Customer Support Specialist salary in the Central Kentucky nonmetro area
The Central Kentucky nonmetro area is a lower-cost market for customer support specialists: the median of $37,200 a year1 is 3.9% below the Kentucky statewide median of $38,700, and 16.9% below the US median of $44,770. That is in the bottom quarter of US areas (#429 of 520). BLS counts about 1,900 people in this job here, 5% of the Kentucky total.
BLS occupation 43-4051, area Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in the Central Kentucky nonmetro area against Kentucky and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Kentucky (Nonmetro) | $27,440 | $37,200 | $58,470 | |
| Kentucky | $29,440 | $38,700 | $59,810 | |
| United States | $31,750 | $44,770 | $63,590 |
The middle half of customer support specialists in the Central Kentucky nonmetro area earns $31,190–$47,380. The top tenth earns $58,470 or more, 2.1 times the bottom tenth, close to the US pattern of 2.0 times. The mean ($40,880) is 10% over the median, so a group of high earners pulls the average up; price a typical hire from the median. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is $16,190 wide, wider than in Kentucky as a whole ($12,510) and the US ($14,910), so what a customer support specialist earns in the Central Kentucky nonmetro area depends more on the employer.
What to budget for a customer support specialist here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $27,440 | $2,287 | $13.19 | $35,406 |
| 25th percentile | $31,190 | $2,599 | $15.00 | $40,245 |
| Median | $37,200 | $3,100 | $17.88 | $48,000 |
| 75th percentile | $47,380 | $3,948 | $22.78 | $61,135 |
| 90th percentile | $58,470 | $4,872 | $28.11 | $75,445 |
Pay climbs faster above the median than below it here: the 75th percentile is $10,180 over the median, the 25th only $6,010 under it. An offer at the 75th percentile adds about $13,135 a year in employer cost. 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 $44,770 falls between the median and the 75th percentile in the Central Kentucky nonmetro area, and the Kentucky statewide median of $38,700 falls there too.
What a hire really costs in the Central Kentucky nonmetro area
Pay is only part of it. Benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, which adds about $10,800 to the $37,200 median and brings it to $48,000 a year. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.
Our open customer support specialist roles pay $700–$1,000 a month under a direct contract. The one-time fee is $2,5003 with a 180-day replacement; paying through Deel adds $49 a month4. Change any number below to match your plan.
A local hire here costs about 3.6 times as much as a remote hire in year one at the midpoint of our range. From year two, when the fee drops out, it is 4.4 times the remote figure of $10,788. About the candidates: most apply through our assessment platform with a written and a spoken English task; each profile shows the English level (B1–C2); Silkstaff interviews every shortlisted candidate live, in English, before you meet them.
Other roles in the Central Kentucky nonmetro area
Of the 17 roles we track in the Central Kentucky nonmetro area, this one ranks #15 by median pay, between e-commerce order specialists ($38,730) and medical administrative assistants ($36,720). Project Coordinator is the highest at $76,260.
| Role | Median | vs customer support specialist | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Entry Specialist | +4.7% | 80 | |
| E-commerce Order Specialist | +4.1% | 70 | |
| Customer Support Specialist | this role | 1,900 | |
| Medical Administrative Assistant | -1.3% | 2,110 | |
| Virtual Receptionist | -20.2% | 740 |
Measured against the US median, customer support specialists rank #10 of the 17 roles we track in the Central Kentucky nonmetro area (-16.9%), between e-commerce order specialists (-16.1%) and medical administrative assistants (-20.1%). The typical role here is at -16.1%, so this job follows the area's general pay level. Customer support specialists hold 11.9% of the jobs in these 17 roles in the Central Kentucky nonmetro area, 19.4% across Kentucky and 16.4% 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 $35,530 in the East Kentucky nonmetro area to $45,260 in Owensboro, a gap of $9,730 a year. Of the 3 areas in Kentucky with more customer support specialists than the Central Kentucky nonmetro area, 1 pays less: the South Central Kentucky nonmetro area ($36,890).
| Area | Median | vs the Central Kentucky nonmetro area | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowling Green, KY | +2.1% | 1,170 | |
| West Kentucky (Nonmetro) | +0.8% | 1,590 | |
| Elizabethtown, KY | +0.8% | 1,020 | |
| Central Kentucky (Nonmetro) | this area | 1,900 | |
| South Central Kentucky (Nonmetro) | -0.8% | 3,510 | |
| Paducah, KY-IL | -2.0% | 860 | |
| East Kentucky (Nonmetro) | -4.5% | 1,210 |
the Central Kentucky nonmetro area against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, the Central Kentucky nonmetro area is #191 of 520 US areas for this job. It is a mid-sized market, and its pay is in the bottom quarter of US areas. Outside Kentucky, Salisbury and Slidell-Mandeville pay just above the Central Kentucky nonmetro area and College Station-Bryan and Parkersburg-Vienna just below. All four are within $70 a year of the median in the Central Kentucky nonmetro area. Of the three markets with about as many customer support specialists, two pay more.
| Metro area | Median | vs the Central Kentucky nonmetro area | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubuque, IA | +25.5% | 1,880 | jobs | |
| St. George, UT | +11.8% | 1,890 | jobs | |
| Slidell-Mandeville, LA | +0.2% | 1,490 | pay | |
| Salisbury, MD | +0.2% | 810 | pay | |
| Central Kentucky (Nonmetro) | this area | 1,900 | ||
| College Station-Bryan, TX | -0.0% | 2,500 | pay | |
| Parkersburg-Vienna, WV | -0.0% | 330 | pay | |
| Fayetteville, NC | -5.6% | 1,890 | jobs |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire a customer support specialist in Central Kentucky (Nonmetro)?
About $48,000 a year at the median, or $4,000 a month: $37,200 in pay plus about $10,800 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What do customer support specialists earn in the Central Kentucky nonmetro area?
Pay here is lower than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $37,200 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $27,440, the 90th $58,470, and the middle half earned $31,190 to $47,380.
Is the Central Kentucky nonmetro area cheaper than the rest of Kentucky for customer support specialists?
Yes, it costs less: a median of $37,200 against $38,700 statewide. The next area up in Kentucky is Elizabethtown at $37,480, the next down the South Central Kentucky nonmetro area at $36,890.
How many customer support specialists work in the Central Kentucky nonmetro area?
BLS counts about 1,900 in the May 2025 survey. That is 5% of the Kentucky total of 38,630. 3 areas in Kentucky have more; the closest in size is the South Central Kentucky nonmetro area, with about 3,510.
Does a customer support specialist cost more than a medical administrative assistant in the Central Kentucky nonmetro area?
Yes: $480 a year more at the median. The medians are $37,200 and $36,720.
What does a remote customer support specialist cost compared with the Central Kentucky nonmetro area?
Our open roles pay $700–$1,000 a month. At the midpoint, with the one-time fee and Deel, year one comes to $13,288, against about $48,000 for a local hire at the median.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 43-4051: bls.gov
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: bls.gov
- Stafka pricing: stafka.com
- Deel pricing, contractor management: deel.com
How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.