Tree Trimmers and Pruners in Kentucky
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$36,427
after federal, FICA and Kentucky tax
Tax takes
$7,983
18.0% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$40,265
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
$44,410
Kept after tax
$36,427
Worth in national money
$40,265
State rank
42
of 49 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Kentucky is among the lower-paying states for tree trimmers and pruners. The middle earner takes $44,410, ranking 42 of 49 states — about 12.85% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. Tree trimmers and pruners ranks 353 among 491 occupations Kentucky publishes pay for.
- Here is where Kentucky does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $44,410 you keep $36,427, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $40,265 would elsewhere. The average is lower, $43,690, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- Kentucky ranks 42 of 49 for tree trimmers and pruners, with a median of $44,410 — about 12.85% 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.
- Position 353 of 491 in Kentucky places tree trimmers and pruners in the middle of the state's wage distribution. Because within-state and cross-state rankings measure different things, this figure and the national one above should be read together rather than as a single verdict.
- After federal, FICA and Kentucky income tax, retained pay for tree trimmers and pruners on $44,410 is $36,427. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $40,265 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 $43,690 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
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Pay band: Tree Trimmers and Pruners
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $26,890 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $44,410 |
| Top tenth earn over | $57,440 |
| This salary | $44,410 |
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 | $36,427 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $37,863 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,301 |
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 | $42,622 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,573 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $44,410 as a midpoint for Kentucky, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $26,890 and the ninetieth is $57,440 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In Kentucky the take-home figure of $36,427, from $44,410, 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 353 of 491 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $40,265 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 353.
- The Kentucky median of $44,410 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $26,890 to $57,440. 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 $36,427 from $44,410. 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 353 of 491 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $40,265, worked from $44,410, 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 353 of 491 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $26,890 and the top tenth $57,440, 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 $40,265.
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 $36,427 of this wage survives to your account.
Why is this job missing from some states?
A blank is a suppression, not a zero. 49 states have a published figure for this work; the others had too few responses to release one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($26,890 to $57,440) 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 $40,265 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 $36,427 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 49 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.