Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
Across all occupations in the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metropolitan area, the median wage is $48,370 a year ($23.25 an hour) and the mean $62,310, May 2025. That median is −5% against the US median of $50,980 and +3% against Kentucky's $46,920. BLS counts 685,190 jobs in the area, which spans Kentucky and Indiana. The highest-paying occupation is anesthesiologists; the largest is laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand.
All occupations: Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN vs Kentucky and Indiana and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | Hourly | $14.14 | $17.77 | $23.25 | $34.64 | $48.97 | $29.96 | 685,190 |
| Annual | $29,410 | $36,960 | $48,370 | $72,040 | $101,860 | $62,310 | ||
| Kentucky | Hourly | $13.45 | $17.02 | $22.56 | $32.10 | $47.30 | $28.36 | 2,000,360 |
| Annual | $27,970 | $35,410 | $46,920 | $66,760 | $98,380 | $58,990 | ||
| Indiana | Hourly | $14.00 | $17.55 | $23.01 | $34.62 | $48.63 | $29.25 | 3,201,220 |
| Annual | $29,120 | $36,500 | $47,860 | $72,000 | $101,160 | $60,840 | ||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.07 | $24.51 | $38.71 | $61.81 | $33.54 | 155,495,730 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | $69,770 | ||
560 detailed occupations publish a median in this area. State profiles: Kentucky, Indiana. Compare any occupation across every area in the wage explorer.
20 highest-paying occupations in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anesthesiologists | $491,640 | $236.37 | 500 |
| 2 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $374,080 | $179.85 | 40 |
| 3 | Physicians, All Other | $335,670 | $161.38 | 1,100 |
| 4 | Physicians, Pathologists | $329,970 | $158.64 | ** |
| 5 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $291,090 | $139.95 | 260 |
| 6 | Family Medicine Physicians | $280,050 | $134.64 | 280 |
| 7 | Radiologists | $279,990 | $134.61 | ** |
| 8 | Psychiatrists | $237,770 | $114.31 | 60 |
| 9 | Nurse Anesthetists | $222,520 | $106.98 | 710 |
| 10 | Chief Executives | $213,920 | $102.85 | 640 |
| 11 | Commercial Pilots | $193,940 | * | 430 |
| 12 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | $169,390 | $81.44 | 180 |
| 13 | Maintenance Workers, Machinery | $157,260 | $75.61 | 970 |
| 14 | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $156,550 | $75.27 | 100 |
| 15 | Dentists, General | $151,420 | $72.80 | 230 |
| 16 | Computer and Information Systems Managers in Kentucky | $150,710 | $72.46 | 1,280 |
| 17 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $149,430 | $71.84 | 600 |
| 18 | Pharmacists | $143,920 | $69.19 | 1,830 |
| 19 | Education Administrators, Postsecondary | $138,670 | $66.67 | 200 |
| 20 | Sales Managers in Kentucky | $137,880 | $66.29 | 2,710 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes in this area cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
Most concentrated occupations in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
The 10 occupations with the highest location quotient among those employing at least 100 people in the area. A quotient of 2.00 means the occupation's share of local jobs is twice its national share.
| Rank | Occupation | Location quotient | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Statistical Assistants | 15.55 | 320 | 0.47 | $45,660 |
| 2 | Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 4.95 | 550 | 0.80 | $50,400 |
| 3 | Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels | 4.90 | 800 | 1.16 | $130,380 |
| 4 | Social Science Research Assistants | 4.19 | 570 | 0.83 | $82,500 |
| 5 | Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 4.10 | 3,100 | 4.52 | $60,230 |
| 6 | Cardiologists | 4.02 | 310 | 0.45 | # |
| 7 | Sailors and Marine Oilers | 3.99 | 560 | 0.81 | $62,650 |
| 8 | Maintenance Workers, Machinery | 3.66 | 970 | 1.41 | $157,260 |
| 8 | Prepress Technicians and Workers | 3.66 | 380 | 0.56 | $47,270 |
| 10 | Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators in Kentucky | 3.38 | 20,920 | 30.53 | $48,440 |
Occupation groups in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $105,630 | $123,210 | 41,960 | 61.23 | 0.86 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $86,670 | $96,290 | 14,560 | 21.25 | 0.63 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $84,320 | $91,980 | 9,000 | 13.14 | 0.78 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $81,450 | $103,880 | 48,350 | 70.57 | 1.12 |
| Legal | $80,040 | $103,670 | 3,880 | 5.66 | 0.67 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $76,400 | $82,310 | 3,680 | 5.36 | 0.57 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $73,440 | $79,830 | 33,040 | 48.22 | 0.71 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $60,090 | $61,010 | 29,700 | 43.35 | 0.74 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $60,060 | $63,010 | 30,710 | 44.82 | 1.15 |
| Construction and Extraction | $59,140 | $61,650 | 26,810 | 39.13 | 0.95 |
| Community and Social Service | $55,710 | $60,270 | 10,230 | 14.94 | 0.87 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $50,350 | $60,470 | 6,870 | 10.03 | 0.76 |
| Production | $48,440 | $51,500 | 60,110 | 87.72 | 1.59 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $46,830 | $57,800 | 90,400 | 131.93 | 1.50 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $45,920 | $48,300 | 85,080 | 124.17 | 1.09 |
| Protective Service | $44,090 | $49,910 | 13,360 | 19.50 | 0.80 |
| Healthcare Support | $41,240 | $42,360 | 28,540 | 41.65 | 0.82 |
| Sales and Related | $36,430 | $52,060 | 57,990 | 84.64 | 0.98 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $36,390 | $40,770 | 380 | 0.55 | 0.20 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $36,310 | $38,360 | 18,470 | 26.95 | 0.92 |
| Personal Care and Service | $33,190 | $37,260 | 12,120 | 17.69 | 0.84 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $29,850 | $33,340 | 59,950 | 87.50 | 0.99 |
Every occupation in Kentucky and Indiana, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profiles. All 560 published occupations for this area are in the wage explorer; other metros are on the metros hub.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN estimates (area 31140).
#- Equal to or greater than the top code (BLS publishes no wage above it).
*- Wage estimate not available.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's employment per 1,000 jobs in the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN area; the location quotient is that share divided by the national share.
- The concentration table keeps only occupations with employment of 100 or more in the area, so a quotient built on a handful of rounded jobs cannot top it.
- The area spans Kentucky and Indiana; its figures are the whole MSA, as BLS publishes them, under the primary state Kentucky.