The top 25 occupations in Kentucky ranked by 2026 median annual salary. Based on BLS data projected forward with Kentucky cost-of-living adjustment.
Ranked by median annual base salary. Click any role for full Kentucky-specific detail.
| Rank | Role | Median 2026 | 75th % | Top 10% (P90) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | CEO (Mid-Market) Business & Management | $432,800 | $562,700 | $714,200 |
| #2 | Surgeon Healthcare | $356,100 | $462,900 | $587,600 |
| #3 | Chief Financial Officer Finance | $326,000 | $423,800 | $537,900 |
| #4 | Physician (MD/DO) Healthcare | $229,600 | $298,500 | $378,800 |
| #5 | Corporate Lawyer Legal | $195,800 | $254,500 | $323,000 |
| #6 | Investment Banker Finance | $177,600 | $230,800 | $293,000 |
| #7 | Dentist Healthcare | $168,700 | $219,300 | $278,300 |
| #8 | AI Engineer Technology | $167,900 | $218,300 | $277,000 |
| #9 | Machine Learning Engineer Technology | $153,600 | $199,700 | $253,400 |
| #10 | Senior Software Engineer Technology | $150,000 | $195,000 | $247,500 |
| #11 | Site Reliability Engineer Technology | $144,700 | $188,100 | $238,700 |
| #12 | IT Manager Technology | $141,100 | $183,400 | $232,800 |
| #13 | Controller Finance | $138,400 | $179,900 | $228,400 |
| #14 | Judge / Magistrate Legal | $138,400 | $179,900 | $228,400 |
| #15 | Management Consultant Business & Management | $137,100 | $178,200 | $226,200 |
| #16 | Product Manager Technology | $135,700 | $176,500 | $224,000 |
| #17 | Lawyer / Attorney Legal | $134,800 | $175,200 | $222,400 |
| #18 | Petroleum Engineer Engineering | $133,500 | $173,500 | $220,200 |
| #19 | Sales Engineer Sales | $133,500 | $173,500 | $220,200 |
| #20 | Data Scientist Technology | $132,200 | $171,800 | $218,100 |
| #21 | Marketing Manager Business & Management | $130,800 | $170,000 | $215,700 |
| #22 | Pharmacist Healthcare | $129,300 | $168,100 | $213,400 |
| #23 | Account Executive (SaaS) Sales | $128,100 | $166,500 | $211,300 |
| #24 | Data Engineer Technology | $126,800 | $164,900 | $209,200 |
| #25 | Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure) Technology | $126,800 | $164,900 | $209,200 |
In Kentucky, the highest-paying job tracked is CEO (Mid-Market), with a median salary of $432,800 in 2026. The 90th percentile reaches $714,200.
Salaries are based on BLS OEWS data, projected forward to 2026 using category-specific wage growth and adjusted for Kentucky's cost-of-living index. The ranking shows median annual base pay (excluding bonuses, equity, and benefits).
Most of the top 25 highest-paying jobs in Kentucky typically require at least a bachelor's degree, and many require advanced degrees (medicine, law, engineering specializations). Trades roles are notable exceptions — they appear in some state rankings without requiring four-year degrees.