File Clerks Salary
File Clerks in Kentucky make a median of $39,250 a year, or about $18.87 an hour. The range runs from $27K at the entry level to $57K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 90.23), which stretches that salary to about $43,500 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,110/month, about 41.5% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Kentucky. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $39K get you in Kentucky?
About file clerks
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Kentucky
File clerks pay in Kentucky tracks closely to the national median, $39K locally vs. $44K nationwide, a 10% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,110/month, which is 41.6% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 90.23 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 10% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Kentucky
Entry-level file clerks (10th percentile) start around $27K. Mid-career wages sit at $39K. Top earners bring in $57K or more, a $30K spread from bottom to top.
File Clerks salary by metro in Kentucky
2 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville/Jefferson County | $45K | +15% | 100 |
| Lexington-Fayette | $45K | +13% | 30 |
Compare to other states
Track file clerks salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Kentucky numbers change.
Related careers in Office & Admin
Frequently asked questions
Can a file clerk afford a 2BR apartment alone in Kentucky?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $39K, rent takes 41.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,110/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for file clerks in Kentucky?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new file clerks typically earn — is $27K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,647/month. At HUD’s $1,110/month FMR, rent would take 67% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is file clerk a high-paying job in Kentucky?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $39K locally vs. $44K nationally, a 10% difference.
How does Kentucky compare to the national average for file clerks?
Kentucky pays $39K median vs. the U.S. average of $44K — that’s -10%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 90.23), the purchasing-power equivalent is $44K — below the national median.
How much do file clerks make in Kentucky?
The median is $39,250 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $27,450, and experienced file clerks can clear $57,280. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $39K enough to live in Kentucky?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,667/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,110/month, which eats 41.6% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a file clerks salary go in Kentucky?
Kentucky has a Regional Price Parity of 90.23 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median file clerks salary is worth about $43,500 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do file clerks get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.