Ranked by median pay, with jobs and rent share; from BLS and Census data.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 08/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
9 metro areas in Kentucky publish pay for this occupation with at least 100 jobs, together 49,480 jobs. The three largest employers of miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators are Louisville/Jefferson County (20,920 jobs), Cincinnati (11,940 jobs), Lexington-Fayette (8,650 jobs), which hold 83.9% of those jobs. Median pay across these metros runs from $36,030 to $59,730 a year, against $47,950 for the whole state and $44,650 for the whole country.
BLS reports a national median of $44,650 a year for miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators (the lowest-paid tenth earn under $33,280 and the highest-paid tenth over $64,880). Employment is projected to change by +1.1% between 2025 and 2035, with about 138,700 openings a year including replacements. The typical entry route is: High school diploma or equivalent; on-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Education requirements are BLS's typical ones, not legal rules; many states also license this work, so check the state board before applying.
Higher pay is not the whole story: look at the rent share column (yearly rent divided by median pay) and the price level (100 is the national average). A metro with a lower salary but cheaper housing can leave more money at the end of the month. The location quotient shows where the occupation is concentrated; employers cluster where it is above 1, which usually means more openings and more competition among employers for the same skills.
Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators in Kentucky: the highest median pay is in the Lexington-Fayette, KY area ($59,730 a year); the most jobs are in the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN area (20,920). Statewide the median is $47,950 with 47,320 jobs. Metro areas with at least 100 jobs in this occupation are listed; click a column to sort.
| Metropolitan area ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Median pay ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Yearly rent as % of median pay ⇅ | Price level (US = 100) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington-Fayette, KY | 8,650 | $59,730 | $37,320 | $78,330 | 3.34 | 23% | 92.9 |
| Elizabethtown, KY | 2,140 | $50,510 | $35,920 | $60,280 | 4.60 | 23% | 90.6 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 20,920 | $48,440 | $34,790 | $64,460 | 3.38 | 28% | 93.1 |
| Clarksville, TN-KY | 2,520 | $45,560 | $36,240 | $58,180 | 2.70 | 32% | 90.9 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 11,940 | $44,440 | $33,010 | $57,960 | 1.20 | 30% | 95.4 |
| Bowling Green, KY | 2,030 | $42,940 | $33,500 | $58,400 | 2.73 | 27% | 90.2 |
| Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | 750 | $37,890 | $29,930 | $46,650 | 0.59 | 28% | 88.4 |
| Paducah, KY-IL | 150 | $36,890 | $29,620 | $51,290 | 0.34 | 28% | 86.1 |
| Owensboro, KY | 380 | $36,030 | $30,450 | $54,180 | 0.85 | 30% | 88.6 |
National page: Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators →Cities of Kentucky
Rent uses the metro median gross rent (ACS) and appears only for metros that contain a city of this guide. "n/a" means BLS suppressed the figure or we have no rent for that metro.
In the Lexington-Fayette, KY area, with a median of $59,730 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025; metro areas with at least 100 jobs).
In the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN area, with 20,920 jobs.