Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| Kentucky | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $61,560 | $74,587 | -17% |
| Median hourly wage | $29.60 | $35.86 | -17% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $68,248.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City-level data coming soon. | ||||
The median annual salary for a High School Teacher in Kentucky is $61,560, or about $29.60 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for High School Teachers is $74,587. Kentucky is -17% below the national median.
Entry-level high school teachers in Kentucky typically earn from varies by experience depending on the city and employer.
With 12,780 high school teacher jobs on record and a median salary of $61,560, Kentucky offers competitive pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, high school teachers rank 273 of the 699 occupations reported in Kentucky — higher than 61% 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, high school teachers rank 273 of the 699 occupations reported in Kentucky — higher than 61% 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.