Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| Kentucky | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $109,010 | $142,991 | -24% |
| Median hourly wage | $52.41 | $68.75 | -24% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $120,854.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville | $120,366 | $86,450 | $159,250 | 89 |
The median annual salary for a Software Engineer in Kentucky is $109,010, or about $52.41 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Software Engineers is $142,991. Kentucky is -24% below the national median.
Entry-level software engineers in Kentucky typically earn from $86,450 depending on the city and employer.
With 7,660 software engineer jobs on record and a median salary of $109,010, Kentucky offers competitive pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, software engineers rank 56 of the 699 occupations reported in Kentucky — higher than 92% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Database Architects at $125,400, Actuaries at $120,400, Statisticians at $112,520 — 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, software engineers rank 56 of the 699 occupations reported in Kentucky — higher than 92% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in Kentucky | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Database Architects | $125,400 | $350 |
| Actuaries | $120,400 | $70 |
| Statisticians | $112,520 | $80 |
| Computer Network Architects | $103,740 | $1,710 |
| Information Security Analysts | $103,630 | $1,680 |
| Computer Systems Analysts | $95,090 | $5,930 |
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.