & territories 0%
$15,000–$20,000 0 states & territories 0%
$20,000–$25,000 0 states & territories 0%
$25,000–$30,000 0 states & territories 0%
$30,000–$35,000 0 states & territories 0%
$35,000–$40,000 1 states & territories 2%
$40,000–$45,000 0 states & territories 0%
$45,000–$50,000 1 states & territories 2%
$50,000–$55,000 3 states & territories 6%
$55,000–$60,000 (this entry) 8 states & territories 15%
$60,000–$65,000 16 states & territories 30%
$65,000–$70,000 8 states & territories 15%
$70,000–$75,000 8 states & territories 15%
$75,000–$80,000 4 states & territories 7%
$80,000–$85,000 3 states & territories 6%
$85,000–$90,000 1 states & territories 2%
$90,000–$95,000 0 states & territories 0%
$95,000–$100,000 0 states & territories 0%
$100,000–$105,000 0 states & territories 0%
$105,000–$110,000 0 states & territories 0%
$110,000–$115,000 1 states & territories 2%

$58,990 · 19th percentile of 54 states & territories

Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · May 2025

Kentucky ranks #44 of 54 by BLS-published All Occupations annual mean wage ($58,990). It is not the median wage or a prediction for a particular worker.

National-price-equivalent mean: dividing the $58,990 BLS All Occupations mean by the BEA state RPP gives $65,399. Inputs: BEA Regional Price Parity for Kentucky (RPP 90.2, 2024; 100 = national average, all items, table SARPP). The division is a WageDex calculation, not an after-tax or household-income measure.

Largest OEWS footprints in Kentucky

Published employment among the top-pay sample, top 15 by jobs

jobs
Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS As of May 2025

BLS publishes wage data for 699 distinct occupations in Kentucky. The table below shows the top 50 by median annual wage, reordered by published employment for this reading. Drill into the full top-100 ranking or the fastest-growing list for deeper coverage.

Top-pay occupations in Kentucky, by employment

View all 100 →

Same top-pay sample as the salary ranking, sorted by published Kentucky jobs so the title sequence follows the local OEWS mix.

# Occupation Median Salary
1 Sales Managers $128,650
2 Financial Managers $130,650
3 Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers $350,950
4 Pharmacists $136,530
5 Nurse Practitioners $122,870
6 Physicians, All Other $327,390
7 Computer and Information Systems Managers $140,360
8 Managers, All Other $122,930
9 Chief Executives $179,530
10 Human Resources Managers $121,460
11 Marketing Managers $128,930
12 Architectural and Engineering Managers $147,680
13 Nurse Anesthetists $222,520
14 Physician Assistants $120,760
15 Family Medicine Physicians $248,730
16 Anesthesiologists $347,960
17 General Internal Medicine Physicians $241,530
18 Purchasing Managers $124,350
19 Education Administrators, Postsecondary $114,310
20 Commercial Pilots $129,990
21 Dentists, General $134,160
22 Emergency Medicine Physicians $169,390
23 Computer Hardware Engineers $116,200
24 Surgeons, All Other $162,160
25 Optometrists $128,860
26 Natural Sciences Managers $126,440
27 Pediatricians, General $175,690
28 Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates $150,650
29 Database Architects $125,400
30 Psychologists, All Other $149,990
31 Aerospace Engineers $126,130
32 Airfield Operations Specialists $123,290
33 Obstetricians and Gynecologists $317,110
34 Neurologists $338,850
35 Air Traffic Controllers $127,800
36 Fundraising Managers $124,770
37 Chemical Engineers $117,170
38 Psychiatrists $237,770
39 Law Teachers, Postsecondary $140,820
40 Compensation and Benefits Managers $114,290
41 Podiatrists $201,260
42 Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary $139,110
43 Actuaries $120,400
44 Physicists $180,910
45 Sociologists $136,870
46 Cardiologists $558,180
47 Physicians, Pathologists $324,390
48 Radiologists $279,990
49 Dermatologists $195,830
50 Ship Engineers $120,550

Lowest Paying Jobs in Kentucky

Occupation Median Salary
Cooks, Fast Food $23,500
Motor Vehicle Operators, All Other $23,870
Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers $25,930
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers $26,330
Food Preparation Workers $26,850
Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop $27,100
Fast Food and Counter Workers $27,130
Amusement and Recreation Attendants $27,210
School Bus Monitors $28,220
Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas $28,280
Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers $28,520
Cashiers $28,590
Bartenders $28,780
Childcare Workers $28,920
Dietetic Technicians $28,970
Dishwashers $29,060
Funeral Attendants $29,160
Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers $29,220
Sewing Machine Operators $29,460
Retail Salespersons $29,650
Waiters and Waitresses $29,660
Substitute Teachers, Short-Term $29,730
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $29,780
Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists $29,840
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks $29,970

Fastest Growing Jobs

View all 50 →

See national growth projections alongside the published OEWS state employment estimates for each occupation in Kentucky. Based on BLS employment projections 2024-2034.

Metro and Nonmetropolitan Wage Areas in Kentucky

Bowling Green, KY Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area Elizabethtown, KY Lexington-Fayette, KY Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN Owensboro, KY Paducah, KY-IL South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area

Salary Guides

Best States for Salaries

Which states pay the most and why

Salary vs. Cost of Living

Compare local wage and price-level benchmarks

Fastest Growing Occupations

Where the job growth is heading

Nationwide states with similar All Occupations pay or employment scale

Two BLS OEWS peer sets outside Kentucky. Local metro cards below stay inside this state; these neighborhoods are cross-state nearest neighbors on published All Occupations mean wage ($58,990 here) and reported employment (2,000,360 jobs here).

Similar mean wage

Nearest other states by BLS All Occupations annual mean wage.

Similar employment scale

Nearest headcount peers (floor 250,000 All Occupations jobs), distinct from the mean-wage column.

Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on BLS OEWS All Occupations mean annual wage and reported employment. Employment peers exclude states already listed in the mean-wage column so the two link sets stay distinct.

Local OEWS areas and related Kentucky pages

Published local OEWS areas include Bowling Green, KY, Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, Elizabethtown, KY, Lexington-Fayette, KY, Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN, then Owensboro, KY, Paducah, KY-IL, South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area.

Bowling Green, KY

Local OEWS wage area

Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area

Local OEWS wage area

East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area

Local OEWS wage area

Elizabethtown, KY

Local OEWS wage area

Lexington-Fayette, KY

Local OEWS wage area

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN

Local OEWS wage area

Highest Paying in Kentucky

Top 100 by median salary

Fastest Growing in Kentucky

Projected 2024-2034 growth

Cardiologists

National occupation profile

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average of the top 50 occupation medians in Kentucky? ▼
The equal-weighted mean of the top 50 published occupation medians is $181,050/year (BLS OEWS May 2025). It is not the statewide mean or median and does not describe the wage of a typical worker.
What is the average salary in Kentucky? ▼
BLS publishes an All Occupations annual mean wage of $58,990/year for Kentucky in the May 2025 OEWS release, which ranks 44th among the 54 states and territories with a published mean. Published local OEWS areas include Bowling Green, KY, Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, Elizabethtown, KY, Lexington-Fayette, KY, Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN, then Owensboro, KY, Paducah, KY-IL, South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area. This is an occupational wage estimate, not a household-income statistic or a prediction for one worker.
What is the highest paying job in Kentucky? ▼
The highest paying occupation in Kentucky is Cardiologists with a median salary of $558,180/year according to BLS data. The second highest is Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers at $350,950/year.
What jobs pay the least in Kentucky? ▼
The lowest published occupation median in this Kentucky ranking is Cooks, Fast Food at $23,500/year. The table does not classify that occupation as entry-level or explain why its median is lowest.
How many local BLS wage areas are shown for Kentucky? ▼
WageDex has occupation-level wage rows for 6 metro areas and 4 nonmetropolitan areas assigned to Kentucky. Published local OEWS areas include Bowling Green, KY, Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, Elizabethtown, KY, Lexington-Fayette, KY, Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN, then Owensboro, KY, Paducah, KY-IL, South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area. Nonmetropolitan reporting areas are not MSAs. Compare the same occupation and statistic across areas; published coverage can differ by occupation and geography.
How many occupations are shown for Kentucky? ▼
BLS publishes wage data for 699 distinct occupations in Kentucky. The 50 occupations in the displayed upper tier have a combined OEWS employment estimate of approximately 61,840 jobs in covered establishments.

Price-level sources for Kentucky

BLS OEWS state wage tables → BEA Regional Price Parities → BLS LAUS unemployment → BEA personal income by state →

What to do with this data

How to use Kentucky wage data in a real decision

  • Kentucky prices sit below the national BEA average (RPP 90.2), so the published $58,990 mean is closer to $65,399 nationally; still re-check Cardiologists inside Bowling Green, KY and Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area before relocating. Compare states
  • Inside Kentucky, re-check Cardiologists in Bowling Green, KY, Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, Elizabethtown, KY or Lexington-Fayette, KY before treating the statewide median as a metro offer. Bowling Green, KY
  • Open Cardiologists for percentile bands and local-area rows; Kentucky's statewide median of $558,180 uses a different geography than any single metro estimate. Cardiologists
  • The published Kentucky range runs from Cooks, Fast Food at $23,500 to Cardiologists at $558,180; an offer still depends on the exact role and employer. Salary calculator

BLS OEWS estimates reflect the May 2025 reference period and exclude self-employed workers; some small occupation-area cells are suppressed.

Last updated: May 2025. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.

State-level employment totals and local-area breakouts from BLS OEWS State and Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, May 2025. Local areas can be metropolitan or nonmetropolitan.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. State wage figures are computed directly from BLS OEWS state-level data. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or career advice. Statewide figures are estimates and may not reflect pay in your specific local wage area or employer.