Average Salaries in Owensboro, KY
Explore salaries across 205 occupations in Owensboro, KY. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $54.9K, -10.8% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2024 estimates. Coverage: 205 occupations and 42,740 total jobs in Owensboro, KY.
How the metro compares
Owensboro, KY pays modestly below the national average. That can be partly offset by a lower cost of living compared with higher-paying markets.
Owensboro, KY is a smaller metro labor market. Some occupations may have limited local demand.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Family Medicine Physicians. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in Owensboro, KY
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Top wages
Highest-paid occupations in Owensboro, KY
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Family Medicine Physicians | $216.7K | 40 |
| Physician Assistants | $138.2K | 50 |
| Chief Executives | $135.8K | 60 |
| Pharmacists | $134.8K | 100 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $125.1K | 30 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $119.9K | 120 |
| Human Resources Managers | $112.7K | 30 |
| Managers, All Other | $111.6K | 30 |
| Sales Managers | $108.4K | 150 |
| Education Administrators, Kindergarten Through Secondary | $108.2K | 110 |
Most jobs
Largest occupations in Owensboro, KY
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | 1,660 | $79.5K |
| Retail Salespersons | 1,510 | $29.0K |
| General And Operations Managers | 1,310 | $71.3K |
| Cashiers | 1,190 | $26.1K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 1,130 | $31.0K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 1,050 | $26.4K |
| Packaging And Filling Machine Operators And Tenders | 1,010 | $57.5K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 960 | $39.8K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 940 | $22.6K |
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 910 | $35.0K |
What Owensboro, KY specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in Owensboro, KY than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Location quotient
Most concentrated occupations in Owensboro, KY
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Packaging And Filling Machine Operators And Tenders | 8.35 | $57.5K |
| Loan Interviewers And Clerks | 6.23 | $44.8K |
| Farm Equipment Mechanics And Service Technicians | 5.64 | $59.7K |
| Tool And Die Makers | 5.22 | $63.8K |
| Sewing Machine Operators | 5.13 | $23.0K |
| Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, And Still Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 3.99 | $61.7K |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanics | 3.64 | $71.2K |
| Control And Valve Installers And Repairers, Except Mechanical Door | 3.51 | $68.8K |
| Cutting, Punching, And Press Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic | 3.46 | $38.7K |
| Welders, Cutters, Solderers, And Brazers | 3.40 | $50.1K |
Peer markets
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $90.4K | Training And Development Managers |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $89.2K | Natural Sciences Managers |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $81.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $80.1K | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $78.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| Vallejo, CA | $77.4K | Lawyers |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $77.2K | Podiatrists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $77.1K | Neurologists |
Common salary questions for Owensboro, KY
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.