SOC 15-1243

Data Engineer Salary in Lexington-Fayette, KY (2026)

Data updated · Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025, HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Tax Tables: 2026 Fed + KY + Municipal
COL Index: 96.93 (-3.1% vs US)
Net Compensation Yield 68.4% Realized
$69,496 / net annual direct deposit
Gross Adjusted $101,540 $48.82/hr
Effective Tax Drag 25.56% Combined Jurisdictions
Marginal Top Bracket 22% Federal Statutory
Total Withheld -$25,952 $998.14/check
Category 1 of 6

Wage Benchmarking & After-Tax Paycheck Engine

Dynamic statutory tax calculations based on IRS Publication 15-T and state statutory schedules.

$
2,080 annual statutory base hours $48.82 / hour
0 hrs/wk (+$0/yr)
0 hrs (Standard) 10 hrs OT 20 hrs OT 25 hrs Max
6% (-$6,092/yr)
0% Tax Shield: ~$1,340/yr 15% (IRS limit: $24,500)
Itemized Statutory Withholdings Ledger
Federal Income Tax (IRS)
Progressive 10%–37%
-$12,168
Social Security (FICA OASDI)
Statutory 6.20% (Cap $184,500)
-$6,295
Medicare Hospital Insurance
Statutory 1.45%
-$1,472
Kentucky Individual Income Tax
State Marginal Bracket
-$3,223
Lexington-Fayette occupational and school tax
2.75%
-$2,792
Net Take-Home Annual Realized
$69,496 ($2,672.92 / check)
Category 2 of 6

Lexington-Fayette, KY Data Engineer Wage Distribution

Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) Percentiles & Career Ladders

Your Salary: $101,540
MIDDLE 50% (IQR RANGE) 10th $71.8k 25th $84.3k Median: $101,540 50th (Median) $102k 75th $128k 90th $161k You: $101,540
10th (Entry) $71,790 $34.51/hr
25th (Junior) $84,350 $40.55/hr
50th (Median) $101,540 $48.82/hr
75th (Senior) $127,760 $61.42/hr
90th (Lead/Master) $160,620 $77.22/hr
Career Progression & Licensing Milestones for Data Engineer in Lexington-Fayette, KY
1
Associate Data EngineerPython, SQL, ETL scripting, data warehouse basics
$64,782$31.15/hr · 0-2 Years
2
Data EngineerSpark, Kafka, dbt, columnar storage optimization, orchestration
$96,081$46.19/hr · 2-5 Years
3
Senior Data EngineerReal-time stream architecture, lakehouse design, data quality frameworks
$122,285$58.79/hr · 5-8 Years
4
Staff Data ArchitectEnterprise data platform strategy, distributed storage scaling
$149,216$71.74/hr · 8+ Years
Scaled to the Lexington-Fayette, KY medianView National Data Engineer Salary Data
Category 3 of 6

HUD Fair Market Rent & EPI Living Wage Affordability Index

Evaluating housing affordability vs. net take-home pay in Lexington-Fayette, KY under the HUD 30% housing cost guideline.

Rent-to-Take-Home Ratio (HUD 30% Standard)
21% of Net Income
✓ Passes 30% Housing Affordability Standard
HUD Fair Market Rent (1-Bedroom) $1,205/month Requires minimum annual gross of $48,200
HUD Fair Market Rent (2-Bedroom) $1,416/month Requires minimum annual gross of $56,640
Hourly Living Wage Benchmark (EPI model)
1 Adult Earner: $21.44/hr
Per adult, 2 working adults + 1 child: $20.42/hr
Category 4 of 6

Hourly Wage to Annual & Overtime Matrix

Translating base hourly pay and 1.5× overtime into net take-home pay based on 2,080 annual work hours in Lexington-Fayette, KY.

Swipe horizontally to inspect full pay schedule
Schedule Total Hours/Wk Gross Annual Est. Taxes Net Take-Home Bi-Weekly Check
Standard (40 hrs)40 hrs$101,540-$25,952$69,496$2,672.92
+5h Overtime/Wk45 hrs$120,579-$32,495$80,849$3,109.57
+10h Overtime/Wk50 hrs$139,618-$39,228$92,013$3,538.95
+15h Overtime/Wk55 hrs$158,656-$46,129$103,008$3,961.83
+20h Overtime/Wk60 hrs$177,695-$53,031$114,002$4,384.71
Category 5 of 6

Interstate MSA Relocation & State Tax Migration Comparator

Calculate required compensation, cost-of-living differences, and annual state/local tax savings between two metropolitan areas.

Equivalent Salary in Austin, TX $83,505 Cost of Living Ratio: 69.6%
Annual State & Local Tax Delta +$8,331/yr Tax savings in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Annual Rent Difference (1BR) -$17,676/yr Based on HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Discretionary Cash Flow Impact

Combining state tax savings and annual rent variance when relocating from San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

+$26,007/year
Category 6 of 6 · Executive Economic Briefing
2026 Fiscal Intelligence

Data Engineer in Lexington-Fayette, KY: Compensation & Purchasing Power Briefing (2026)

Estimates compiled from BLS OEWS wages, IRS 2026 withholding rules, HUD Fair Market Rents, and Kentucky tax codes.

Market Baseline
$101,540/yr
$48.82/hr · SOC 15-1243
Statutory Tax Drag
25.56% Effective
-$25,952 in Total Taxes
HUD 1BR Shelter Ratio
21% Net Pay
✓ Passes 30% HUD Rule
Monthly Discretionary
+$4,586/mo
Post-$1,205/mo 1BR Rent

Key Economic & Compensation Takeaways

Statutory Withholding Architecture

Frequently Asked Questions

Verified Government Data Sources & Statutory Attribution

Wages sourced from US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS OEWS). Rents calibrated to HUD Fair Market Rents. Tax schedules calibrated to IRS IRC Title 26, IRS Pub 15-T, and state statutory revenue codes.

BLS OEWS May 2025 HUD FY2027 FMR IRS 15-T
Metro Pay Comparison SOC 15-1243
2026 Statutory Thresholds
  • Federal Standard Deduction (Single) $16,100
  • FICA OASDI Wage Base Cap $184,500
  • Pre-Tax 401(k) Elective Deferral $24,500
  • HSA Individual Annual Limit $4,400

Data Engineer in Lexington-Fayette, KY: Market Snapshot

Data Engineer roles in Lexington-Fayette, KY report a median annual wage of $101,540, 27.2% below the national median of $139,500. The 10th to 90th percentile band runs from $71,790 to $160,620, and HUD’s $1,205 monthly one-bedroom fair market rent equals 14.2% of that median gross pay. The single-adult living wage benchmark for the area is $21.44 per hour.

Highest-paying metropolitan areas for Data Engineer

Metropolitan areaMedian annual wageVs this market
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$197,960+95.0%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$175,860+73.2%
Reno, NV$170,390+67.8%
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$169,310+66.7%
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$168,390+65.8%
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$163,590+61.1%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$163,350+60.9%
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$162,870+60.4%
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$162,640+60.2%
Springfield, MA$161,730+59.3%

Top-paying occupations benchmarked in Lexington-Fayette, KY

OccupationMedian annual wageMedian hourly
Chief Executives$179,520$86.31/hr
Natural Sciences Managers$161,450$77.62/hr
Architectural and Engineering Managers$161,170$77.49/hr
Computer and Information Systems Managers$144,160$69.31/hr
Fundraising Managers$140,090$67.35/hr
Education Administrators, Postsecondary$137,250$65.99/hr
Financial Manager$135,760$65.27/hr
Purchasing Managers$128,910$61.98/hr
Marketing Managers$127,040$61.08/hr
Sales Managers$124,860$60.03/hr

Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025, 132 metropolitan areas publishing this occupation; HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents; EPI Family Budget Calculator. Taxes use 2026 federal and state rules. Data last updated .

Regional Labor Market & Career Mobility Network

Explore adjacent occupations and neighboring metropolitan wage benchmarks for peer compensation analysis.

Data Engineer Salary in Lexington-Fayette, KY (2026) Overview

Data Engineer median pay in Lexington-Fayette, KY is $101,540 a year ($48.82/hr). See take-home pay after 2026 taxes, BLS wage percentiles, HUD rents & living. Official 2026 economic data for Data Engineer in Lexington-Fayette, KY compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

Quick answers
What is the median salary for a Data Engineer in Lexington-Fayette, KY?

The median annual wage is $101,540 ($48.82 per hour). The middle 80% of earners make between $71,790 and $160,620. Source: BLS OEWS (May 2025).

What is the take-home pay for a Data Engineer in Lexington-Fayette, KY after taxes?

On the median wage of $101,540, a single filer with no pre-tax deductions takes home about $74,035 a year ($6,170 a month) after $27,505 in federal, FICA, state and local taxes, an effective rate of 27.09%, using 2026 tax rules.