Data Scientist Salary in Kentucky (2026)
The average Data Scientist in Kentucky earns around $145,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $104,704/year ($8,725/month).
Take-Home Pay Breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $104,704 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $8,725 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $4,027 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $50/hr |
Federal Tax | $23,534 |
State Tax | $5,669 |
FICA Taxes | $11,093 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 27.79% |
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Read the guideData Scientist Salary Ranges in Kentucky
Not all Data Scientists earn the same — not even close
Kentucky's data scientist market is anchored by Humana HQ Louisville (~13K Louisville employees with substantial Medicare Advantage + claims fraud + risk adjustment + clinical outcomes ML at the country's #1 Medicare Advantage insurer), UPS Worldport Louisville (substantial logistics + delivery optimization + customer behavior ML), Toyota Manufacturing Kentucky Georgetown (manufacturing analytics + quality + Toyota Production System ML), Ford Louisville Assembly + KTP manufacturing analytics, Brown-Forman Louisville (spirits + consumer behavior ML), GE Appliances Louisville (IoT + connected appliance ML), plus UK HealthCare + UofL Health clinical research ML.
Principal Data Scientist / Director
$215,000–$365,000+ TC
Humana Director · UPS Principal · Toyota Director · senior IC + leadership
Senior Data Scientist (Medicare Advantage)
$140,000–$215,000
Humana · Anthem KY · Medicare Advantage risk adjustment + claims fraud + clinical outcomes ML
Senior Data Scientist (Logistics)
$130,000–$200,000
UPS Worldport · Amazon Air CVG · DHL · delivery optimization + capacity planning ML
Senior Data Scientist (Automotive Manufacturing)
$130,000–$200,000
Toyota Georgetown · Ford Louisville · manufacturing analytics + yield + quality ML
Senior Data Scientist (Healthcare)
$118,000–$180,000
UK HealthCare + UofL Health + Norton + Baptist Health · clinical + claims + research ML
Senior Data Scientist (Consumer / Spirits)
$118,000–$180,000
Brown-Forman · Yum! Brands · Beam Suntory · consumer behavior + supply chain + demand ML
Senior Research Scientist (UK / UofL)
$115,000–$185,000
UK Markey Cancer Center · UofL Brown Cancer Center · academic ML · publication track
Mid-Level Data Scientist (3-6 yrs)
$90,000–$135,000
Functional DS at KY Fortune 500 · transitioning to senior band
Junior Data Scientist (0-3 yrs)
$70,000–$102,000
UK Statistics + UofL Data Science + Centre College pipeline · entry band
Senior Data Scientist (Banking)
$125,000–$190,000
Fifth Third Bank · PNC Bank KY · BB&T legacy · Truist · banking analytics + fraud ML
Worth knowing: Humana's data science organization is the country's largest single-state Medicare Advantage analytics environment and a feature most national DS surveys understate for KY. Humana (~13K Louisville HQ + ~$106B revenue, the country's #1 Medicare Advantage insurer with ~8.5M MA members) operates substantial Medicare Advantage data science including STARS rating optimization + clinical outcomes + risk adjustment + claims fraud detection + Centerwell primary care analytics + Humana Pharmacy analytics — Humana's MA STARS optimization data science is particularly sophisticated given MA STARS ratings directly drive billions in CMS quality bonus payments. Senior Humana DS clear $140-215K TC. UPS Worldport Louisville operates substantial logistics data science supporting the country's largest air cargo hub — package volume forecasting + capacity planning + route optimization + customs processing across ~5M+ packages daily at Worldport peak. Toyota Manufacturing Kentucky Georgetown (Toyota's largest NA plant) operates manufacturing analytics supporting Toyota Production System + quality + yield ML. UK Markey Cancer Center + UofL Brown Cancer Center are the two NCI-designated cancer centers in KY supporting clinical AI + cancer research. KY's flat 4% rate is substantially lower than OR/MN's 9.85-9.9% tops — supporting senior DS retention vs coastal metros. KY's Local Occupational Tax (Louisville 1.45-2.20% + Lexington 2.25%) adds modest local layer.
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More on Kentucky
Salaries by profession, top-paying roles by industry, and an economic breakdown for Kentucky in 2026.
Tax brackets, standard deductions, and take-home estimates for Kentucky in 2026.
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