Salaries in Kentucky.
2 metro areas. 3445 roles.
Average cost-of-living index: 0.87x national average. Last updated April 2026.
Highest Paying
$305,000
Senior VP of Security
Median Role
$274,000
SVP of Engineering
Entry Level
$268,000
Chief Architect
The salary figures on this page are computed estimates, not observed wages. Each one is a national role baseline scaled by a Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity cost-of-living multiplier (2025 index) and rounded to the nearest $1,000. No published wage percentile is consulted and no wage survey response enters the calculation, so an Orbyt estimate must not be cited as a Bureau of Labor Statistics figure or as measured pay. The published wage data Orbyt holds is Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and Department of Labor H-1B Labor Condition Application filings, which record a filed minimum visa base wage rather than market pay. Where BLS publishes a wage for the occupation a role maps to, it is shown on that role's page as a separate benchmark, labelled with its occupation code, metro area and the number of employed workers it covers. Last updated August 2026.
Kentucky has 2 major metro areas tracked in our salary database, with an average cost-of-living index of 0.87x the national average. The highest-paying role across the state is Senior VP of Security at $305,000 in Louisville. The median role pays $274,000.
Metro areas in Kentucky
Top 30 salaries in Kentucky
Tax considerations in Kentucky
Kentucky has a flat 4% state income tax. Louisville has an occupational tax of about 2.2%. The combined rate is moderate, and the low cost of living offsets the local tax.
Kentucky has a flat 4% state income tax. Lexington has an occupational tax of about 2.25%. The combined rate is moderate and the very affordable housing stretches salaries further.
Other states
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