Salaries in Lexington.
3,500+ roles. One city.
Cost-of-living index: 0.86x national average. Last updated April 2026.
3445 roles tracked
Highest Paying
$307,000
Principal Quantitative Researcher
Median of All Roles
$135,000
Senior dbt Developer
Entry Level
$27,000
Hotel Clerk / Front Desk
Salary data sourced from SEC filings, H-1B Labor Condition Applications (DOL), Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and aggregated job postings across 50+ platforms. Ranges reflect 25th to 75th percentile for full-time positions. Cost-of-living adjustments use Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (2025 index). Last updated April 2026.
Lexington, KY has a cost-of-living index of 0.86x the national average. The highest-paying role is Principal Quantitative Researcher at $307,000, while the median across all 3445 roles is $135,000. Lexington is Kentucky's second largest city with an economy driven by the University of Kentucky, healthcare, and the equine industry.
About the Lexington market
Lexington is Kentucky's second largest city with an economy driven by the University of Kentucky, healthcare, and the equine industry. A growing tech startup scene and affordable cost of living are attracting remote workers. The bourbon and manufacturing sectors also contribute to the local economy.
HealthcareHigher EducationManufacturingEquine IndustryTechnology
Top 50 salaries in Lexington
| # | Role | Median | Range |
|---|
| 1 | Principal Quantitative Researcher | $307,000 | $239,000 – $399,000 |
| 2 | Technical Fellow | $292,000 | $228,000 – $380,000 |
| 3 | Principal AI Research Scientist | $289,000 | $225,000 – $376,000 |
| 4 | Senior VP of Security | $286,000 | $224,000 – $372,000 |
| 5 | Principal AI Safety Engineer | $284,000 | $222,000 – $369,000 |
| 6 | Principal AI Agent Architect | $281,000 | $220,000 – $366,000 |
| 7 | Principal Quantitative Developer | $279,000 | $218,000 – $363,000 |
| 8 | Senior VP of Product | $278,000 | $217,000 – $361,000 |
| 9 | Chief Security Officer | $278,000 | $217,000 – $362,000 |
| 10 | Principal Deep Learning Engineer | $276,000 | $216,000 – $360,000 |
| 11 | Distinguished Engineer | $275,000 | $209,000 – $350,000 |
| 12 | Chief Science Officer | $269,000 | $210,000 – $350,000 |
| 13 | Principal AI Agent Engineer | $268,000 | $210,000 – $349,000 |
| 14 | Principal AI Compiler Engineer | $268,000 | $209,000 – $349,000 |
| 15 | CTO | $268,000 | $209,000 – $349,000 |
| 16 | Chief Architect | $268,000 | $209,000 – $349,000 |
| 17 | Staff Quantitative Researcher | $267,000 | $208,000 – $347,000 |
| 18 | Chief Machine Learning Officer | $266,000 | $207,000 – $345,000 |
| 19 | SVP of Technology | $265,000 | $207,000 – $346,000 |
| 20 | SVP of Strategy | $263,000 | $205,000 – $342,000 |
| 21 | Chief AI Officer | $261,000 | $194,000 – $337,000 |
| 22 | Staff AI Research Scientist | $261,000 | $204,000 – $340,000 |
| 23 | SVP of Engineering | $261,000 | $204,000 – $340,000 |
| 24 | Chief Design Officer | $261,000 | $204,000 – $340,000 |
| 25 | Chief Strategy Officer | $261,000 | $204,000 – $340,000 |
| 26 | SVP of Data | $261,000 | $204,000 – $340,000 |
| 27 | L7 Software Engineer | $261,000 | $204,000 – $340,000 |
| 28 | Chief Transformation Officer | $259,000 | $202,000 – $337,000 |
| 29 | SVP of Marketing | $259,000 | $202,000 – $337,000 |
| 30 | Principal Applied Scientist | $258,000 | $201,000 – $335,000 |
| 31 | Principal Computer Vision Engineer | $256,000 | $200,000 – $333,000 |
| 32 | Principal Compiler Engineer | $256,000 | $199,000 – $332,000 |
| 33 | Senior Head of Security | $256,000 | $200,000 – $333,000 |
| 34 | Senior VP of Design | $256,000 | $200,000 – $333,000 |
| 35 | SVP of Product | $256,000 | $200,000 – $333,000 |
| 36 | Chief Digital Officer | $255,000 | $199,000 – $332,000 |
| 37 | Chief Cloud Officer | $255,000 | $199,000 – $332,000 |
| 38 | Chief Technology Officer | $254,000 | $189,000 – $333,000 |
| 39 | VP of AI | $254,000 | $193,000 – $333,000 |
| 40 | Principal Machine Learning Engineer | $254,000 | $197,000 – $329,000 |
| 41 | VP of AI Research | $254,000 | $198,000 – $331,000 |
| 42 | Principal Kernel Engineer | $254,000 | $198,000 – $329,000 |
| 43 | Chief Commercial Officer | $254,000 | $198,000 – $330,000 |
| 44 | Principal Cryptographer | $253,000 | $197,000 – $329,000 |
| 45 | Chief Legal Officer | $253,000 | $197,000 – $329,000 |
| 46 | Chief Growth Officer | $252,000 | $196,000 – $327,000 |
| 47 | Principal AI Engineer | $251,000 | $196,000 – $326,000 |
| 48 | Principal NLP Engineer | $251,000 | $195,000 – $326,000 |
| 49 | Principal AI Infrastructure Engineer | $251,000 | $195,000 – $326,000 |
| 50 | Chief Data & AI Officer | $249,000 | $185,000 – $324,000 |
Tax considerations
Kentucky has a flat 4% state income tax. Lexington has an occupational tax of about 2.25%. The combined rate is moderate and the very affordable housing stretches salaries further.
Negotiating in Lexington
Leverage UK Health and the medical corridor when negotiating. Healthcare and biotech roles command nationally competitive salaries in Lexington.
Know the number. Get the offer.
Orbyt gives you the salary data, interview prep, and pipeline tools to negotiate from a position of strength.
Start free.