Accountant salary in the South Central Kentucky nonmetro area

Pay in the South Central Kentucky nonmetro area against Kentucky and the US

The middle half of accountants in the South Central Kentucky nonmetro area earns $56,040–$90,110. Pay is tightly grouped: the top tenth starts at $105,350, only 2.3 times the bottom tenth, against 2.6 times across the US, so the going rate is easier to read. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is only $34,070 wide, against $35,740 across Kentucky and $42,790 nationally: employers in the South Central Kentucky nonmetro area pay within a narrower band.

What to budget for an accountant here

The step from the 25th percentile to the median is $14,580 a year; from the median to the 75th it is $19,490, or about $25,148 once benefits are added. These percentiles describe what people in the job earn locally, not experience levels, so place your offer by the tasks and seniority you need.

For scale, the US median of $83,680 falls between the median and the 75th percentile in the South Central Kentucky nonmetro area, and the Kentucky statewide median of $75,270 falls there too.

What a hire really costs in the South Central Kentucky nonmetro area

At the $70,620 median, a local hire costs about $91,123 a year: benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry², about $20,503 here. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.

We place executive assistants, customer support and e-commerce staff today; for accountants we answer within one business day whether we can help. Enter the monthly pay you have in mind to compare it with a local hire. The fee field shows our standard fee³; Deel's contractor plan is the default payroll tool⁴.

Other roles in the South Central Kentucky nonmetro area

Of the 17 roles we track in the South Central Kentucky nonmetro area, this one ranks #2 by median pay, after project coordinators ($73,850); executive assistants come next at $63,070.

Measured against the US median, accountants rank #2 of the 17 roles we track in the South Central Kentucky nonmetro area (-15.6%), between HR assistants (-8.8%) and virtual receptionists (-15.6%). The typical role here is at -20.1%, so, measured against the US, accountants cost more in the South Central Kentucky nonmetro area than the area's general pay level would suggest. Accountants hold 5.1% of the jobs in these 17 roles in the South Central Kentucky nonmetro area, 6.0% across Kentucky and 9.1% nationally. The job is a smaller part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.

Other areas in Kentucky

Across the 10 areas of Kentucky with data for this job, the median runs from $64,450 in the East Kentucky nonmetro area to $77,800 in Owensboro, a gap of $13,350 a year. All 3 areas in Kentucky with more accountants than the South Central Kentucky nonmetro area also pay more, among them Louisville, KY-IN ($76,320) and Lexington-Fayette, KY ($77,780).

the South Central Kentucky nonmetro area against other US metro areas

By number of jobs, the South Central Kentucky nonmetro area is #238 of 521 US areas for this job. It is a mid-sized market, and its pay is in the bottom quarter of US areas. Outside Kentucky, Jackson and Huntington-Ashland pay just above the South Central Kentucky nonmetro area and St. George and Chambersburg just below. All four are within $220 a year of the median in the South Central Kentucky nonmetro area. Of the three markets with about as many accountants, all three pay more.

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How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.