RN contract pay in Kentucky — advertised weekly rates
Median $2,195 a week across 3,300 live RN listings in Kentucky with posted pay, as of October 31, 2026 — −2.3% against the national median of $2,246.
- $2,195median per week−2.3% vs national
- $1,981–$2,44225th–75th percentilemiddle half of listings
- $2,238mean per week−2.7% vs national
- $59.97median hourly equivalentfrom 3,179 listings with posted hours
- 3,300listings with posted paylive listings, updated every 6 hours
What these figures are
Advertised contract rates, not earned wages. Every number on this page comes from a live RN listing in Kentucky that posted a rate — 3,300 of them as of October 31, 2026. 96% are travel contracts, so the figures describe what agencies and employers are offering for contract work this week, usually including housing and meal stipends — not staff salaries and not what any nurse took home. A further 7 listings in Kentucky post no rate and are excluded. Weekly figures use the top of each advertised range; hourly equivalents divide by the posted hours where a listing gives them. These figures are complementary to BLS wage data, which reports earned staff wages annually — they are not a substitute for it. Full methodology.
| Group | Listings | 25th pct / wk | Median / wk | 75th pct / wk | Mean / wk | Median hourly equiv. | vs national median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 3,300 | $1,981 | $2,195 | $2,442 | $2,238 | $59.97 (n=3,179) | −2.3% |
| National | 169,157 | $1,997 | $2,246 | $2,543 | $2,300 | $60.28 (n=159,315) | — |
By work type
| Work type | Listings | Median / wk | 25th–75th pct / wk | Mean / wk | Median hourly equiv. | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | 3,175 | $2,206 | $1,998–$2,454 | $2,252 | $60.28 (n=3,057) | −1.8% |
| Contract | 124 | $1,944 | $1,656–$2,106 | $1,881 | $52.00 (n=122) | −13.4% |
| Not stated | 1 | too few listings to report (under 30) | ||||
By shift
| Shift | Listings | Median / wk | 25th–75th pct / wk | Mean / wk | Median hourly equiv. | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nights | 1,666 | $2,172 | $1,970–$2,381 | $2,200 | $59.64 (n=1,666) | −3.3% |
| Days | 1,193 | $2,218 | $1,987–$2,516 | $2,262 | $60.58 (n=1,192) | −1.2% |
| Not stated | 353 | $2,205 | $2,017–$2,550 | $2,309 | $57.50 (n=233) | −1.8% |
| Evenings | 46 | $2,064 | $1,997–$2,262 | $2,173 | $57.33 (n=46) | −8.1% |
| Rotating | 42 | $2,441 | $2,294–$2,787 | $2,545 | $66.67 (n=42) | +8.7% |
Specialties in Kentucky, ranked by median
| # | Specialty | Listings | Median / wk | 25th–75th pct / wk | Median hourly equiv. | vs national | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cath Lab | 130 | $2,925 | $2,732–$3,156 | $74.18 | +30.2% | 130 jobs |
| 2 | OR | 240 | $2,484 | $2,250–$2,667 | $65.67 | +10.6% | 240 jobs |
| 3 | Oncology | 37 | $2,417 | $2,281–$2,453 | $60.80 | +7.6% | 37 jobs |
| 4 | L&D | 135 | $2,382 | $2,283–$2,586 | $65.44 | +6.1% | 135 jobs |
| 5 | Post Partum | 46 | $2,270 | $2,140–$2,397 | $61.39 | +1.1% | 46 jobs |
| 6 | PCU | 582 | $2,261 | $2,092–$2,431 | $62.33 | +0.7% | 582 jobs |
| 7 | Telemetry | 229 | $2,160 | $1,879–$2,464 | $59.44 | −3.8% | 229 jobs |
| 8 | ICU | 461 | $2,156 | $1,930–$2,412 | $59.36 | −4.0% | 461 jobs |
| 9 | Med-Surg | 741 | $2,092 | $1,914–$2,239 | $57.39 | −6.9% | 741 jobs |
| 10 | PACU | 39 | $2,081 | $1,954–$2,265 | $56.38 | −7.3% | 39 jobs |
| 11 | ER | 447 | $2,059 | $1,907–$2,217 | $56.75 | −8.3% | 447 jobs |
Too few listings to rank (under 30): CVOR (25), Home Health (23), Psych (21), Orthopedics (19), Long Term Acute (18), CVICU (17), Coronary Care (16), LTC (11), Rehab (10), Pediatrics (6), Dialysis (4), Endoscopy (3), OB/GYN (2), NICU (1).
Cite this page
RN Jobs Near Me. (2026). RN contract pay in Kentucky — advertised weekly rates. Retrieved November 1, 2026 from https://rnjobsnearme.com/rn-salary/kentucky. Data as of October 31, 2026.
Licence: CC BY 4.0. Reproduce the figures, tables and charts freely — in print or online — with attribution to RN Jobs Near Me and a link. Figures are advertised contract rates from live listings, not earned wages; the methodology explains what is and is not counted. The numbers on this page are also available as CSV, with the citation and licence on its first line.