Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| Kentucky | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $60,610 | $72,224 | -16% |
| Median hourly wage | $29.14 | $34.72 | -16% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $67,195.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City-level data coming soon. | ||||
The median annual salary for a Elementary School Teacher in Kentucky is $60,610, or about $29.14 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Elementary School Teachers is $72,224. Kentucky is -16% below the national median.
Entry-level elementary school teachers in Kentucky typically earn from varies by experience depending on the city and employer.
With 19,080 elementary school teacher jobs on record and a median salary of $60,610, Kentucky offers competitive pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, elementary school teachers rank 298 of the 699 occupations reported in Kentucky — higher than 57% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Law Teachers, Postsecondary at $140,820, Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary at $139,110, Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary at $110,810 — all figures are median annual wages for Kentucky.
No. Every figure on this page is a gross (pre-tax) wage. Kentucky levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 89.0 (100 = national average).
By median annual wage, elementary school teachers rank 298 of the 699 occupations reported in Kentucky — higher than 57% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in Kentucky | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Law Teachers, Postsecondary | $140,820 | $120 |
| Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary | $139,110 | $70 |
| Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary | $110,810 | $340 |
| Economics Teachers, Postsecondary | $106,250 | $120 |
| Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary | $102,140 | $60 |
| Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary | $95,830 | $40 |
Kentucky levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 89.0 (100 = national average).
Ranking and comparison figures come from the same BLS OEWS release as the rest of this page, which covers 699 occupations in Kentucky.