Salary in Kentucky: -13% Below National

Kentucky is a major auto manufacturing state and home to UPS Worldport in Louisville, the world's largest air cargo hub. Bourbon and equine industries provide a strong tourism base.

Quick Answer

As of April 2026, salaries in Kentucky run -13% below the US national median. Cost of living index: 89 (vs 100 nationally). State income tax applies. Top hiring metros: Louisville. Unemployment rate 4.6%. Kentucky is a major auto manufacturing state and home to UPS Worldport in Louisville, the world's largest air cargo hub. Bourbon and equine industries provide a strong tourism base.

Salary Multiplier

0.87×

Cost of Living

Unemployment

4.6%

Income Tax

Yes

Top Industries in Kentucky

Manufacturing (Ford, Toyota)Logistics (UPS Worldport)HealthcareBourbonCoal/Energy

Top Kentucky Metros

Louisville

Salaries by Job in Kentucky

50 jobs sorted by Kentucky median salary.

Job	Category	Median	Top 10%
Physician	Healthcare	$199,491	$348,000
AI Engineer	Technology	$160,950	$278,400
Dentist	Healthcare	$148,692	$247,950
Machine Learning Engineer	Technology	$140,940	$256,650
Marketing Manager	Marketing	$137,704	$191,400
Site Reliability Engineer	Technology	$134,850	$222,503
Lawyer	Legal	$126,811	$217,500
Security Engineer	Technology	$123,540	$203,841
Product Manager	Technology	$120,373	$187,050
Pharmacist	Healthcare	$119,608	$143,550
Sales Manager	Sales	$117,589	$191,400
Cloud Engineer	Technology	$117,450	$193,793
Software Engineer	Technology	$115,075	$181,499
DevOps Engineer	Technology	$113,100	$169,650
HR Manager	Human Resources	$113,100	$174,000
Mobile Developer	Technology	$113,100	$186,615
Nurse Practitioner	Healthcare	$111,786	$152,250
Backend Developer	Technology	$111,360	$183,744
Full Stack Developer	Technology	$104,400	$172,260
Cybersecurity Analyst	Technology	$104,278	$152,250
Frontend Developer	Technology	$102,660	$169,389
Electrical Engineer	Engineering	$96,170	$152,250
Scrum Master	Technology	$95,700	$157,905
Data Scientist	Technology	$93,977	$160,158
Supply Chain Manager	Operations	$91,350	$150,728
Operations Manager	Operations	$89,132	$152,250
Financial Analyst	Finance	$86,904	$152,250
Physical Therapist	Healthcare	$86,748	$113,100
Mechanical Engineer	Engineering	$86,574	$133,110
UX Designer	Design	$85,260	$143,550
Occupational Therapist	Healthcare	$83,842	$108,750
Project Manager	Operations	$83,520	$143,550
Financial Planner	Finance	$83,520	$137,808
Civil Engineer	Engineering	$83,424	$125,811
Customer Success Manager	Operations	$82,650	$136,373
Web Developer	Technology	$80,693	$126,150
QA Engineer	Technology	$80,040	$132,066
Business Analyst	Operations	$77,134	$126,150
Content Marketing Manager	Marketing	$76,560	$126,324
Registered Nurse	Healthcare	$74,881	$115,432
Data Analyst	Technology	$73,080	$120,582
Accountant	Finance	$69,496	$115,440
Recruiter	Human Resources	$65,250	$107,663
Executive Assistant	Operations	$62,640	$103,356
Social Media Manager	Marketing	$62,640	$103,356
Copywriter	Marketing	$62,640	$103,356
Teacher	Education	$56,672	$88,931
Paralegal	Legal	$53,940	$89,001
Graphic Designer	Design	$52,400	$82,650
Real Estate Agent	Sales	$49,259	$143,550

Methodology

Kentucky salary figures are computed by adjusting the BLS national median for each job by Kentucky's state-level multiplier of 0.87× — a composite of state-level OEWS data and BEA Regional Price Parities. Last reviewed April 29, 2026.

Data Sources

Other States

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