Registered Nurse Salary in Kentucky (2026)
Average Registered Nurse pay in Kentucky
$86,000/year
≈ $41/hour before tax
After tax (single filer)
$66,439/year
$5,537/month · effective tax rate 22.75%
- Federal $10,090
- State $2,892
- FICA $6,579
- Take-home
Pay by role in Kentucky
- Senior CRNA (Anesthesia)$215,000–$315,000
- Senior Nurse Practitioner (Specialty)$115,000–$180,000
- Senior Nurse Anesthetist Manager$185,000–$285,000
- Senior ICU / Critical Care RN$88,000–$130,000
- Senior OR Circulating / Scrub RN$85,000–$125,000
- Senior ED RN (Level 1 Trauma)$88,000–$130,000
See the full tax breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $66,439 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $5,537 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $2,555 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $32/hr |
Federal Tax | $10,090 |
State Tax | $2,892 |
FICA Taxes | $6,579 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 22.75% |
Not all Registered Nurses earn the same — not even close
Kentucky's nurse market is anchored by UK HealthCare Lexington (~12K academic medical center with substantial Magnet nursing program), UofL Health Louisville (~8K academic medical center + Louisville's largest Magnet hospital), Norton Healthcare Louisville (~17K, largest KY health system by employee count, multi-Magnet hospital network), Baptist Health KY (~22K Catholic multi-hospital system across Lexington + Louisville + Paducah + Madisonville + Corbin + Richmond), Norton Children's pediatric Magnet, plus UK College of Nursing + UofL School of Nursing pipelines.
Senior CRNA (Anesthesia)
$215,000–$315,000
UK + UofL + Norton + Baptist CRNA · KY Limited Prescriptive Authority CRNA · highest non-MD pay
Senior Nurse Practitioner (Specialty)
$115,000–$180,000
Cardiology + oncology + transplant NP · UK + UofL · KY requires 4-yr collaborative agreement
Senior Nurse Anesthetist Manager
$185,000–$285,000
CRNA team lead at UK + UofL + academic medical centers · senior CRNA leadership
Senior ICU / Critical Care RN
$88,000–$130,000
UK + UofL + Norton + Baptist ICU · Level 1 trauma + transplant ICU senior
Senior OR Circulating / Scrub RN
$85,000–$125,000
UK + UofL + Norton OR · transplant + cardiothoracic + neuro OR specialty
Senior ED RN (Level 1 Trauma)
$88,000–$130,000
UK Level 1 adult trauma · UofL Level 1 · Norton Children's Level 1 pediatric · trauma + stroke
Senior Medical-Surgical RN
$72,000–$105,000
Med-surg unit RN at KY Magnet hospital · senior staff band
Senior Pediatric / NICU RN
$82,000–$118,000
Norton Children's · UK Kentucky Children's · UofL Norton Brown Cancer · pediatric specialty
Mid-Career RN (3-7 yrs)
$65,000–$88,000
Functional staff RN at KY Magnet hospital · transitioning to senior band
New Grad RN (0-2 yrs)
$58,000–$72,000
UK College of Nursing + UofL School of Nursing + WKU + Eastern KY nursing pipeline
Worth knowing: Kentucky's combination of two academic medical centers (UK HealthCare Lexington + UofL Health Louisville) operating in close geographic proximity creates substantial KY nursing pipeline depth that national nursing-career surveys understate. UK College of Nursing Lexington + UofL School of Nursing combined operate among the largest US southeast region BSN + MSN + DNP programs. KY is RTW since 2017 (KY Senate Bill 1, the sixth-most-recent US RTW state) + ~7.5% union density. The Kentucky Nurses Association operates as a professional advocacy organization with limited collective bargaining presence — most KY nurses are not covered by collective bargaining vs non-RTW states (OR/MN/WI) with substantial bargaining. UK HealthCare (~12K, only OR academic medical center in KY) operates Magnet recognition + the country's largest single-state Bluegrass Heart Walk supporter. UofL Health (~8K Louisville academic) anchors second KY academic medical center. Norton Healthcare (~17K, largest KY health system by employee count) anchors Louisville community medicine + Magnet recognition. KY does NOT have Nurse Practitioner Full Practice Authority — KY requires 4-year collaborative practice agreement with physician before NPs can practice independently with prescriptive authority (after 4-year supervised collaborative practice, KY NPs gain independent prescriptive authority — a hybrid state between FPA and restricted). KY's flat 3.5% rate catches CRNA + senior NP comp at $200K+ TC but is substantially lower than OR/MN's 9.85-9.9% tops.
Sources & Methodology
- →IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 — 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction
- →IRS Notice 2025-67 — 2026 retirement-plan contribution limits
- →IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-19 — 2026 HSA contribution limits
- →Social Security Administration — 2026 Social Security wage base
- →Individual income tax rates and filing information (KY Department of Revenue)
- →BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — Registered Nurse wage data for Kentucky
Salary figures are market estimates for Registered Nurses in Kentucky and vary by employer, specialty, seniority, and metro. Take-home math assumes a single filer with no dependents, the standard deduction, and Kentucky 2026 state rates. Local taxes, insurance premiums, and pre-tax contributions will move your number — run the calculator for your own situation.
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Typical Registered Nurse Salary by Experience (National)
US-wide ranges, not Kentucky figures. Each link shows the Kentucky taxes on that salary.
Entry Level (0–3 yrs)
$67,000
/year
Mid Level (3–7 yrs)
$86,000
/year
Senior Level (7+ yrs)
$133,000
/year
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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.
Adjust filing status, 401(k), and city/county tax for your exact 2026 take-home in Kentucky.