Last updated: 2025 BLS data · Page refreshed:
The highest paying job in Kentucky is Cardiologists, with a median salary of $558,180 per year. Below is the complete ranking of the top 25 careers in KY based on 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025
See how Kentucky compares to other states. Click any state for its top-paying jobs.
Ranked by median annual salary. Click any job to see the full salary breakdown including percentile data and state-by-state comparisons.
| Rank | Occupation | Median Salary | Mean Salary | Workers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiologists | $558,180 | $522,350 | N/A |
| 2 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $350,950 | $302,340 | 6,260 |
| 3 | Anesthesiologists | $347,960 | $310,560 | 1,090 |
| 4 | Neurologists | $338,850 | $301,190 | 230 |
| 5 | Physicians, Pathologists | $324,390 | $302,180 | N/A |
| 6 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $317,110 | $268,360 | 240 |
| 7 | Radiologists | $279,990 | $338,210 | N/A |
| 8 | Family Medicine Physicians | $248,730 | $254,740 | 1,170 |
| 9 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $241,530 | $250,140 | 1,060 |
| 10 | Psychiatrists | $237,770 | $221,190 | 160 |
| 11 | Nurse Anesthetists | $222,520 | $229,690 | 1,640 |
| 12 | Podiatrists | $201,260 | $200,500 | 80 |
| 13 | Dermatologists | $195,830 | $249,200 | N/A |
| 14 | Physicists | $180,910 | $179,250 | 50 |
| 15 | Chief Executives | $179,530 | $238,100 | 2,070 |
| 16 | Pediatricians, General | $175,690 | $188,030 | 380 |
| 17 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | $169,390 | $214,570 | 620 |
| 18 | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $150,650 | $140,470 | 370 |
| 19 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $147,680 | $151,880 | 1,800 |
| 20 | Law Teachers, Postsecondary | $140,820 | $135,680 | 120 |
| 21 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $140,360 | $150,620 | 3,130 |
| 22 | Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary | $139,110 | $133,580 | 70 |
| 23 | Sociologists | $136,870 | $121,880 | 30 |
| 24 | Pharmacists | $136,530 | $136,480 | 5,030 |
| 25 | Dentists, General | $134,160 | $157,630 | 790 |
The top-paying careers in Kentucky are concentrated in Healthcare Practitioners fields. The #1 job, Cardiologists, pays $489,033 more than the state average of $69,146 per year.
At the 90th percentile, experienced Cardiologists professionals in KY can earn up to $624,260 annually — making it one of the most lucrative career paths in the state.
Among the top 25, the minimum median salary is $134,160, meaning all jobs on this list pay significantly above the national average.
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See how Kentucky's top salaries compare to other states.
Rankings are based on median annual salary from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 estimates. We use median rather than mean salary because it better represents typical earnings and is less affected by outliers.
Only occupations with state-level data published by BLS are included. Some specialized or rare occupations may not have data for every state. For full methodology details, see our Methodology page.