Physician Assistants in Kentucky
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$89,676
after federal, FICA and Kentucky tax
Tax takes
$31,084
25.7% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$99,124
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
$120,760
Kept after tax
$89,676
Worth in national money
$99,124
State rank
46
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pay for physician assistants is on the low side in Kentucky. The middle earner gets $120,760. That is 46 of 51 states, and about 11.13% under the national figure. Whether that matters depends on what things cost here.
- Locally, this pays well. Among 491 occupations Kentucky reports, physician assistants comes in at 22 — comfortably in the upper quarter.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $120,760 you keep $89,676 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $99,124 at national prices. Here the average runs under the middle, at $119,990.
- For physician assistants, Kentucky sits in the lower band at $120,760, ranking 46 of 51 and trailing the national median by about 11.13%. Nominal rankings routinely invert once tax and regional price level are applied, so this position should not be read as the conclusion.
- Physician assistants ranks 22 of 491 occupations by median in Kentucky, in the top quartile. Within-state position is largely independent of national position, so this holds regardless of how the state compares to others for the same work.
- Retained pay in Kentucky is $89,676 after the full tax stack, from $120,760. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $99,124 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $119,990 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Physician Assistants
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $79,550 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $120,760 |
| Top tenth earn over | $161,820 |
| This salary | $120,760 |
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 | $89,676 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $93,785 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,613 |
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 | $114,919 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$3,685 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Kentucky earn less than $120,760. The published range is $79,550 up to $161,820, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Kentucky the take-home figure of $89,676, from $120,760, 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 22 of 491 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Kentucky, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $99,124, the adjusted value of that $120,760 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 22 of 491 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for physician assistants in Kentucky the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $79,550 to $161,820. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for Kentucky is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $89,676 from $120,760. 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 22 of 491 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Kentucky, so $99,124 — the adjusted value of that $120,760 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 22 of 491 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $79,550 and the top tenth $161,820, so most people doing this work in Kentucky sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Kentucky is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $99,124 in national terms.
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 $89,676.
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 ($79,550 to $161,820) 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 $99,124 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 $89,676 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.