Plumber Salary in Kentucky (2026)
The average Plumber in Kentucky earns around $72,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $56,733/year ($4,728/month).
Take-Home Pay Breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $56,733 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $4,728 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $2,182 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $27/hr |
Federal Tax | $7,010 |
State Tax | $2,749 |
FICA Taxes | $5,508 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 21.2% |
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Working overtime? The 2025 OBBBA deduction may save you up to $12,500 on federal tax. Open the No Tax on Overtime calculator →
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Plumber Salary Ranges in Kentucky
Not all Plumbers earn the same — not even close
Kentucky's plumber market is anchored by UA Plumbers + Pipefitters Local 502 Louisville (~2,500 members, the largest UA local in KY), UA Local 184 Lexington (~1,500 members serving central KY + Bluegrass region), UA Local 248 Northern KY (Cincinnati metro spillover), substantial commercial + industrial mechanical contractor work for UPS Worldport + Toyota Georgetown + Ford Louisville + GE Appliances + Brown-Forman + Heaven Hill + Buffalo Trace + Wild Turkey + Maker's Mark distilleries + UK HealthCare + UofL Health hospital construction, plus Mountjoy Foster + Mortenson KY + Hoar Construction commercial mechanical builds.
Senior Journeyman Plumber (UA Local 502/184)
$82,000–$118,000
Senior journeyman at UA Louisville/Lexington · commercial + industrial · pre-OT band
Senior Journeyman with OT (OBBBA)
$98,000–$148,000+ OT
Journeyman with substantial OT · 2025-2028 OBBBA $12,500 single / $25,000 MFJ deduction
Senior Foreman / General Foreman
$108,000–$155,000
UA Local 502/184/248 foreman · multi-crew supervision · field leadership band
Senior Service / Maintenance Plumber
$72,000–$108,000
Commercial service + UK HealthCare + UofL + Norton maintenance · 24/7 on-call premium
Senior Industrial Plumber (Toyota / Ford)
$92,000–$135,000
Toyota TMMK + Ford Louisville + KTP + GE Appliances · industrial + manufacturing specialty
Senior Medical Gas Plumber (Hospital)
$92,000–$135,000
UK + UofL + Norton + Baptist hospital medical gas · NFPA 99 + ASSE 6010 credential premium
Senior Process Plumber (Bourbon / Distillery)
$92,000–$135,000
Heaven Hill + Buffalo Trace + Wild Turkey + Maker's Mark + Brown-Forman · distillery specialty
Senior Project Manager (Mechanical)
$108,000–$165,000
Mechanical contractor PM · UA-signatory commercial + industrial scale · field-to-office
Mid-Career Journeyman (5-10 yrs)
$72,000–$98,000
Mid-career UA journeyman · transitioning to foreman track
Apprentice / Pre-Journeyman (0-5 yrs)
$38,000–$68,000
UA Local 502 + 184 + 248 5-year apprenticeship · graduated wage scale
Worth knowing: Kentucky's bourbon distillery industrial plumbing work is a distinctive specialty most national trade-career surveys understate for KY. KY bourbon distilleries (Heaven Hill Bardstown + Buffalo Trace Frankfort + Wild Turkey Lawrenceburg + Maker's Mark Loretto + Brown-Forman Louisville/Versailles + Jim Beam Clermont + Four Roses Lawrenceburg + Bardstown Bourbon Company + multiple craft distilleries) operate substantial process plumbing infrastructure supporting fermentation + distillation + barrel aging + bottling — distillery process piping requires stainless + food-grade plumbing supporting senior bourbon plumbers at $92-135K TC. The post-2010 bourbon industry expansion (substantial distillery capacity expansion driving ~$2B+ in distillery construction + modernization investments) supports continued bourbon process plumbing demand. UA Plumbers + Pipefitters Local 502 Louisville (~2,500 members) anchors central KY commercial + industrial mechanical work. UPS Worldport Louisville maintenance + Toyota TMMK Georgetown plant + Ford Louisville facilities support substantial industrial plumbing. The 2025 No Tax on Overtime federal deduction applies to KY plumber OT for tax years 2025-2028. KY is RTW since 2017 + ~7.5% union density — UA Locals retain commercial + industrial market share but residential work is predominantly non-union open-shop. KY's flat 4% rate has moderate impact on journeyman comp.
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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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