SalaryMap USA

Registered Nurses Salary in Kentucky

The median annual wage for registered nurses in Kentucky is $81,040 ($38.96 per hour) -16.9% vs. the national median of $97,550. Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025 estimates.

Median annual wage
$81,040
Mean annual wage
$86,140
Median hourly wage
$38.96
Employment in KY
50,300

50,300 employed · 25.1 per 1,000 jobs

Wage percentiles in Kentucky

Wage distribution for registered nurses in Kentucky (OEWS May 2025).
PercentileAnnual wageHourly wage
10th percentile$64,170$30.85
25th percentile$75,670$36.38
Median (50th)$81,040$38.96
75th percentile$97,200$46.73
90th percentile$111,750$53.73

What this salary is worth in Kentucky

Cost-of-living adjusted salary
$89,886

Kentucky prices are 90.2 vs. U.S. average = 100 (BEA RPP, 2024)

Median rent burden
14.3%

Median gross rent in Kentucky: $967/mo (ACS 2020-2024). 30% of income = $2,026/mo

Est. affordable home price
$295,629

At 6.67% 30-yr rate (FRED, 2026-08), 20% down, 28% front-end DTI, 1.5%/yr taxes+insurance

For context, the median home value in Kentucky is $205,600 (ACS 2020-2024).

Estimates from documented formulas — see methodology. Not financial advice.

Registered Nurses salary in other states

Other salaries in Kentucky

About this data

  • Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
  • Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
  • Regional Price Parities — data period 2024, retrieved August 13, 2026.
  • American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates — data period 2020-2024, retrieved August 13, 2026.
  • Federal Reserve Economic Data — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 13, 2026.

Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.