Last updated: 2025 BLS data · Page refreshed:
How much does a Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians actually take home in Kentucky?
4.0% flat rate — 23.2% effective total tax rateData: BLS OEWS 2025 + IRS/State Tax Brackets 2024 • Updated 2026-05-19
Detailed line-by-line tax calculation for a Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians earning $77,990 in Kentucky (single filer, standard deduction).
| Tax Component | Annual Amount | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Gross Salary (Median) | $77,990 | — |
| Federal Income Tax | -$8,998 | 11.5% |
| Kentucky State Income Tax | -$3,119 | 4.0% |
| Social Security (OASDI) | -$4,835 | 6.2% |
| Medicare | -$1,130 | 1.5% |
| Total Taxes | -$18,084 | 23.2% |
| Take-Home Pay | $59,905 | 76.8% |
Take-home pay varies significantly across experience levels. Here is the after-tax breakdown for each salary percentile of Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians in Kentucky.
| Percentile | Gross Salary | Total Taxes | Take-Home Pay | Tax Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (P10) | $48,690 | -$9,531 | $39,158 | 19.6% |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $63,320 | -$13,148 | $50,171 | 20.8% |
| Median (P50) | $77,990 | -$18,084 | $59,905 | 23.2% |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $92,420 | -$22,940 | $69,479 | 24.8% |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $97,880 | -$24,777 | $73,102 | 25.3% |
After federal income tax ($8,998), state tax ($3,119), and FICA ($5,966), a Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians in Kentucky takes home $59,905 per year — or $4,992 per month. The effective tax rate of 23.2% is relatively low compared to the national range.
With an effective total rate of 23.2%, a Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians in Kentucky keeps $59,905 of $77,990 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 Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians salary that contributes $3,120 to the 4.0% effective state-tax burden.
Federal tax on this Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians salary is $8,999 (50%), but combined state ($3,120, 17%) + FICA ($5,966, 33%) make up the other 50% of the bill.
Moving this same Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians salary to a zero-state-tax state would yield around $63,025 net — a gain of $3,120 (5.2%) per year versus Kentucky.
Kentucky ranks #14 of 44 states for Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians after-tax pay — comfortably in the upper half.
Translated into paycheck cadences, $59,905 net/year works out to $4,992/month or $2,304/bi-weekly for this Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians in Kentucky — the numbers that actually hit a checking account after every deduction.
Where does a Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians keep the most of their paycheck? Top 10 states ranked by after-tax take-home pay.
Kentucky ranks #14 out of 44 states for Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians after-tax take-home pay.
A Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians in Kentucky earning a median salary of $77,990 will take home approximately $59,905 per year after federal income tax ($8,998), state income tax ($3,119), and FICA ($5,966). That is $4,992 per month or $2,304 per bi-weekly paycheck.
The effective total tax rate for a Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians in Kentucky is 23.2%, broken down as: federal income tax 11.5%, 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 Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians's median salary of $77,990, the state income tax amounts to $3,119 per year, which is an effective state rate of 4.0%.
After all taxes, a Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians in Kentucky takes home approximately $4,992 per month, or about $28.80 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 $77,990 for Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians 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 — $59,905/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