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.
9 metro areas in Kentucky publish pay for this occupation with at least 100 jobs, together 40,120 jobs. The three largest employers of waiters and waitresses are Cincinnati (17,790 jobs), Louisville/Jefferson County (10,220 jobs), Lexington-Fayette (5,020 jobs), which hold 82.3% of those jobs. Median pay across these metros runs from $21,790 to $36,530 a year, against $29,660 for the whole state and $35,230 for the whole country.
BLS reports a national median of $35,230 a year for waiters and waitresses (the lowest-paid tenth earn under $18,100 and the highest-paid tenth over $64,720). Employment is projected to change by +2.0% between 2025 and 2035, with about 423,100 openings a year including replacements. The typical entry route is: No formal educational credential; on-the-job training: Short-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.
Waiters and waitresses in Kentucky: the highest median pay is in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN area ($36,530 a year); the most jobs are in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN area (17,790). Statewide the median is $29,660 with 27,150 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) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 17,790 | $36,530 | $23,280 | $74,040 | 1.11 | 36% | 95.4 |
| Lexington-Fayette, KY | 5,020 | $34,910 | $16,940 | $63,020 | 1.20 | 39% | 92.9 |
| Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | 1,720 | $30,690 | $18,200 | $59,010 | 0.84 | 35% | 88.4 |
| Elizabethtown, KY | 760 | $30,270 | $16,150 | $60,300 | 1.00 | 38% | 90.6 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 10,220 | $30,180 | $17,070 | $63,500 | 1.02 | 44% | 93.1 |
| Owensboro, KY | 780 | $29,790 | $16,210 | $60,900 | 1.08 | 37% | 88.6 |
| Paducah, KY-IL | 1,010 | $29,280 | $15,970 | $57,810 | 1.37 | 36% | 86.1 |
| Bowling Green, KY | 1,250 | $28,810 | $16,070 | $60,390 | 1.04 | 41% | 90.2 |
| Clarksville, TN-KY | 1,570 | $21,790 | $15,080 | $47,440 | 1.04 | 66% | 90.9 |
National page: Waiters and waitresses →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 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN area, with a median of $36,530 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025; metro areas with at least 100 jobs).
In the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN area, with 17,790 jobs.