Electrician salary in Kentucky
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Electricians in Kentucky earn a median of $59,720 a year, or $28.71 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $85,260 a year. That's 5% less than the national median of $63,190, 43rd of 51 states and DC.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $17.84/hr
- Jobs in Kentucky
- 11,030
- After cost of living
- $66,240
- Median hourly pay
- $28.71/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −5%
- Rank among states
- 43rd of 51
Apprentice, journeyman and master electrician pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $37,110–$46,540$17.84–$22.37/hr | |
| Journeyman | $59,720$28.71/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $77,920–$85,260$37.46–$40.99/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Kentucky compares
- Electricians are more concentrated in Kentucky than nationally: 5.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.1 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $85,260, is 2.3 times the 10th-percentile wage, $37,110: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Pay by metro area
Rural Kentucky
- East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area$58,830
- West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area$58,620
- South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area$56,500
- Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area$50,990
Other trades in Kentucky
Questions
- How much do electricians make in Kentucky?
- Electricians in Kentucky earn a median of $59,720 a year, or $28.71 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $85,260 a year.
- How much do electricians make an hour in Kentucky?
- The median hourly wage is $28.71. The middle half earn between $22.37 and $37.46 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice electricians make in Kentucky?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.84 an hour ($37,110 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.37.
- How much does a journeyman electrician make in Kentucky?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $59,720 a year ($28.71 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $77,920–$85,260.
- Where in Kentucky do electricians earn the most?
- Among Kentucky metro areas, Paducah has the highest median at $73,930 a year, and Elizabethtown the lowest at $54,460.
- Do electricians in Kentucky earn more than the national average?
- The Kentucky median of $59,720 is 5% less than the U.S. median of $63,190. Prices in Kentucky run 10% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $66,240 would nationally.
About this data
Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 47-2111 (Electricians), area code 21. BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed electricians and business owners aren't included. The cost-of-living figure divides the median by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity for 2024 (90.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures