How much does an Accountant make in Kentucky?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $72,220 for Accountants in Kentucky as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $59,320 and the 75th-percentile is $90,170.

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Accountant salary in Kentucky?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 89.9 for Kentucky), the real-wage equivalent is $80,343 — what the $72,220 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $65,992 to $100,311.

What does the top of the Accountant pay scale look like in Kentucky?

The 90th percentile lands at $114,800. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $90,170.

Why is the BEA RPP for Kentucky different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Kentucky's overall index of 89.9 reflects rents 62.9, services 80.9, and goods 94.5.

Where does Kentucky rank for Accountant pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Kentucky ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

How wide is the wage spread in Kentucky?

P10 to P90 spans $47,880 to $114,800. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

2026 Accountant Salary — Kentucky ($72K BLS, RPP-Adjusted Real Wage)

TL;DR

Accountants in Kentucky earn a BLS median of $72,220, with real take-home of $80,343 after BEA RPP adjustment.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #32 of 51; nominal rank is #43.
Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $8,123 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
Wage envelope: $47,880 (P10) to $114,800 (P90), with quartiles at $59,320 and $90,170.

Wage breakdown — Kentucky

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$47,880	$53,265
P25 (lower quartile)	$59,320	$65,992
P50 (median)	$72,220	$80,343
P75 (upper quartile)	$90,170	$100,311
P90 (top tier)	$114,800	$127,712
Mean	$77,450	$86,161
Employment	12,180 Accountants in Kentucky

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Kentucky index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	89.9
Goods	94.5
Services	80.9
Rents	62.9

Kentucky sits below the national baseline (RPP 89.9), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 62.9.

After-tax take-home — Kentucky (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Accountant)	$72,220	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$7,135	9.9% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,413	3.5% flat 2026 (+ local 1-2.5% avg)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$5,525	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$57,147	79.1% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$63,574	÷ (89.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Kentucky state-tax burden means for Accountant take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.3% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $57,147 (79.1% of gross). After the 89.9 RPP, real take-home is $63,574. Local-tax overlay: Most Kentucky counties + cities add 1–2.5% occupational license tax (Louisville ~2.2%, Lexington 2.25%).

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $81,680 for Accountants with mean pay of $93,520 and total employment of 1,448,290. Kentucky sits at #43 on nominal pay and #32 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Kentucky climbs 11 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an Accountant make in Kentucky?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $72,220 for Accountants in Kentucky as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $59,320 and the 75th-percentile is $90,170.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Accountant salary in Kentucky?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 89.9 for Kentucky), the real-wage equivalent is $80,343 — what the $72,220 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $65,992 to $100,311.
What does the top of the Accountant pay scale look like in Kentucky?: The 90th percentile lands at $114,800. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $90,170.
Why is the BEA RPP for Kentucky different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Kentucky's overall index of 89.9 reflects rents 62.9, services 80.9, and goods 94.5.
Where does Kentucky rank for Accountant pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Kentucky ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
How wide is the wage spread in Kentucky?: P10 to P90 spans $47,880 to $114,800. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 13-2011, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Kentucky Accountant pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.