Owensboro, KY
Across all occupations in the Owensboro, KY metropolitan area, the median wage is $44,960 a year ($21.62 an hour) and the mean $54,150, May 2025. That median is −12% against the US median of $50,980 and −4% against Kentucky's $46,920. BLS counts 49,450 jobs in the area. The highest-paying occupation is physicians, all other; the largest is registered nurses.
All occupations: Owensboro, KY vs Kentucky and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Owensboro, KY | Hourly | $13.02 | $15.90 | $21.62 | $30.45 | $41.48 | $26.03 | 49,450 |
| Annual | $27,080 | $33,070 | $44,960 | $63,340 | $86,280 | $54,150 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 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 | ||
197 detailed occupations publish a median in this area. State profile: Kentucky. Compare any occupation across every area in the wage explorer.
20 highest-paying occupations in Owensboro, KY
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physicians, All Other | $401,180 | $192.87 | 140 |
| 2 | Family Medicine Physicians | $224,740 | $108.05 | 30 |
| 3 | Chief Executives | $171,540 | $82.47 | 50 |
| 4 | Pharmacists | $139,950 | $67.29 | 120 |
| 5 | Computer and Information Systems Managers in Kentucky | $138,480 | $66.58 | 40 |
| 6 | Human Resources Managers | $132,760 | $63.83 | 30 |
| 7 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $129,430 | $62.23 | 50 |
| 8 | Nurse Practitioners | $128,780 | $61.91 | 150 |
| 9 | Managers, All Other in Kentucky | $127,170 | $61.14 | 40 |
| 10 | Marketing Managers | $124,040 | $59.64 | 30 |
| 11 | Administrative Services Managers | $121,020 | $58.18 | 60 |
| 12 | Sales Managers in Kentucky | $119,320 | $57.37 | 140 |
| 13 | Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $110,320 | $53.04 | 40 |
| 14 | Industrial Production Managers | $109,400 | $52.60 | 140 |
| 15 | Financial Managers in Kentucky | $107,190 | $51.54 | 180 |
| 16 | Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary | $105,090 | * | 110 |
| 17 | Medical and Health Services Managers | $104,370 | $50.18 | 150 |
| 18 | Facilities Managers | $102,180 | $49.13 | 30 |
| 19 | Software Developers in Kentucky | $102,010 | $49.05 | 90 |
| 20 | Mechanical Engineers | $97,810 | $47.03 | 50 |
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 Owensboro, KY
Most concentrated occupations in Owensboro, KY
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 | Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders | 8.13 | 980 | 19.82 | $61,250 |
| 2 | Food Batchmakers | 6.61 | 370 | 7.42 | $37,090 |
| 3 | Sewing Machine Operators | 4.61 | 150 | 3.11 | $25,980 |
| 4 | Loan Interviewers and Clerks | 4.17 | 220 | 4.42 | $46,130 |
| 5 | Industrial Machinery Mechanics | 3.40 | 480 | 9.62 | $73,010 |
| 6 | Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 3.11 | 170 | 3.43 | $39,970 |
| 6 | Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers | 3.11 | 410 | 8.33 | $51,700 |
| 8 | Cooks, Fast Food in Kentucky | 3.05 | 620 | 12.58 | $22,260 |
| 9 | Postsecondary Teachers, All Other | 2.49 | 120 | 2.40 | $50,440 |
| 10 | Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | 2.34 | 330 | 6.63 | $30,170 |
Occupation groups in Owensboro, KY
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $93,130 | $105,090 | 2,700 | 54.62 | 0.76 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $85,700 | $89,520 | 420 | 8.58 | 0.51 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $81,270 | $94,320 | 4,140 | 83.78 | 1.33 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $79,540 | $89,330 | 530 | 10.62 | 0.31 |
| Legal | $75,590 | $92,080 | 190 | 3.85 | 0.46 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $71,840 | $74,480 | 290 | 5.80 | 0.61 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $66,520 | $73,990 | 1,840 | 37.12 | 0.55 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $57,840 | $58,740 | 2,290 | 46.30 | 1.18 |
| Construction and Extraction | $50,290 | $55,440 | 1,860 | 37.58 | 0.91 |
| Production | $49,430 | $50,550 | 4,770 | 96.38 | 1.75 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $49,350 | $51,770 | 2,840 | 57.37 | 0.98 |
| Community and Social Service | $48,780 | $53,870 | 980 | 19.82 | 1.15 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $44,010 | $46,510 | 40 | 0.79 | 0.28 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $43,360 | $45,340 | 5,750 | 116.37 | 1.02 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $41,380 | $47,820 | 350 | 7.10 | 0.54 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $40,100 | $43,770 | 4,840 | 97.93 | 1.11 |
| Protective Service | $38,730 | $44,240 | 1,130 | 22.78 | 0.94 |
| Healthcare Support | $37,720 | $39,520 | 2,990 | 60.44 | 1.19 |
| Sales and Related | $32,690 | $41,880 | 4,310 | 87.14 | 1.01 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $31,430 | $33,920 | 1,590 | 32.05 | 1.10 |
| Personal Care and Service | $29,150 | $32,220 | 760 | 15.37 | 0.73 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $27,960 | $30,300 | 4,860 | 98.22 | 1.12 |
Every occupation in Kentucky, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profile. All 197 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 Owensboro, KY estimates (area 36980).
*- Wage 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 Owensboro, KY 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.