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 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
8 metro areas in Kentucky publish pay for this occupation with at least 100 jobs, together 66,480 jobs. The three largest employers of registered nurses are Cincinnati (28,520 jobs), Louisville/Jefferson County (18,180 jobs), Lexington-Fayette (8,070 jobs), which hold 82.4% of those jobs. Median pay across these metros runs from $77,930 to $84,850 a year, against $81,040 for the whole state and $97,550 for the whole country.
BLS reports a national median of $97,550 a year for registered nurses (the lowest-paid tenth earn under $68,940 and the highest-paid tenth over $137,470). Employment is projected to change by +5.6% between 2025 and 2035, with about 180,800 openings a year including replacements. The typical entry route is: Bachelor's degree. 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.
Registered nurses in Kentucky: the highest median pay is in the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN area ($84,850 a year); the most jobs are in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN area (28,520). Statewide the median is $81,040 with 50,300 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) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 18,180 | $84,850 | $65,300 | $118,200 | 1.22 | 16% | 93.1 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 28,520 | $83,650 | $67,820 | $107,190 | 1.19 | 16% | 95.4 |
| Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | 5,580 | $81,010 | $62,810 | $124,650 | 1.82 | 13% | 88.4 |
| Paducah, KY-IL | 1,720 | $79,920 | $65,200 | $101,280 | 1.57 | 13% | 86.1 |
| Clarksville, TN-KY | 1,670 | $79,450 | $57,680 | $100,590 | 0.74 | 18% | 90.9 |
| Bowling Green, KY | 1,870 | $79,120 | $64,380 | $104,380 | 1.05 | 15% | 90.2 |
| Lexington-Fayette, KY | 8,070 | $79,040 | $66,270 | $107,880 | 1.29 | 17% | 92.9 |
| Elizabethtown, KY | 870 | $77,930 | $63,530 | $105,250 | 0.78 | 15% | 90.6 |
National page: Registered nurses →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 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN area, with a median of $84,850 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025; metro areas with at least 100 jobs).
In the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN area, with 28,520 jobs.