Chemists · SOC 19-2031
Chemists Salary in the Kentucky
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Kentucky
Figures describe the state of Kentucky as a whole.
Chemists in the Kentucky earned a median of $84,090 per year ($40.43 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $54,950 at the 10th percentile to $126,060 at the 90th. BLS estimates 530 people work in this occupation in the area.
Pay distribution
Half of Chemists in the Kentucky earn more than $84,090 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $64,800 and $98,190.
| Wage | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | $54,950 | $64,800 | $84,090 | $98,190 | $126,060 |
| Hourly | $26.42 | $31.16 | $40.43 | $47.21 | $60.60 |
A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.
How this area compares
- Kentucky$84,090 median for Kentucky; middle half earns $64,800 to $98,190
- United Statesnational$91,240 median for United States; middle half earns $69,460 to $125,550
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
The median here is −8% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.
Metro areas in Kentucky
Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for chemists, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.
- Kentuckythis page$84,090 median for Kentucky; middle half earns $64,800 to $98,190
- $86,090 median for Louisville/Jefferson County metro area; middle half earns $66,350 to $105,370
- $80,780 median for Bowling Green metro area; middle half earns $67,120 to $106,880
- $68,640 median for Lexington metro area; middle half earns $62,810 to $84,090
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
Keep exploring
Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:
Highest-paying metro areas for chemistss · Highest-paying occupations in Kentucky
About this estimate
These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.
Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology.
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.