How much does a Data Scientist make in Kentucky?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $93,490 for Data Scientists in Kentucky as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $74,110 and the 75th-percentile is $123,150.

How many Data Scientists does Kentucky employ?

BLS OES counts 1,700 Data Scientists employed in Kentucky in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Is Kentucky a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Data Scientists?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 89.9 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $93,490 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $104,005. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Data Scientists comparing offers across regions.

What are the limits of these Data Scientist salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

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.

Data scientist vs data analyst pay in Kentucky — what's the gap?

BLS reports them under different SOC codes (15-2051 for data scientists, 13-1161 for market/data analysts). In Kentucky, the data scientist median typically runs 30-60% above the data analyst median, reflecting heavier ML/statistics requirements, deeper SQL/Python depth expectations, and stronger industry placement in tech and finance.

Industry vs academia data scientist pay in Kentucky?

Academia and government research positions in {state} typically pay below the BLS data scientist median — often 20-40% lower at the assistant-professor or junior-research-scientist level. Industry roles (especially tech, finance, consumer internet) pull the BLS aggregate well above academic ranges.

Data Scientist Pay in Kentucky: $93K Median + Purchasing Power (2026)

TL;DR

BLS reports Kentucky Data Scientist median pay at $93,490. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $104,005.
Bottom quartile $74,110, top quartile $123,150. The P90 ($160,460) is roughly 2.8× the P10 ($58,130).
After the cost-of-living adjustment, take-home rises by $10,515 versus the BLS median — purchasing-power arbitrage.
Data Scientist ranking: #40 on the BLS table, #36 once cost of living is in.

Wage breakdown — Kentucky

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$58,130	$64,668
P25 (lower quartile)	$74,110	$82,445
P50 (median)	$93,490	$104,005
P75 (upper quartile)	$123,150	$137,001
P90 (top tier)	$160,460	$178,507
Mean	$100,410	$111,703
Employment	1,700 Data Scientists 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 (Data Scientist)	$93,490	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$11,815	12.6% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$3,158	3.5% flat 2026 (+ local 1-2.5% avg)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,152	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$71,366	76.3% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$79,392	÷ (89.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Kentucky state-tax burden means for Data Scientist take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.4% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $71,366 (76.3% of gross). After the 89.9 RPP, real take-home is $79,392. 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 $112,590 for Data Scientists with mean pay of $124,590 and total employment of 233,440. Kentucky sits at #40 on nominal pay and #36 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Kentucky climbs 4 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Data Scientist make in Kentucky?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $93,490 for Data Scientists in Kentucky as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $74,110 and the 75th-percentile is $123,150.
How many Data Scientists does Kentucky employ?: BLS OES counts 1,700 Data Scientists employed in Kentucky in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Is Kentucky a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Data Scientists?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 89.9 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $93,490 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $104,005. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Data Scientists comparing offers across regions.
What are the limits of these Data Scientist salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
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.
Data scientist vs data analyst pay in Kentucky — what's the gap?: BLS reports them under different SOC codes (15-2051 for data scientists, 13-1161 for market/data analysts). In Kentucky, the data scientist median typically runs 30-60% above the data analyst median, reflecting heavier ML/statistics requirements, deeper SQL/Python depth expectations, and stronger industry placement in tech and finance.
Industry vs academia data scientist pay in Kentucky?: Academia and government research positions in {state} typically pay below the BLS data scientist median — often 20-40% lower at the assistant-professor or junior-research-scientist level. Industry roles (especially tech, finance, consumer internet) pull the BLS aggregate well above academic ranges.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 15-2051, 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 Data Scientist 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.