SOC 19-3011 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Economists — Kentucky
Kentucky
The median wage for Economists in Kentucky is $71,400 per year, substantially below the national median of $124,720 — a gap of 42.8%.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow more slowly than average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +1.2%
- Openings per year
- 900
- Typical entry-level education
- Master's degree
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Kentucky.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
The median wage for Economists in Kentucky is $71,400 per year, substantially below the national median of $124,720 — a gap of 42.8%. Half of workers earn between $64,070 and $100,880. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $59,810 and the ninetieth at $124,380.
The area has 100 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.0 of every thousand jobs. Kentucky ranks number 40th out of 40 states by median pay for this occupation. Of the 699 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 194th.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $59,810 | −52.0% |
| 25th | $64,070 | −48.6% |
| Median (50th) | $71,400 | −42.8% |
| 75th | $100,880 | −19.1% |
| 90th | $124,380 | −0.3% |
| Mean | $83,920 | −32.7% |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Kentucky run 9.8% below the national average, so the median of $71,400 goes as far as $79,157 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 36.5% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$71,400as reported by BLSLocal price level
90.2US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$79,157US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $71,400 a year, 42.8% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $59,810 to $124,380 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 100 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 40th of 40 states for this occupation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Economists in Kentucky?
The median annual wage is $71,400, or $34.33 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $124,720, so pay in Kentucky is 42.8% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Kentucky earns more than $124,380 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $59,810 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 100 jobs in this occupation in Kentucky. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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