Physician Salary in Kentucky (2026)
The average Physician in Kentucky earns around $270,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $185,643/year ($15,470/month).
Take-Home Pay Breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $185,643 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $15,470 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $7,140 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $89/hr |
Federal Tax | $57,704 |
State Tax | $10,669 |
FICA Taxes | $15,984 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 31.24% |
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Physician Salary Ranges in Kentucky
Not all Physicians earn the same — not even close
Kentucky's physician market is anchored by UK HealthCare Lexington (~12K, the only OR academic medical center in KY + only KY medical/dental/nursing/pharmacy schools, Markey Cancer Center NCI-designated), UofL Health Louisville (academic medical center, ~8K, James Graham Brown Cancer Center NCI-designated), Norton Healthcare Louisville (~17K, largest KY health system by employee count), Baptist Health KY (multi-hospital Catholic system, ~22K), Owensboro Health, Pikeville Medical Center, plus St. Elizabeth Healthcare Northern KY (Cincinnati metro spillover).
Senior Surgical Subspecialist (UK / UofL)
$565,000–$1,385,000+ TC
UK + UofL cardiothoracic + neurosurgery + transplant + Markey + Brown Cancer · academic + RVU
Senior Procedural
$425,000–$885,000+ TC
Cardiology + GI + interventional radiology · procedure-heavy practice premium
Senior Hospitalist
$245,000–$425,000+ TC
Day + nocturnist hospital medicine · UK + UofL + Norton + Baptist academic + Magnet
Senior Anesthesiologist
$425,000–$725,000+ TC
UK + UofL + Norton + Baptist · subspecialty cardiac + pediatric premium
Senior Emergency Medicine
$345,000–$525,000
UK Level 1 trauma · UofL Level 1 trauma · Norton Children's Level 1 pediatric trauma
Senior Family Medicine / Internal Medicine
$225,000–$365,000
Norton + Baptist + UK + UofL primary care · MGMA-median band
Senior Psychiatrist
$255,000–$445,000
UK Psychiatry · UofL Psychiatry · Our Lady of Peace · Eastern State Hospital · academic + private
Senior Pediatrician
$205,000–$345,000
Norton Children's · UK Kentucky Children's · Cincinnati Children's NKY · pediatric subspecialty
Mid-Career Generalist (5-10 yrs out)
$195,000–$285,000
Post-residency physician · transitioning to senior + specialty band
Resident / Fellow (PGY)
$62,000–$92,000
UK ~750 residents + fellows · UofL ~500 · among US South-Central training programs
Worth knowing: Kentucky operates two NCI-designated cancer centers — Markey Cancer Center at UK Lexington + James Graham Brown Cancer Center at UofL Louisville — making KY one of only ~25 US states with multiple NCI-designated cancer centers, a feature most national physician-compensation surveys understate for the state. Markey Cancer Center (UK Lexington, one of 73 NCI-designated cancer centers, ~$45M annual NIH funding) + Brown Cancer Center (UofL Louisville, NCI-designated) provide substantial KY oncology + cardiothoracic + hematology + transplant subspecialty work — substantial KY-based cancer research + clinical trial capacity. Senior UK + UofL surgical subspecialists clear $565K-$1.39M+ TC. UK HealthCare (~12K, only OR academic medical center in KY, founded 1957, operates Level 1 adult trauma + Kentucky Children's Hospital + Markey Cancer + UK College of Medicine + College of Dentistry + College of Pharmacy + College of Nursing + College of Public Health + College of Health Sciences — the only Kentucky institution granting MD + DDS + PharmD + DNP + DPT + DPS + MPH degrees) anchors KY academic medicine. UofL Health (Louisville academic medical center + UofL School of Medicine + UofL School of Dentistry — KY's second academic medical center) operates Brown Cancer Center + UofL Hospital + Norton + Brown Cancer Children's. Norton Healthcare (~17K, largest KY health system by employee count) anchors Louisville community medicine. KY joined IMLC in 2017. KY's flat 4% rate is substantially lower than OR/MN's 9.85-9.9% tops + KY Local Occupational Tax (Louisville 1.45-2.20%, Lexington 2.25%) adds 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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