SOC 25-2022 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education — Kentucky
Kentucky · 6 metro areas compared
The median wage for Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education in Kentucky is $61,120 per year, close to the national median of $64,370 for the same occupation.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to decline
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- -2.0%
- Openings per year
- 40,500
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor'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 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education in Kentucky is $61,120 per year, close to the national median of $64,370 for the same occupation. Half of workers earn between $48,870 and $65,150. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $46,270 and the ninetieth at $79,650.
Employment stands at 8,040, or 4.0 jobs per thousand held locally. Kentucky ranks number 34th out of 51 states by median pay for this occupation. Within the state, Lexington records the highest median at $65,150. Of the 699 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 287th.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $46,270 | −28.1% |
| 25th | $48,870 | −24.1% |
| Median (50th) | $61,120 | −5.0% |
| 75th | $65,150 | +1.2% |
| 90th | $79,650 | +23.7% |
| Mean | $60,150 | −6.6% |
Highest-paying metro areas in Kentucky
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lexington | $65,150 | 1,130 | |
| 2 | Owensboro | $63,070 | 250 | |
| 3 | Paducah | $62,470 | 220 | |
| 4 | Louisville/Jefferson County | $61,610 | 2,350 | |
| 5 | Bowling Green | $61,600 | 310 | |
| 6 | Elizabethtown | $61,220 | 240 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Kentucky run 9.8% below the national average, so the median of $61,120 goes as far as $67,761 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 5.3% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$61,120as reported by BLSLocal price level
90.2US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$67,761US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $61,120 a year, 5.0% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $46,270 to $79,650 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 8,040 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 34th of 51 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Lexington, at $65,150.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education in Kentucky?
The median annual wage is $61,120, 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 $64,370, so pay in Kentucky is 5.0% 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 $79,650 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $46,270 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.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Lexington, at $65,150 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 8,040 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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