Home / Wages / Lexington-Fayette Lexington-Fayette salaries The median worker in the Lexington-Fayette, KY metro area earned $47,580 a year in 2024, about $22.88 an hour. That ranks #161 of the 391 metro areas published here, 3.9% below the national median.
Kentucky
Median pay $47,580 $22.88 per hour
Vs national -3.9% U.S. $49,500
Workers 282,920 wage and salary
Metro rank #161 of 391 by median pay
What this labour market looks like Lexington-Fayette pays 4% more than Kentucky as a whole. Metros usually run ahead of their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and the gap is a rough measure of how much of a state's economy sits in its cities.
Unusually concentrated here Occupations against their national share, 2024 Occupation Concentration Employed Median Animal Caretakers 5.13× 2,610 $29,510 Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators 2.44× 6,540 $51,950 Veterinary Technologists and Technicians 2.39× 580 $38,250 Cooks, Fast Food 2.37× 2,900 $26,050 Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants 2.26× 3,450 $42,520 Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 2.17× 700 $47,580 Medical Records Specialists 2.1× 730 $48,690 Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers 2.02× 2,200 $44,980 Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians 1.78× 1,120 $56,800 Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other 1.78× 570 $64,530 Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary 1.75× 740 $103,580 Radiologic Technologists and Technicians 1.67× 680 $68,440
Best paid occupations Highest median pay in Lexington-Fayette Occupation Median Hourly Employed General Internal Medicine Physicians $231,240 $111.17 300 Architectural and Engineering Managers $156,300 $75.14 310 Computer and Information Systems Managers $140,320 $67.46 450 Pharmacists $138,300 $66.49 990 Financial Managers $131,180 $63.07 960 Managers, All Other $126,360 $60.75 320 Software Developers $123,210 $59.24 1,330 Computer Network Architects $119,360 $57.38 310 Human Resources Managers $117,350 $56.42 250 Nurse Practitioners $113,870 $54.74 850 Sales Managers $110,060 $52.91 1,060 Medical and Health Services Managers $109,460 $52.63 1,250 Physician Assistants $108,400 $52.11 280 Marketing Managers $106,920 $51.40 330 Industrial Production Managers $106,390 $51.15 590 Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary $106,050 n/a 590 Computer Programmers $105,800 $50.87 280 Education Administrators, Postsecondary $105,660 $50.80 240 Mechanical Engineers $104,940 $50.45 810 Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $104,150 $50.07 300 Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary $103,580 n/a 740 Industrial Engineers $103,460 $49.74 1,050 Civil Engineers $103,350 $49.69 620 Lawyers $103,010 $49.52 1,120 Administrative Services Managers $102,710 $49.38 280 Electrical Engineers $101,160 $48.63 270 Veterinarians $101,040 $48.58 370 Information Security Analysts $99,180 $47.68 280 Architects, Except Landscape and Naval $95,100 $45.72 260 Computer Occupations, All Other $91,670 $44.07 250 First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives $90,690 $43.60 220 Management Analysts $87,430 $42.04 540 Occupational Therapists $87,160 $41.90 290 Physical Therapists $86,110 $41.40 550 Speech-Language Pathologists $84,780 $40.76 330 Network and Computer Systems Administrators $84,260 $40.51 390 Computer Systems Analysts $83,820 $40.30 790 Registered Nurses $82,780 $39.80 8,110 Project Management Specialists $82,630 $39.73 1,690 Data Scientists $81,950 $39.40 230 Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary $81,030 n/a 210 Business Operations Specialists, All Other $79,200 $38.08 870 Financial and Investment Analysts $79,160 $38.06 560 Tool and Die Makers $78,840 $37.90 310 Personal Financial Advisors $78,470 $37.73 220 Occupational Health and Safety Specialists $78,260 $37.63 230 First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $78,040 $37.52 1,990 Dental Hygienists $77,310 $37.17 430 General and Operations Managers $77,240 $37.14 8,740 Social and Community Service Managers $77,150 $37.09 300 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products $76,790 $36.92 610 Loan Officers $74,460 $35.80 440 First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $73,210 $35.20 1,190 First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers $72,720 $34.96 370 Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators $72,550 $34.88 420 First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $71,850 $34.54 1,240 Accountants and Auditors $70,960 $34.12 1,860 Healthcare Social Workers $70,630 $33.96 350 Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars $70,500 $33.89 240 Cost Estimators $70,250 $33.78 340
Where most people work Largest occupations in Lexington-Fayette by employment Occupation Employed Median Hourly General and Operations Managers 8,740 $77,240 $37.14 Registered Nurses 8,110 $82,780 $39.80 Retail Salespersons 6,920 $29,580 $14.22 Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators 6,540 $51,950 $24.98 Customer Service Representatives 6,250 $38,100 $18.32 Fast Food and Counter Workers 5,540 $27,740 $13.34 Stockers and Order Fillers 5,510 $36,420 $17.51 Cashiers 5,500 $27,810 $13.37 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 5,500 $39,660 $19.07 Waiters and Waitresses 5,110 $22,290 $10.72 Office Clerks, General 4,690 $39,840 $19.16 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 4,350 $56,490 $27.16 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 3,860 $32,340 $15.55 Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants 3,450 $42,520 $20.44 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 3,220 $46,480 $22.35 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 3,070 $44,720 $21.50 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 3,060 $44,960 $21.61 Nursing Assistants 3,040 $40,700 $19.57 Cooks, Fast Food 2,900 $26,050 $12.52 Home Health and Personal Care Aides 2,890 $33,520 $16.12
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 state estimates. Wage and salary workers only, excluding the self-employed.
Other Kentucky metro areas Cincinnati 1,092,300 workers $48,490 Louisville/Jefferson County 686,050 workers $47,750 Elizabethtown 51,330 workers $44,810 Paducah 50,590 workers $44,140 Bowling Green 80,400 workers $43,640 Clarksville 100,910 workers $42,990 Lexington-Fayette pay: common questions What is the average salary in Lexington-Fayette? The median across all occupations is $47,580 , or $22.88 an hour, covering 282,920 wage and salary workers. The mean is $59,990, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.
Does Lexington-Fayette pay more than the rest of Kentucky? Yes. The metro median of $47,580 is 4% above the Kentucky median of $45,740. Metropolitan areas usually pay more than their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and usually cost more to live in for the same reason.
Which jobs pay best in Lexington-Fayette? General Internal Medicine Physicians ($231,240), Architectural and Engineering Managers ($156,300), Computer and Information Systems Managers ($140,320). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.
What is Lexington-Fayette unusually full of? Animal Caretakers, at 5.13× the national concentration. Location quotient is a better description of a local economy than its biggest employers, which are retail and food service almost everywhere.