Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| Kentucky | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $37,150 | $62,011 | -40% |
| Median hourly wage | $17.86 | $29.81 | -40% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $41,186.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City-level data coming soon. | ||||
The median annual salary for a Firefighter in Kentucky is $37,150, or about $17.86 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Firefighters is $62,011. Kentucky is -40% below the national median.
Entry-level firefighters in Kentucky typically earn from varies by experience depending on the city and employer.
With 5,150 firefighter jobs on record and a median salary of $37,150, Kentucky offers competitive pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, firefighters rank 603 of the 699 occupations reported in Kentucky — higher than 14% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives at $80,390, First-Line Supervisors of Protective Service Workers, All Other at $73,920, Detectives and Criminal Investigators at $71,670 — 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, firefighters rank 603 of the 699 occupations reported in Kentucky — higher than 14% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in Kentucky | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $80,390 | $1,600 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Protective Service Workers, All Other | $73,920 | $190 |
| Detectives and Criminal Investigators | $71,670 | $720 |
| Transportation Security Screeners | $63,130 | $510 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers | $62,780 | $780 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers | $60,850 | $1,250 |
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.