Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
Median $27.09 an hour in Kentucky · 31,760 jobs
Kentucky · 2026 take-home pay
$27 an hour after taxes in Kentucky
At $27 an hour in Kentucky you keep about $21.85 of every hour — $874 a week, $3,788 a month or $45,457 a year full time — after 2026 federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Kentucky income tax. Kentucky has a flat 3.5% income tax, and its minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.
Where $27 an hour goes
| A year | A week | An hour | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $56,160 | $1,080 | $27.00 |
| Federal income tax | −$4,559 | −$88 | −$2.19 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$3,482 | −$67 | −$1.67 |
| Medicare (1.45%+) | −$814 | −$16 | −$0.39 |
| Kentucky income tax | −$1,848 | −$36 | −$0.89 |
| Take-home pay | $45,457 | $874 | $21.85 |
Effective tax rate 19.1% · federal bracket 12% · Kentucky bracket 3.5%.
Take-home per paycheck
| Paid | Gross | Take-home |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly (52 paychecks) | $1,080.00 | $874.16 |
| Every two weeks (26) | $2,160.00 | $1,748.33 |
| Twice a month (24) | $2,340.00 | $1,894.02 |
| Monthly (12) | $4,680.00 | $3,788.05 |
$27 an hour at different hours
Take-home in Kentucky for part-time, full-time and overtime weeks. Overtime is paid at 1.5 times $27 an hour for hours over 40, as federal law requires for most hourly workers.
| Schedule | Gross a week | Take-home a week | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 hours a week* | $540 | $459 | $23,869 |
| 30 hours a week | $810 | $667 | $34,667 |
| 40 hours a week | $1,080 | $874 | $45,457 |
| 40 hours + 5 overtime | $1,283 | $1,029 | $53,530 |
| 40 hours + 10 overtime | $1,485 | $1,165 | $60,569 |
*If this is your only job. With a second job, withholding on each is likely too low unless you adjust your W-4.
Is $27 an hour good pay in Kentucky?
- Minimum wage: $27 an hour is 3.7 times Kentucky's minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.
- Among Kentucky workers: It's about the 62nd percentile of hourly pay in Kentucky (BLS, May 2025) — roughly 62 in 100 workers earn less. The median is $22.56 an hour.
- Local prices: Kentucky's price level is 90.2% of the U.S. average (BEA Regional Price Parities), so $45,457 a year buys about what $50,418 would at national-average prices.
- Rent: the 30% rule points to about $1,404 a month. Check it with your debts.
- A 50/30/20 budget: about $1,894 a month for needs, $1,136 for wants and $758 for savings. Plan it in the budget calculator.
Jobs in Kentucky that pay about $27 an hour
Occupations whose median wage in Kentucky is within 4% of $27 an hour, most common first. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Computer User Support Specialists
Median $27.81 an hour in Kentucky · 9,460 jobs
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors
Median $26.05 an hour in Kentucky · 7,690 jobs
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
Median $27.78 an hour in Kentucky · 7,050 jobs
Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks
Median $26.78 an hour in Kentucky · 6,480 jobs
Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Median $26.42 an hour in Kentucky · 5,510 jobs
How Kentucky compares on $27 an hour
Kentucky ranks 26th of 51 for take-home pay on $27 an hour (1st = keeps the most). Here it is next to its neighbors.
| State | After tax, per hour | A year | Minimum wage | vs Kentucky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | $21.85 | $45,457 | $7.25 | — |
| Illinois | $21.48 | $44,669 | $15.00 | −$788 a year |
| Indiana | $21.96 | $45,677 | $7.25 | +$220 a year |
| Missouri | $21.92 | $45,602 | $15.00 | +$145 a year |
| Ohio | $22.21 | $46,204 | $11.00 | +$747 a year |
| Tennessee | $22.74 | $47,305 | $7.25 | +$1,848 a year |
| Virginia | $21.58 | $44,889 | $12.77 | −$568 a year |
| West Virginia | $21.92 | $45,601 | $8.75 | +$144 a year |
How the federal tax on $56,160 ($27 an hour) is worked out
Taxable income is $56,160 minus the 2026 standard deduction ($16,100) = $40,060. Each slice is taxed at its own rate:
| Rate | Income in this bracket | Tax |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $12,400 | $1,240 |
| 12% | $27,660 | $3,319 |
| Total | $40,060 | $4,559 |
How the Kentucky income tax on $56,160 ($27 an hour) is worked out
Taxable income is $56,160 of Kentucky wages minus $3,360 standard deduction = $52,800.
| Rate | Income in this bracket | Tax |
|---|---|---|
| 3.5% | $52,800 | $1,848 |
| Total | $52,800 | $1,848 |
Common questions
How much is $27 an hour after taxes in Kentucky?
About $21.85 for every hour you work, or $45,457 a year at 40 hours a week ($56,160 gross). Taxes take about 19.1% of your pay, for a single filer in 2026 with no pre-tax deductions.
How much is $27 an hour a week after taxes in Kentucky?
About $874 a week at 40 hours, from $1,080 gross. Paid every two weeks, each paycheck is about $1,748.
How much is $27 an hour a month after taxes in Kentucky?
About $3,788 a month at 40 hours a week, from $4,680 gross.
Is $27 an hour good pay in Kentucky?
$27 an hour is 3.7 times Kentucky's minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. It's about the 62nd percentile of hourly pay in Kentucky (BLS, May 2025) — roughly 62 in 100 workers earn less. The median hourly wage for all jobs in Kentucky is $22.56. After taxes and local prices, $45,457 a year buys about what $50,418 would at national-average prices.
Is Kentucky a high-tax state for $27 an hour?
It ranks 26th of 51 among the 50 states and D.C. for take-home on $27 an hour. The most you'd keep is $47,305 a year, in 8 places including Florida, North Dakota, New Hampshire; the least, $43,233 in Oregon.
More hourly rates
Other hourly rates in Kentucky
- $23 an hour in Kentucky
- $24 an hour in Kentucky
- $25 an hour in Kentucky
- $26 an hour in Kentucky
- $28 an hour in Kentucky
- $29 an hour in Kentucky
- $30 an hour in Kentucky
- $31 an hour in Kentucky
$27 an hour in every state · $55,000 a year in Kentucky · $60,000 a year in Kentucky · Kentucky paycheck calculator · All pay conversions
Sources and method
Our 2026 engine applies IRS Publication 15-T withholding, Social Security and Medicare, Kentucky's income tax rules (methodology). Local income taxes are not included. Minimum wages: U.S. Department of Labor. Wage distribution and jobs: BLS OEWS May 2025. Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities.
- Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods — Internal Revenue Service. Accessed October 14, 2026.
- State Minimum Wage Laws — U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. Accessed October 14, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed October 14, 2026.
- Regional Price Parities by State — U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Accessed October 14, 2026.