High paying science jobs in Kentucky

Every science occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Kentucky. Read the percentile range, not just the median: the gap between the 10th and 90th inside a single science job is usually wider than the gap between two different ones, so where you land in a field matters more than which field you pick.

Cost of living: prices in Kentucky run 9.8% below the national average (2024), so a Kentucky salary is worth about 1.11× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order. To see where a job pays a real premium, use jobs that pay more in Kentucky.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find science jobs in Kentucky

OccupationMedian, Kentucky · Employed

1Clinical and Counseling Psychologists$99,140
Doctoral or professional degree
$49,220 – $174,820710
2Occupational Health and Safety Specialists$83,730
Bachelor's degree
$49,040 – $129,1202,480
3Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists$77,580
Doctoral or professional degree
$55,320 – $162,590670
4Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health$71,040
Bachelor's degree
$48,540 – $94,8401,000
5Social Science Research Assistants$66,390
Bachelor's degree
$45,050 – $106,5901,190
6Occupational Health and Safety Technicians$61,120
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,510 – $100,160650
7Chemical Technicians$60,830
Associate's degree
$40,940 – $97,810700

Bars run from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the middle half is shaded darker, and the tick is the median.

#	Occupation	MedianKentucky	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Clinical and Counseling PsychologistsDoctoral or professional degree	$99,140	$49,220 – $174,820	710
2	Occupational Health and Safety SpecialistsBachelor's degree	$83,730	$49,040 – $129,120	2,480
3	Medical Scientists, Except EpidemiologistsDoctoral or professional degree	$77,580	$55,320 – $162,590	670
4	Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including HealthBachelor's degree	$71,040	$48,540 – $94,840	1,000
5	Social Science Research AssistantsBachelor's degree	$66,390	$45,050 – $106,590	1,190
6	Occupational Health and Safety TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,120	$48,510 – $100,160	650
7	Chemical TechniciansAssociate's degree	$60,830	$40,940 – $97,810	700

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Kentucky. The rarer ones are real jobs — but a 1,190-person occupation at the top of a list answers a different question than the one most readers are asking.

More for Kentucky

Metro areas in Kentucky

Pay varies more between metros than between states — the spread inside one state is often wider than the gap between two.

By field in Kentucky

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in Kentucky to rank honestly.

High paying science jobs in Kentucky

More for Kentucky

Metro areas in Kentucky

By field in Kentucky

Without a degree

High paying science jobs in each state