Last updated: 2025 BLS data · Page refreshed:
How much does a Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health actually take home in Kentucky?
4.0% flat rate — 22.2% effective total tax rateData: BLS OEWS 2025 + IRS/State Tax Brackets 2024 • Updated 2026-05-19
Detailed line-by-line tax calculation for a Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health earning $71,040 in Kentucky (single filer, standard deduction).
| Tax Component | Annual Amount | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Gross Salary (Median) | $71,040 | — |
| Federal Income Tax | -$7,469 | 10.5% |
| Kentucky State Income Tax | -$2,841 | 4.0% |
| Social Security (OASDI) | -$4,404 | 6.2% |
| Medicare | -$1,030 | 1.4% |
| Total Taxes | -$15,745 | 22.2% |
| Take-Home Pay | $55,294 | 77.8% |
Take-home pay varies significantly across experience levels. Here is the after-tax breakdown for each salary percentile of Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health in Kentucky.
| Percentile | Gross Salary | Total Taxes | Take-Home Pay | Tax Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (P10) | $48,540 | -$9,495 | $39,044 | 19.6% |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $56,070 | -$11,276 | $44,793 | 20.1% |
| Median (P50) | $71,040 | -$15,745 | $55,294 | 22.2% |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $78,850 | -$18,374 | $60,475 | 23.3% |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $94,840 | -$23,754 | $71,085 | 25.0% |
After federal income tax ($7,469), state tax ($2,841), and FICA ($5,434), a Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health in Kentucky takes home $55,294 per year — or $4,607 per month. The effective tax rate of 22.2% is relatively low compared to the national range.
With an effective total rate of 22.2%, a Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health in Kentucky keeps $55,294 of $71,040 gross — roughly typical for U.S. middle-income earners once federal, FICA and state taxes are combined.
Kentucky applies a flat state income tax — every dollar of wage income is taxed at the same rate. For this Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health salary that contributes $2,842 to the 4.0% effective state-tax burden.
Federal tax on this Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health salary is $7,470 (47%), but combined state ($2,842, 18%) + FICA ($5,435, 35%) make up the other 53% of the bill.
Moving this same Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health salary to a zero-state-tax state would yield around $58,136 net — a gain of $2,842 (5.1%) per year versus Kentucky.
Kentucky sits near the bottom (#41 of 51) for Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health after-tax earnings. Relocation, negotiation, or credential stacking typically show the clearest ROI in bottom-quartile states.
Translated into paycheck cadences, $55,294 net/year works out to $4,608/month or $2,127/bi-weekly for this Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health in Kentucky — the numbers that actually hit a checking account after every deduction.
Where does a Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health keep the most of their paycheck? Top 10 states ranked by after-tax take-home pay.
Kentucky ranks #41 out of 51 states for Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health after-tax take-home pay.
A Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health in Kentucky earning a median salary of $71,040 will take home approximately $55,294 per year after federal income tax ($7,469), state income tax ($2,841), and FICA ($5,434). That is $4,607 per month or $2,126 per bi-weekly paycheck.
The effective total tax rate for a Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health in Kentucky is 22.2%, broken down as: federal income tax 10.5%, Kentucky state tax 4.0%, and FICA (Social Security + Medicare) 7.7%. This assumes a single filer with the standard deduction for 2024.
Kentucky has a 4.0% flat rate. On a Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health's median salary of $71,040, the state income tax amounts to $2,841 per year, which is an effective state rate of 4.0%.
After all taxes, a Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health in Kentucky takes home approximately $4,607 per month, or about $26.58 per hour (based on a standard 2,080-hour work year). These figures assume a single filer, standard deduction, and no additional pre-tax deductions.
We start with the 2025 BLS median salary of $71,040 for Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health in Kentucky, then subtract: federal income tax using 2024 IRS brackets ($14,600 standard deduction), Kentucky state income tax (4.0% flat rate), Social Security (6.2% up to $168,600), and Medicare (1.45%). The result — $55,294/yr — does not include local taxes, pre-tax deductions (401k, HSA), or tax credits.
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This estimate assumes a single filer using the 2024 standard deduction ($14,600), with W-2 employment income only. It does not account for: itemized deductions, tax credits (e.g. earned income credit, child tax credit), local/city taxes, pre-tax contributions (401k, HSA, FSA), self-employment tax, or additional income sources. Actual take-home pay may differ. Consult a tax professional for personalized advice.
Our Methodology · Data Sources · Salary: BLS OEWS · Tax: IRS + State DOR