Industrial Machinery Mechanics in Kentucky
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$51,912
after federal, FICA and Kentucky tax
Tax takes
$12,648
19.6% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$57,382
Kentucky costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Kentucky — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$64,560
Kept after tax
$51,912
Worth in national money
$57,382
State rank
29
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Kentucky is 29 of 51 states for this job, with a middle wage of $64,560. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 491 occupations Kentucky reports figures for, this is number 157.
- Kentucky is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $64,560 the take-home is $51,912; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $57,382 would nationally. The average comes to $66,000, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Kentucky ranks 29 of 51 for industrial machinery mechanics at $64,560. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- In Kentucky's occupational distribution, industrial machinery mechanics sits at 157 of 491 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Post-tax income for industrial machinery mechanics in Kentucky, on $64,560, is $51,912 — equivalent to $57,382 once regional price parity is applied. ⚠️ The adjustment uses a statewide index that describes no particular address; within-state price variation, concentrated in housing, routinely exceeds the difference between two states. At $66,000 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Industrial Machinery Mechanics
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $46,050 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $64,560 |
| Top tenth earn over | $85,320 |
| This salary | $64,560 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Kentucky | $51,912 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $54,054 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,756 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $61,894 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,150 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of industrial machinery mechanics in Kentucky earn under $64,560 and half over. The published range runs $46,050 at the tenth percentile to $85,320 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Kentucky's $51,912, worked from $64,560. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 157 of 491.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $57,382 uses one figure for the whole of Kentucky. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 491 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 157.
- Figures are distribution medians for industrial machinery mechanics in Kentucky, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $46,050 to $85,320; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- The Kentucky take-home of $51,912, on $64,560 for work ranking 157 of 491 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 157 of 491 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $57,382, worked from $64,560, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Kentucky address, on work sitting at 157 of 491 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $46,050 and the top tenth $85,320, so most people doing this work in Kentucky sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
A smaller wage in a cheaper place is not automatically less. Adjusted for local prices, this is worth $57,382.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Kentucky then takes its own share, leaving $51,912.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($46,050 to $85,320) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Kentucky rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Kentucky's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $57,382 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $51,912 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Kentucky income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.