Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| Kentucky | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $121,460 | $149,469 | -19% |
| Median hourly wage | $58.39 | $71.86 | -19% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $134,656.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville | $118,300 | $68,250 | $150,150 | 89 |
The median annual salary for a HR Manager in Kentucky is $121,460, or about $58.39 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for HR Managers is $149,469. Kentucky is -19% below the national median.
Entry-level hr managers in Kentucky typically earn from $68,250 depending on the city and employer.
With 1,960 hr manager jobs on record and a median salary of $121,460, Kentucky offers competitive pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, hr managers rank 43 of the 699 occupations reported in Kentucky — higher than 94% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Chief Executives at $179,530, Architectural and Engineering Managers at $147,680, Computer and Information Systems Managers at $140,360 — 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, hr managers rank 43 of the 699 occupations reported in Kentucky — higher than 94% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in Kentucky | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Executives | $179,530 | $2,070 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $147,680 | $1,800 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $140,360 | $3,130 |
| Financial Managers | $130,650 | $6,630 |
| Marketing Managers | $128,930 | $1,930 |
| Sales Managers | $128,650 | $6,650 |
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.