Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| Kentucky | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $64,350 | $67,290 | -4% |
| Median hourly wage | $30.94 | $32.35 | -4% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $71,341.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City-level data coming soon. | ||||
The median annual salary for a School Counselor in Kentucky is $64,350, or about $30.94 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for School Counselors is $67,290. Kentucky is -4% below the national median.
Entry-level school counselors in Kentucky typically earn from varies by experience depending on the city and employer.
With 5,030 school counselor jobs on record and a median salary of $64,350, Kentucky offers competitive pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, school counselors rank 246 of the 699 occupations reported in Kentucky — higher than 65% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Social Workers, All Other at $85,160, Health Education Specialists at $65,370, Healthcare Social Workers at $64,080 — 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, school counselors rank 246 of the 699 occupations reported in Kentucky — higher than 65% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in Kentucky | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Social Workers, All Other | $85,160 | $610 |
| Health Education Specialists | $65,370 | $760 |
| Healthcare Social Workers | $64,080 | $1,980 |
| Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists | $59,610 | $830 |
| Child, Family, and School Social Workers | $59,100 | $8,470 |
| Clergy | $58,920 | $410 |
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.