Paycheck Atlas

Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria salary in Kentucky

The median cooks, institution and cafeteria in Kentucky earns $31,550 a year, 16% below the US median. After tax that is roughly $2,189 a month.

10th percentile
$25,580
25th percentile
$28,880
Median percentile
$31,550
75th percentile
$37,370
90th percentile
$45,720

Based on 11,540 employed. Data period: BLS OEWS May 2025. Percentiles show the spread of pay, not experience; reading the 25th percentile as "entry level" is only an approximation.

What you keep

$26,268 take-home a year
Gross pay$31,550
Federal income tax−$1,606
Social Security + Medicare−$2,414
Kentucky income tax (approx.)−$1,262
Monthly take-home$2,189
Every two weeks$1,010

Does it go far here?

$34,994Median pay in Kentucky is worth this at average US prices (local price level 90.2 vs 100).
44%of take-home pay goes to the median rent ($967 a month, Census ACS).

Top-paying jobs in Kentucky

JobMedian pay
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers$350,950
Anesthesiologists$347,960
Physicians, All Other$327,390
Family Medicine Physicians$248,730
General Internal Medicine Physicians$241,530
Nurse Anesthetists$222,520
Chief Executives$179,530
Emergency Medicine Physicians$169,390

All cooks, institution and cafeteria salaries · Take-home pay in Kentucky