What public jobs pay in Kentucky
Teachers, police officers, firefighters, correctional officers, librarians, paramedics and EMTs and 911 dispatchers: what each one earns in Kentucky, employer by employer, from official pay records: the newest year each source has published (2025 to 2026).
How much does each public job pay in Kentucky?
Each job leads to its Kentucky page, with every employer. Teachers: average salary. Every other job: average total pay of people who worked the full year, overtime included.
- Teachers$59,8551average salary, 2025-26See every employer
- Police officers$112,2742average total pay, 2025See every employer
- Firefighters$84,6542average total pay, 2025See every employer
- Correctional officers$82,1002average total pay, 2025See every employer
- Librarians$62,9032average total pay, 2025See every employer
- Paramedics and EMTs$111,1162average total pay, 2025See every employer
- 911 dispatchers$100,5472average total pay, 2025See every employer
Which Kentucky employers have pages for the most jobs?
Cities, counties and districts with a page for several jobs, largest first. Pay: average total pay of full-year staff in each job.
Louisville Metro
- Police officers$112,274
- Firefighters$84,654
- Correctional officers$82,100
- Librarians$62,903
- Paramedics and EMTs$111,116
- 911 dispatchers$100,547
How to read Kentucky's public pay figures
Total pay is more than the salary
For every job but teachers, the figures are total pay of people who worked the full year: base pay plus overtime and other pay. Teacher figures are salaries, without overtime or extra pay, so they don't compare one to one.
Louisville Metro for every job but teachers
Kentucky has no statewide file of city and county pay, so the figures for every job but teachers come from Louisville Metro Government, which publishes its whole payroll. Teacher figures cover every school district in the state.
Questions about public pay in Kentucky
Which public job pays the most in Kentucky?
Of the jobs on this page, police officers have the highest average total pay in Kentucky: $112,274 for those who worked the full year (2025), overtime included. Paramedics and EMTs average $111,116, 911 dispatchers average $100,547, firefighters average $84,654, correctional officers average $82,100 and librarians average $62,903. Teachers average $59,855 in salary, a figure without overtime or extra pay.
How much do teachers make in Kentucky?
$59,855 on average in 2025-26, across 171 school districts. Each district's own figure is on the Kentucky teacher pages.
Which Kentucky public jobs does Public Paycheck cover?
teachers, police officers, firefighters, correctional officers, librarians, paramedics and EMTs and 911 dispatchers. More jobs and more states follow as we collect their pay records.
Sources for the Kentucky figures
- Kentucky Department of Education, School District Personnel Information, 2025-26: average classroom teacher salary in every school district, averaged across districts.
- Louisville Metro Government, Louisville Metro KY Employee Salary Data (Louisville Open Data): title, department, annual rate, base pay, overtime, incentive and other pay of every Louisville Metro employee in 2025, and in 2024 to see who was already employed.