Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation Salary
The median pay for a pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation in Kentucky is $39,380/year ($18.94/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $34K at the entry level to $50K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 90.23), which stretches that salary to about $43,644 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,110/month, about 41.3% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. This is an aggregate across all of Kentucky. BLS does not publish metro-level data for this occupation in this state.
So what does $39K get you in Kentucky?
About pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetations
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What this looks like in Kentucky
Pay for pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation in Kentucky runs about 15% below the U.S. median of $46K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,110/month, which is 41.5% 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. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetations.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Kentucky
Entry-level pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetations (10th percentile) start around $34K. Mid-career wages sit at $39K. Top earners bring in $50K or more, a $16K spread from bottom to top.
Compare to other states
Track pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Kentucky numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation afford a 2BR apartment alone in Kentucky?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $39K, rent takes 41.5% 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 pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetations in Kentucky?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetations typically earn — is $34K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,059/month. At HUD’s $1,110/month FMR, rent would take 54% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation a high-paying job in Kentucky?
Local pay runs 15% below the national median — $39K here vs. $46K nationally. Cost of living is 10% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Kentucky compare to the national average for pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetations?
Kentucky pays $39K median vs. the U.S. average of $46K — that’s -15%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 90.23), the purchasing-power equivalent is $44K — below the national median.
How much do pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetations make in Kentucky?
The median is $39,380 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $34,320, and experienced pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetations can clear $49,830. 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 $2,675/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,110/month, which eats 41.5% 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 pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation 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 pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation salary is worth about $43,644 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetations 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.