Mental health therapist salary in Kentucky
Open mental health therapist jobs in Kentucky post a median of $52 an hour, the middle half $35.77–$56.50 (about $108,200 a year full time), $16.70 above the national posted median. From 8 jobs at 5 employers that state their pay.
- 25th percentile$35.77/hr
- Median (50th)$52/hr
- 75th percentile$56.50/hr
- Distinct posted rates8
- Jobs stating an hourly rate8
- Employers5
The median is the middle of the 8 distinct rates they post, and the middle half, $35.77–$56.50 an hour, runs from their 25th percentile to their 75th: half of the rates fall between them. Each range counts at its midpoint, and a job posted many times at one rate counts once, so no employer's posting volume sets the figure.
- 25th percentile$35.77/hr
- Median (50th)$52/hr
- 75th percentile$56.50/hr
- Distinct posted rates8
- Jobs stating an hourly rate8
- Employers5
The median is the middle of the 8 distinct rates they post, and the middle half, $35.77–$56.50 an hour, runs from their 25th percentile to their 75th: half of the rates fall between them. Each range counts at its midpoint, and a job posted many times at one rate counts once, so no employer's posting volume sets the figure.
- Median posted per hour$52
- Hours in a full-time year2,080
- A year, full time$108,200
40 hours a week for 52 weeks, to the nearest $100. An estimate from the hourly rate: no job states it.
- 10th percentile$16.90/hr
- 25th percentile$20.06/hr
- Median$26.05/hr
- 75th percentile$34.90/hr
- 90th percentile$39.94/hr
- People employed in it7,690
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors (SOC 21-1018), all industries, Kentucky: the hourly wages BLS measured people employed in it earn, not read from open jobs. Measured and published by BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (source: BLS OEWS May 2025, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors, Kentucky).
The jobs themselves: Mental health therapist jobs in Kentucky · Mental health therapist pay nationwide
What mental health therapists are paid in Kentucky
Each bar counts the open jobs posting an hourly rate in its step of pay (a range at its midpoint).
Median $52 an hour. Middle half $35.77 to $56.50. Point at a bar for its count. Tap a bar for its count.
Posted on open jobs in Kentucky
Middle half of 8 distinct posted rates (a job posted many times at one rate counted once), median $52. 10% of the 82 open mental health therapist jobs in Kentucky state an hourly rate.
Therapist alerts
Therapist in Kentucky: new openings every week
A weekly email with the newest Therapist openings in Kentucky, taken from the employers' own careers sites. Free, stop anytime.
Only job openings in your inbox. Leave anytime with one click.
Mental health therapist pay by employer in Kentucky
What each employer posts for mental health therapists here, the employers with the most jobs stating pay first.
| Employer | Median posted | Posted range | Jobs stating pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetterHelp | $56.50 | $43–$70 | 4 |
| NeuLife | $47.50 | $45–$50 | 1 |
| CommonSpirit Health | $36.86 | $27.97–$45.76 | 1 |
| Universal Health Services | $32.50 | $30–$35 | 1 |
| DHVAJ | $24 | $23–$25 | 1 |
Median of each employer's jobs in Kentucky (a range at its midpoint), and its lowest and highest rate here. An employer's name opens its pay for mental health therapists nationwide when it has such a page.
Jobs that state a yearly salary
Measured on their own, never converted to hourly.
12 open jobs in Kentucky state a yearly salary: a median of $63,500, the middle half $60,300 to $75,000.
Best-paid open mental health therapist jobs in Kentucky
The open jobs posting the highest hourly rates tonight, at most two from one employer.
$43–$70/hr- $43–$70/hr
- $45–$50/hr
$27.97–$45.76/hr
$30–$35/hr- $23–$25/hr
What BLS measures in Kentucky
What people employed in the occupation earned in the state, at every level of experience, from the BLS survey. A posting advertises what a new hire is offered.
| BLS occupation | 10th pct | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors (21-1018) | $16.90 (source: BLS OEWS, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors) | $20.06 (source: BLS OEWS, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors) | $26.05 (source: BLS OEWS, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors) | $34.90 (source: BLS OEWS, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors) | $39.94 (source: BLS OEWS, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors) | 7,690 (source: BLS OEWS, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors) |
BLS median by metro area
- Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN$28.14/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN)
- Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN$24.51/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN)
- Lexington-Fayette, KY$27.97/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Lexington-Fayette, KY)
- Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH$25/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH)
- Clarksville, TN-KY$21.14/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Clarksville, TN-KY)
- Bowling Green, KY$27.75/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Bowling Green, KY)
- Elizabethtown, KY$28.23/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Elizabethtown, KY)
- Owensboro, KY$24.89/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Owensboro, KY)
Mental health therapist salary in Kentucky: common questions
How much does a mental health therapist make in Kentucky?
Open mental health therapist jobs in Kentucky that state an hourly rate post a median of $52, the middle half $35.77–$56.50 (8 jobs from 5 employers). Full time that is about $108,200 a year. BLS measured a median of $26.05/hr ($54,190 a year) for people employed in the occupation in Kentucky (May 2025).
How does Kentucky compare with the rest of the country?
The posted median in Kentucky ($52) is $16.70 above the national posted median of $35.30. In the BLS survey Kentucky ranks 41 of 52 by median wage.
Where do these figures come from?
From the pay open jobs state, read every night from each employer's own job board: 8 of 82 open mental health therapist jobs in Kentucky (10%) state an hourly rate. No pay is estimated for a job that states none; "up to" ceilings and weekly travel rates are left out.
Mental health therapist pay in other states
- West Virginia
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- Delaware
- Texas
- Louisiana
- Tennessee
- Missouri
- Indiana
- Alaska
- Montana
- Rhode Island
- District of Columbia
- Nebraska
- Kansas
- California
- Vermont
- Oregon
- Florida
- Washington
- North Carolina
- Utah
- New Jersey
- Georgia
- Virginia
- Arizona
- Idaho
- Maryland
- Minnesota
- South Dakota
- Wisconsin
- North Dakota
- Illinois
- Colorado
- Michigan
- Maine
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- New York
- New Hampshire
- Massachusetts
- Connecticut
- Iowa
Sources and method
- CareJobs.Now job board: the pay open jobs state, read every night from each employer's own careers site, published 13 Nov 2026
- BLS OEWS May 2025: Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors (SOC 21-1018), every state, published 15 May 2026
- BLS OEWS May 2025: Marriage and Family Therapists (SOC 21-1013), every state, published 15 May 2026
- BLS OEWS May 2025: Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers (SOC 21-1023), every state, published 15 May 2026
- BLS OEWS May 2025: Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors, national, published 15 May 2026
- BLS OEWS May 2025: Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors by metropolitan area, published 15 May 2026
Cite this page
CareJobs.Now. (2026). Mental health therapist salary in Kentucky. Data as of 13 Nov 2026. https://carejobs.now/salaries/mental-health-therapist/kentucky