Paycheck Atlas

Food Preparation Workers salary in Kentucky

The median food preparation workers in Kentucky earns $26,850 a year, 24% below the US median. After tax that is roughly $1,887 a month.

10th percentile
$20,900
25th percentile
$22,790
Median percentile
$26,850
75th percentile
$33,890
90th percentile
$37,830

Based on 15,390 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

$22,647 take-home a year
Gross pay$26,850
Federal income tax−$1,075
Social Security + Medicare−$2,054
Kentucky income tax (approx.)−$1,074
Monthly take-home$1,887
Every two weeks$871

Does it go far here?

$29,781Median pay in Kentucky is worth this at average US prices (local price level 90.2 vs 100).
51%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 food preparation workers salaries · Take-home pay in Kentucky