Kentucky minimum wage 2026
OfficialThe Kentucky rate, the next increase and a full-time paycheck after tax.
- Minimum wage
- $7.25
- an hour
- Next rate
- none scheduled
- Full time, after tax
- $13,926
- a year
- Rank
- #32 of 51
- by minimum wage, 1 is the highest (tied)
What is the minimum wage in Kentucky in 2026?
The Kentucky minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in 2026, the same as the federal minimum.
Will the Kentucky minimum wage go up in 2027?
No increase is scheduled, so it stays at $7.25 an hour in 2027.
$7.25 an hour
- Today, November 1, 2026
How much is minimum wage a year in Kentucky?
Full time, a Kentucky minimum wage job pays $15,080 a year before tax.
- A year
- $15,080
- A month
- $1,256.67
- Every two weeks
- $580.00
- A week
- $290.00
How this is calculated
- The hourly rate times 40 hours a week times 52 weeks.
How much is a minimum wage paycheck after taxes in Kentucky?
After taxes, full-time minimum wage work in Kentucky takes home $13,926 a year. Each paycheck every two weeks comes to $535.63. It takes 149.4 hours of work to take home $1,000.
- Take-home per year
- $13,926
- Every two weeks
- $535.63
- Per hour after tax
- $6.70
- In national prices
- $15,446
How this is calculated
- Full-time pay of $15,080 through federal, Social Security, Medicare and Kentucky taxes for 2026.
- The reference worker is a single filer with one job, paid every two weeks, with a standard Form W-4 and no pre-tax deductions, under 65.
Is $20 an hour good pay in Kentucky?
It is below the middle: $20 an hour is more than 39% of Kentucky workers earn, but less than half of them. The Kentucky median wage is $22.56 an hour.
Wage statistics cover employees in all jobs, full and part time, not the self-employed.
What is the tipped minimum wage in Kentucky?
Tipped workers in Kentucky can be paid $2.13 an hour if tips bring them to at least $7.25.
The employer must make up the difference in any week tips fall short.
How has the Kentucky minimum wage changed?
It has been $7.25 an hour since July 24, 2009, when the federal minimum last rose.
How does the Kentucky minimum wage compare with other states?
Kentucky is tied for last with 19 other states at $7.25 an hour, the federal minimum; the highest is Washington, DC at $18.40 an hour. The minimum wage by state page lists all of them.
Questions people ask
How much is minimum wage per week in Kentucky?
Full time, a Kentucky minimum wage job takes home $267.82 a week after taxes.
Is the Kentucky minimum wage worth more in local prices?
Yes. After taxes and Kentucky prices, a full-time minimum wage job is worth $15,446 a year at average US prices, more than its $13,926 take-home.