How Much Does an RN Make in Kentucky in 2026?

A typical registered nurse in Kentucky earns about $38.96 per hour ($81,040 per year), according to the latest government wage data (May 2025). That works out to roughly $6,753 a month and $1,558 a week, both calculated from the annual figure. Actual paychecks vary by employer, shift, and location within the state.

Nationally, RNs typically earn $97,550 per year, so Kentucky pay runs 17% below the national figure. That places Kentucky 42nd out of 51 states and territories on this measure. Kentucky employs about 50,300 registered nurses, compared with roughly 3.38 million nationwide. The gap in pay generally lines up with a lower cost of living in much of the state.

Entry-level positions in Kentucky typically offer around $30.85 an hour, or about $64,170 a year, according to May 2025 wage data. That figure reflects nurses who are new to the role or just starting out in the state. Pay typically moves toward the statewide typical figure of $38.96 an hour within the first several years on the job. Setting and specialty both play a part in how quickly that happens.

Experienced registered nurses in Kentucky often earn upwards of $46.73 an hour, or about $97,200 a year, once they reach several years in the field. The top 10% of earners make over $53.73 an hour, or $111,750 a year. That leaves a spread of $47,580 between entry-level and top-tier pay. Setting, years of experience, and city all factor into where an individual nurse lands within that range.

Kentucky RN pay rose from $57,970 in 2015 to $81,040 in 2025, a decade of steady increases according to government wage data. That is a gain of $23,070, or 40%, over ten years. The increase includes a notable jump between 2021 and 2022, when typical pay moved from $62,480 to $75,800. Pay has risen in nearly every year since 2015.

Nationally, RN pay rose 45% over the same decade, a bit faster than Kentucky's climb. Kentucky's pay gains have still been substantial, moving typical pay up by tens of thousands of dollars since 2015. For someone starting a nursing career in Kentucky now, that history shows pay has moved up over time, though nothing about future years is guaranteed.

Louisville, which includes the full Louisville/Jefferson County metro area, pays registered nurses the most in Kentucky, with typical pay of $84,850 a year ($40.79 an hour). That is about 5% above the statewide figure. Ashland follows at $81,010 a year, and Paducah comes in at $79,920 a year. Pay in the state's other metro areas tends to cluster within a few thousand dollars of the statewide figure.

Elizabethtown has the lowest typical pay among Kentucky's metro areas at $77,930 a year ($37.47 an hour), a spread of $6,920 from the top city. Louisville also has the largest registered nurse workforce in the state, with about 18,180 nurses, so its higher pay affects a large share of the state's nurses. Differences between cities generally track local living costs, with higher pay concentrated in and around Louisville.

Among Kentucky's neighbors, Illinois pays the most, with typical RN pay of $95,990 a year, about 18% higher than Kentucky. Virginia follows at $93,600, about 15% higher. West Virginia pays slightly less, at $80,130 a year, about 1% below Kentucky. Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, and Tennessee all pay within a few percentage points of Kentucky's figure. Nursing licenses can often be transferred or endorsed between neighboring states, which can make it easier to compare offers across state lines.

Typical RN pay in Kentucky stands at $81,040 a year ($38.96 an hour) as of May 2025, up 40% over the past decade. Pay varies by city and experience level, with Louisville and other metro areas offering more than rural parts of the state. Readers considering a nursing career in Kentucky can check the state board of nursing's licensing requirements, and compare local figures on individual city pages for a closer look at pay near them.