Library Assistants, Clerical in Kentucky
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$28,188
after federal, FICA and Kentucky tax
Tax takes
$5,502
16.3% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$31,158
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
$33,690
Kept after tax
$28,188
Worth in national money
$31,158
State rank
36
of 50 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Kentucky is among the lower-paying states for library assistants, clerical. The middle earner takes $33,690, ranking 36 of 50 states — about 8.72% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Measured against other jobs in Kentucky, this one sits low: 452 of 491 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Here is where Kentucky does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $33,690 you keep $28,188, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $31,158 would elsewhere. The average is lower, $33,280, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- Kentucky ranks 36 of 50 for library assistants, clerical, with a median of $33,690 — about 8.72% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- Library assistants, clerical occupies position 452 of 491 in Kentucky's occupational wage distribution, in the bottom quartile. National ranking and local ranking answer different questions and frequently disagree; this is the one a resident experiences.
- After federal, FICA and Kentucky income tax, retained pay for library assistants, clerical on $33,690 is $28,188. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $31,158 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $33,280 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
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Pay band: Library Assistants, Clerical
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $25,720 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $33,690 |
| Top tenth earn over | $43,630 |
| This salary | $33,690 |
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 | $28,188 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $29,250 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,058 |
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 | $32,369 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,280 |
| 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 library assistants, clerical in Kentucky earn under $33,690 and half over. The published range runs $25,720 at the tenth percentile to $43,630 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- That $28,188 take-home in Kentucky comes from $33,690. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 452 of 491.
- One number stands for prices across all of Kentucky, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $31,158, the adjusted value of that $33,690 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 452 of 491 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for library assistants, clerical in Kentucky, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $25,720 to $43,630; 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.
- Retained pay of $28,188, from $33,690, assumes a single Kentucky filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 452 of 491 locally, and the state ranks 36 of 50 for it.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Kentucky, so $31,158 — the adjusted value of that $33,690 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 452 of 491 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $25,720 at the tenth percentile, $43,630 at the ninetieth.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Kentucky sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $31,158 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
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 $28,188.
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 ($25,720 to $43,630) 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 $31,158 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 $28,188 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.