Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education in Kentucky
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$48,623
after federal, FICA and Kentucky tax
Tax takes
$11,657
19.3% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$53,746
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
$60,280
Kept after tax
$48,623
Worth in national money
$53,746
State rank
29
of 50 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Kentucky sits in the middle of the pack for this job. The median is $60,280, ranking 29 of 50 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 491 occupations Kentucky reports figures for, this is number 203.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $60,280 you keep $48,623 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $53,746 at national prices. Here the average runs under the middle, at $59,670.
- Kentucky occupies the middle band for kindergarten teachers, except special education: a median of $60,280, ranking 29 of 50. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- In Kentucky's occupational distribution, kindergarten teachers, except special education sits at 203 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.
- Retained pay in Kentucky is $48,623 after the full tax stack, from $60,280. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $53,746 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $59,670 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
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Pay band: Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $44,980 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $60,280 |
| Top tenth earn over | $79,920 |
| This salary | $60,280 |
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 | $48,623 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $50,615 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,659 |
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 | $57,801 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,007 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $60,280 as a midpoint for Kentucky, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $44,980 and the ninetieth is $79,920 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In Kentucky the take-home figure of $48,623, from $60,280, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 203 of 491 occupations here.
- Two cautions on $53,746, the adjusted value of that $60,280 median. It levels out prices with a single number for all of Kentucky. No actual address matches that. The wage figures and price figures are also from different years. Each is published on its own timetable. This work sits at 203 of 491 locally.
- The Kentucky median of $60,280 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $44,980 to $79,920. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Take-home for Kentucky is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $48,623 from $60,280. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 203 of 491 locally.
- This $53,746 adjusted figure, worked from $60,280, rests on a state-level price parity averaging over within-state dispersion larger than much of the between-state dispersion. Wage and price vintages differ by publication schedule. The result is directionally sound and not address-specific, for work at 203 of 491 in the state. The occupation ranks 203 of 491 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $44,980 at the tenth percentile, $79,920 at the ninetieth.
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 $53,746.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Into four separate taxes, not one. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare apply everywhere, and Kentucky adds its own income tax on top — which is why $48,623 of this wage survives to your account.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 50 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($44,980 to $79,920) 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 $53,746 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 $48,623 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.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 50 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.