2026
Moving from Kentucky?
Where you keep the most after tax and rent. The comparison starts in Louisville, KY, the largest metro in Kentucky on this site. One adult, one bedroom, $80,000 held the same in every city. State income tax there is $3,069 a year, and $2,060 a month is left after tax and rent.
No state income tax
The strongest leftover metro in each state that does not tax wages. The tax change is versus Kentucky on $80,000.
- Anchorage, AK
$1,705/mo left · state tax −$3,069/yr
- Sebring, FL
$2,422/mo left · state tax −$3,069/yr
- Carson City, NV
$2,130/mo left · state tax −$3,069/yr
- Manchester, NH
$1,539/mo left · state tax −$3,069/yr
- Sioux Falls, SD
$2,549/mo left · state tax −$3,069/yr
- Morristown, TN
$2,592/mo left · state tax −$3,069/yr
- Lubbock, TX
$2,695/mo left · state tax −$3,069/yr
- Spokane, WA
$2,287/mo left · state tax −$3,069/yr
- Cheyenne, WY
$2,358/mo left · state tax −$3,069/yr
Where people from Kentucky moved
IRS migration, 2022-2023. Outflows from metros in Kentucky to metros in other states, summed. The move link starts in the city that sent the most returns on that route.
| Destination | Returns | People | State tax change | Left over |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati, OHfrom Louisville | 905 | 1,302 | −$1,585/yr | $2,083/mo |
| Nashville, TNfrom Bowling Green | 781 | 1,131 | −$3,069/yr | $2,031/mo |
| Chicago, ILfrom Louisville | 392 | 537 | +$754/yr | $1,417/mo |
| Indianapolis, INfrom Louisville | 368 | 559 | −$699/yr | $1,989/mo |
| Dallas, TXfrom Louisville | 345 | 625 | −$3,069/yr | $2,130/mo |
| Atlanta, GAfrom Louisville | 326 | 531 | +$460/yr | $1,695/mo |
| Tampa, FLfrom Louisville | 320 | 498 | −$3,069/yr | $1,841/mo |
| Miami, FLfrom Louisville | 260 | 400 | −$3,069/yr | $1,107/mo |
| Columbus, OHfrom Louisville | 218 | 341 | −$1,585/yr | $2,048/mo |
| New York, NYfrom Louisville | 199 | 238 | +$726/yr | -$349/mo |
Where the paycheck goes furthest
Top 25 metros outside Kentucky by monthly leftover on $80,000. Versus Louisville.
| Rank | Metro | Left over | Vs Louisville | State tax change | Paid to move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ames, IA | $2,706/mo | +$646/mo | −$584/yr | — |
| 2 | Fargo, ND | $2,705/mo | +$645/mo | −$2,739/yr | — |
| 3 | Lubbock, TX | $2,695/mo | +$635/mo | −$3,069/yr | — |
| 4 | Wichita Falls, TX | $2,685/mo | +$625/mo | −$3,069/yr | — |
| 5 | McAllen, TX | $2,679/mo | +$619/mo | −$3,069/yr | — |
| 6 | Longview, TX | $2,672/mo | +$612/mo | −$3,069/yr | — |
| 7 | Amarillo, TX | $2,652/mo | +$592/mo | −$3,069/yr | — |
| 8 | Grand Forks, ND | $2,646/mo | +$586/mo | −$2,739/yr | — |
| 9 | Davenport, IA | $2,636/mo | +$576/mo | −$584/yr | — |
| 10 | Texarkana, TX | $2,635/mo | +$575/mo | −$3,069/yr | — |
| 11 | Waterloo, IA | $2,625/mo | +$565/mo | −$584/yr | — |
| 12 | Dubuque, IA | $2,621/mo | +$561/mo | −$584/yr | — |
| 13 | Cape Girardeau, MO | $2,618/mo | +$558/mo | −$236/yr | — |
| 14 | Jefferson City, MO | $2,610/mo | +$550/mo | −$236/yr | — |
| 15 | Killeen, TX | $2,606/mo | +$546/mo | −$3,069/yr | — |
| 16 | Laredo, TX | $2,603/mo | +$543/mo | −$3,069/yr | — |
| 17 | Iowa City, IA | $2,601/mo | +$541/mo | −$584/yr | — |
| 18 | Morristown, TN | $2,592/mo | +$532/mo | −$3,069/yr | — |
| 19 | Sherman, TX | $2,589/mo | +$529/mo | −$3,069/yr | — |
| 20 | St. Joseph, MO | $2,584/mo | +$524/mo | −$236/yr | — |
| 21 | Eagle Pass, TX | $2,576/mo | +$516/mo | −$3,069/yr | — |
| 22 | Alexandria, LA | $2,573/mo | +$513/mo | −$1,044/yr | — |
| 23 | El Paso, TX | $2,564/mo | +$504/mo | −$3,069/yr | — |
| 24 | Beaumont, TX | $2,555/mo | +$495/mo | −$3,069/yr | — |
| 25 | Sioux Falls, SD | $2,549/mo | +$489/mo | −$3,069/yr | — |
Staying in Kentucky
State income tax does not change. Rent still does. Compared with Louisville.
- Paducah · $2,259/mo · +$199 vs Louisville
- Owensboro · $2,154/mo · +$94 vs Louisville
- Elizabethtown · $2,153/mo · +$93 vs Louisville
- Bowling Green · $2,132/mo · +$72 vs Louisville
- Lexington · $1,989/mo · −$71 vs Louisville
Moving from another state
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Cities that pay you to moveTake-home by jobLouisville paycheck
Questions
Where do people from Kentucky move?
Among metros on this site, the largest IRS flow out of Kentucky in 2022-2023 is to Cincinnati, OH: 905 tax returns, about 1,302 people. The link uses the Louisville corridor, which sent the most of those returns.
How does state income tax change when you leave Kentucky?
On $80,000 for a single filer, Kentucky state income tax is $3,069 a year. The change column is the destination's state income tax minus that figure. A negative number is a smaller state tax bill. Local wage taxes are not in that column. They are in the leftover figure.
Where does a paycheck from Kentucky go furthest?
At $80,000 held flat, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $2,706 a month in Ames, IA, +$646 versus Louisville.