Skilled Wages

Millwright salary in Kentucky

Median $33.95 an hour for 1,220 millwrights, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$33.95/hrMedian hourly wageKentucky, May data
$70,610/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$23.18 – $41.6510th to 90th percentilehourly range
1,220Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-09-28

Millwright pay in Kentucky: the full range

Wage percentiles, KentuckyMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$20$30$40$50/hrKentucky: 10th $23.18 · 25th $28.07 · median $33.95 · 75th $39.02 · 90th $41.65Kentucky$33.95$23.18$41.65United States: 10th $22.25 · 25th $27.11 · median $31.59 · 75th $39.18 · 90th $45.00United States$31.59
Hourly wage percentiles for millwrights: Kentucky vs United States, May 2025.

Kentucky ranks 17th of 48 states for median millwright pay, and 10th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $37.64). 1,220 millwrights work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$23.18 – $28.07$48,210 – $58,390roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$28.07 – $39.02$58,390 – $81,170the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$39.02 – $41.65$81,170 – $86,640the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Millwright pay by metro in Kentucky

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrBowling Green: $37.25Bowling Green$37.25Louisville: $36.68Louisville$36.68Cincinnati: $36.37Cincinnati$36.37Lexington: $31.85Lexington$31.85Huntington: $29.27Huntington$29.27
Median hourly wage for millwrights by metro area in Kentucky, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Bowling Green$24.03$37.25$44.375010% above
Louisville$23.41$36.68$42.624908% above
Cincinnati$23.96$36.37$44.432507% above
Lexington$22.38$31.85$41.651406% below
Huntington$28.27$29.27$38.1613014% below

Millwright wages in Kentucky over time

Kentucky, 1999-2025KentuckyUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$15$20$25$30$35$40200020052010201520202025$33.95Kentucky$31.59United States
Median hourly wage for millwrights, Kentucky vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearKentucky $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$19.18$37.06$18.76790
2000$17.84$33.35$19.331,120
2001$20.46$37.19$20.181,150
2002$20.77$37.17$20.191,040
2003$21.47$37.57$20.381,140
2004$22.43$38.23$21.021,000
2005$25.25$41.62$21.53640
2006$23.48$37.50$21.94640
2007$22.32$34.66$22.16730
2008$23.37$34.95$22.87860
2009$24.34$36.53$23.14680
2010$24.31$35.89$23.25550
2011$24.97$35.74$23.69610
2012$24.62$34.52$23.80780
2013$27.79$38.41$24.05750
2014$25.84$35.14$24.26660
2015$24.96$33.90$24.71920
2016$25.53$34.25$25.211,020
2017$26.69$35.05$25.95950
2018$25.97$33.30$26.47910
2019$24.18$30.45$26.711,340
2020$27.09$33.70$27.531,500
2021$28.83$34.25$29.00820
2022$30.79$33.87$29.29500
2023$30.97$32.72$30.28580
2024$31.50$32.33$31.331,460
2025$33.95$33.95$31.591,220

In today's dollars, the median millwright wage in Kentucky changed by +0.1% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for millwrights in Kentucky

On federally funded construction in Kentucky, contractors must pay millwrights at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 56 of the 56 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $64.67 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $33.95.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, KYAdair: —Allen: —Anderson: $64.67 (union)Ballard: $64.67 (union)Barren: —Bath: $64.67 (union)Bell: —Boone: —Bourbon: $64.67 (union)Boyd: —Boyle: $64.67 (union)Bracken: —Breathitt: —Breckinridge: $64.67 (union)Bullitt: $64.67 (union)Butler: —Caldwell: $64.67 (union)Calloway: $64.67 (union)Campbell: —Carlisle: $64.67 (union)Carroll: $64.67 (union)Carter: —Casey: —Christian: —Clark: $64.67 (union)Clay: —Clinton: —Crittenden: $64.67 (union)Cumberland: —Daviess: —Edmonson: —Elliott: —Estill: $64.67 (union)Fayette: $64.67 (union)Fleming: $64.67 (union)Floyd: —Franklin: $64.67 (union)Fulton: $64.67 (union)Gallatin: —Garrard: $64.67 (union)Grant: —Graves: $64.67 (union)Grayson: $64.67 (union)Green: —Greenup: —Hancock: —Hardin: —Harlan: —Harrison: $64.67 (union)Hart: —Henderson: —Henry: $64.67 (union)Hickman: $64.67 (union)Hopkins: $64.67 (union)Jackson: —Jefferson: $64.67 (union)Jessamine: $64.67 (union)Johnson: —Kenton: —Knott: —Knox: —Larue: —Laurel: —Lawrence: —Lee: —Leslie: —Letcher: —Lewis: $64.67 (union)Lincoln: $64.67 (union)Livingston: $64.67 (union)Logan: —Lyon: $64.67 (union)McCracken: $64.67 (union)McCreary: —McLean: —Madison: $64.67 (union)Magoffin: —Marion: —Marshall: $64.67 (union)Martin: —Mason: $64.67 (union)Meade: —Menifee: $64.67 (union)Mercer: $64.67 (union)Metcalfe: —Monroe: —Montgomery: $64.67 (union)Morgan: —Muhlenberg: $64.67 (union)Nelson: $64.67 (union)Nicholas: $64.67 (union)Ohio: $64.67 (union)Oldham: $64.67 (union)Owen: $64.67 (union)Owsley: —Pendleton: —Perry: —Pike: —Powell: $64.67 (union)Pulaski: —Robertson: $64.67 (union)Rockcastle: $64.67 (union)Rowan: $64.67 (union)Russell: —Scott: $64.67 (union)Shelby: $64.67 (union)Simpson: —Spencer: $64.67 (union)Taylor: —Todd: $64.67 (union)Trigg: —Trimble: $64.67 (union)Union: $64.67 (union)Warren: —Washington: $64.67 (union)Wayne: —Webster: —Whitley: —Wolfe: —Woodford: $64.67 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hrn/a
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for millwrights by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
Market median vs prevailing wage by countyMarket medianPrevailing (union)$20$30$40$50$60$70/hrBourbon (Lexington): market median $31.85, prevailing (union) $64.67, gap +$32.82Bourbon (Lexington)+$32.82Ballard (Kentucky): market median $33.95, prevailing (union) $64.67, gap +$30.72Ballard (Kentucky)+$30.72Bullitt (Louisville): market median $36.68, prevailing (union) $64.67, gap +$27.99Bullitt (Louisville)+$27.99
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for millwrights, metro counties in Kentucky.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AndersonUnion CARP1076-001 2025-06-01$35.54$29.13$64.67KY20260018
BallardUnion CARP1076-002 2025-06-01$35.54$29.13$64.67KY20260041
BathUnion CARP1076-001 2025-06-01$35.54$29.13$64.67KY20260018
BourbonUnion CARP1076-003 2025-06-01$35.54$29.13$64.67KY20260100
BoyleUnion CARP1076-001 2025-06-01$35.54$29.13$64.67KY20260018
BreckinridgeUnion CARP1076-002 2025-06-01$35.54$29.13$64.67KY20260041
BullittUnion CARP1076-001 2025-06-01$35.54$29.13$64.67KY20260087
CaldwellUnion CARP1076-002 2025-06-01$35.54$29.13$64.67KY20260041
CallowayUnion CARP1076-002 2025-06-01$35.54$29.13$64.67KY20260020
CarlisleUnion CARP1076-002 2025-06-01$35.54$29.13$64.67KY20260041
CarrollUnion CARP1076-001 2025-06-01$35.54$29.13$64.67KY20260021
ClarkUnion CARP1076-003 2025-06-01$35.54$29.13$64.67KY20260100
CrittendenUnion CARP1076-002 2025-06-01$35.54$29.13$64.67KY20260041
EstillUnion CARP1076-001 2025-06-01$35.54$29.13$64.67KY20260018
FayetteUnion CARP1076-003 2025-06-01$35.54$29.13$64.67KY20260090

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the Kentucky prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in Kentucky?

96.4kConstruction jobsKentucky, 2026-08
+1.3%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202640k60k80k100k120k1990199520002005201020152020202596kAug 2026
Construction employment in Kentucky (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Millwright pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Kentucky

Questions this page answers

How much do millwrights make in Kentucky?

The median millwright in Kentucky earned $33.95 an hour ($70,610 a year) in May 2025, 7% above the national median of $31.59. The middle half earn $28.07–$39.02; the top 10% earn more than $41.65.

Where does Kentucky rank for millwright pay?

Kentucky ranks 17th of 48 states for millwright pay, with a median of $33.95 an hour, and 10th after adjusting for Kentucky's cost of living (BEA price parity 90.2, US = 100).

What is the union millwright rate in Kentucky?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for millwrights in 56 counties, with a typical package of $64.67 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many millwrights work in Kentucky?

BLS counted 1,220 millwrights in Kentucky in May 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 2.34; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Kentucky and metro areas, SOC 49-9044.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-08.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Not the official determination.