Firefighter · Lexington, KY
Firefighter in Lexington: -$587/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median firefighter wage in Lexington at $36,490 a year. About 940 firefighter jobs are in the metro. The job is a larger share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 1.47). The 10th percentile is $29,460 and the 90th is $58,170. Pay ranks 315th-highest of 346 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 2.7× a year of one-bedroom rent ($1,135/mo). Kentucky charges a 4.00% flat income tax, plus a 1.50% city wage tax. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps -$587 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Fort Wayne, about 205 miles away, at $1,943 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
-$587
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$36,490
$29,460 to $58,170
Rent (1 bd)
$1,135
$1,351 (2 bd)
Employment
940
Location quotient 1.47
Pay rank
315th of 346
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
2.7×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, firefighter pay of $36,490.
- Taxes$584
- Rent$1,135
- Other living costs$1,909
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $36,490
- Federal income tax
- −$2,340
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$2,791
- State income tax (KY)
- −$1,329
- City / county wage tax
- −$547
- Take-home pay
- $29,482
- Effective tax rate
- 19.2%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $1,135
- Groceries
- $378
- Getting around
- $541
- Healthcare
- $425
- Utilities and internet
- $236
- Everything else
- $330
- Total spending
- $3,044
Left over each month
$3,041 gross, minus $584 in tax and $3,044 in living costs.
-$587
Rank every metro for a firefighter
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Fort Wayne, $1,943/mo.
Firefighter leftover by city →Best cities for firefighters to move to →Firefighter nearby
Other jobs in Lexington
- Registered nurse
- Software developer
- Elementary school teacher
- High school teacher
- Accountant / auditor
- Truck driver (heavy)
- Electrician
- Civil engineer
- Lawyer
- Police officer
- Financial analyst
- Pharmacist
- Product / project manager
- Physical therapist
- Nurse practitioner
- Physician
- Construction manager
- Data scientist
- Mechanical engineer
Questions
What does a firefighter make in Lexington?
$36,490 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 940 firefighter jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a firefighter in Lexington?
-$587 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. Kentucky charges a 4.00% flat income tax, plus a 1.50% city wage tax Rent is $1,135, and pay covers 2.7× a year of it.
Where nearby would a firefighter keep more?
Fort Wayne, about 205 miles away, leaves $1,943 a month, more than Lexington.