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    Salary / MD / DO / Kentucky

    MD / DO salary in Kentucky

    What MD / DO roles are advertised at, and the Kentucky factors that change the number.

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    How much does a MD / DO earn in Kentucky?

    Federal wage data for Kentucky puts the median for psychiatrists at $237,770 a year, with the middle of the market between $74,200 and $361,640 and about 160 people employed in the state (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Louisville and Lexington carry most centre-based demand; rural districts rely heavily on telehealth supervision. Nationally, the MD / DO roles we recruit are advertised at roughly $250k – $360k; the national MD / DO salary guide sets out the entry, mid-career and senior figures behind that.

    MD / DO advertised pay by experience

    Entry
    $250k
    First role after certification
    Mid-career
    $300k
    Two to five years, full caseload
    Senior
    $360k
    Supervisory scope or specialist skill

    Official Kentucky wage data

    Federal wage data for Kentucky puts the median for psychiatrists at $237,770 a year, with the middle of the market between $74,200 and $361,640 and about 160 people employed in the state (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025).

    Median
    $237,770
    Mean
    $221,190
    10th percentile
    $74,200
    90th percentile
    $361,640

    Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. State wage tables

    What changes a MD / DO offer in Kentucky

    • Psychiatrist practice in Kentucky is regulated by the state nursing or medical board that issues the credential, not by the counseling boards. We do not publish KY-specific requirements for this credential, so confirm them with that board before you accept a start date.
    • Setting: Inpatient psychiatry, Outpatient clinics, Telepsychiatry price differently for the same credential.
    • Caseload cap and billable or productivity target, which decide whether a bonus is real.
    • Metro cost of living within the state; a city premium is not the same as a better offer.
    • Scarcity: Severe shortage in child and adolescent psychiatry and in rural and community settings.

    How to read the KY figures

    The federal estimates above are the official Kentucky picture for psychiatrists, published annually and lagging the market by about a year. What we publish alongside them is what we actually see advertised on roles we recruit today. Use the federal median as a floor for negotiation and the advertised range as the live signal.

    Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data

    Last reviewed August 2026.

    Live MD / DO roles in Kentucky

    No live MD / DO roles in Kentucky right now. Tell us your license status and target setting and we will contact you when the next Kentucky search opens.

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    How to work as a MD / DO in Kentucky

    1. 1

      Confirm the credential

      State medical licensure and ABPN board certification. This is the baseline every Kentucky employer screens on before anything else.

    2. 2

      Check the KY requirement

      Psychiatrist practice in Kentucky is regulated by the state nursing or medical board that issues the credential, not by the counseling boards. We do not publish KY-specific requirements for this credential, so confirm them with that board before you accept a start date.

    3. 3

      Check the multi-state routes

      PSYPACT: member; Counseling Compact: enacted (privileges not yet live) Compact participation changes, so confirm the current position with the Kentucky board rather than a secondary source.

    4. 4

      Build board processing into your start date

      Processing time, not eligibility, is the usual cause of a delayed start. Agree a start date with the licensing timeline already in it.

    5. 5

      Match the credential to open work

      Compare the advertised range for MD / DO roles, roughly $250k – $360k, against the live Kentucky vacancies on this page, or join the talent network to be contacted when the next Kentucky search opens.

    Continue with MD / DO in Kentucky

    MD / DO pay and licensure in Kentucky: common questions

    Do you need a license to work as a MD / DO in Kentucky?
    Psychiatrist practice in Kentucky is regulated by the state nursing or medical board that issues the credential, not by the counseling boards. We do not publish KY-specific requirements for this credential, so confirm them with that board before you accept a start date. Confirm the current position with the Kentucky board before you accept a start date, as processing time is the usual cause of a delayed start.
    What is the average MD / DO salary in Kentucky?
    Federal wage data for Kentucky puts the median for psychiatrists at $237,770 a year, with the middle of the market between $74,200 and $361,640 and about 160 people employed in the state (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Advertised pay on the MD / DO roles we recruit nationally sits at roughly $250k – $360k, and offers land inside that band according to setting, caseload and metro cost of living.
    Does MD / DO pay in Kentucky differ from the rest of the US?
    We publish advertised pay on the roles we recruit, not a Kentucky average. Across the US those MD / DO roles are advertised at roughly $250k – $360k, and where a Kentucky offer lands inside that band is driven by setting, caseload and metro cost of living. For an official comparison, Kentucky median pay for psychiatrists is $237,770; treat that as a negotiating floor.
    Where are the MD / DO jobs in Kentucky?
    Louisville and Lexington carry most centre-based demand; rural districts rely heavily on telehealth supervision. The live MD / DO vacancies we hold in Kentucky are listed on this page; when nothing is open there today, the national MD / DO board carries every role we currently hold.
    Who employs MD / DOs in Kentucky?
    The employers hiring this credential are inpatient psychiatry, outpatient clinics, telepsychiatry, residential treatment, academic centers. Which of those dominates in Kentucky follows the local funding and provider mix rather than any national pattern, and it is the single biggest driver of what an offer looks like: the same MD / DO is priced differently by a center-based provider, a school district and a hospital system.
    What do employers look for when hiring a MD / DO in Kentucky?
    First, the credential and the right to practise: state medical licensure and abpn board certification. Psychiatrist practice in Kentucky is regulated by the state nursing or medical board that issues the credential, not by the counseling boards. We do not publish KY-specific requirements for this credential, so confirm them with that board before you accept a start date. After that, hiring managers screen on the specifics of the work — caseload size you have carried, the settings you have worked in, supervision responsibility, and documentation or payer experience. Availability matters too: a realistic start date that accounts for board processing usually beats a stronger resume that cannot start.
    What does the salary range on this page actually mean?
    Two different things, kept separate on purpose. $250k – $360k is what MD / DO roles we recruit are advertised at across the US — a live market signal, not a survey. The federal figures are official Kentucky estimates for psychiatrists: $237,770 median, with $74,200 at the 10th percentile and $361,640 at the 90th. They cover the whole occupation in the state, are published annually and lag the market by roughly a year, so read the median as a negotiating floor rather than a target. Neither number is an offer; where you land inside a range is set by setting, caseload and metro cost of living.

    MD / DO pay in other states

    A clinical director and a hiring lead shaking hands across a meeting-room table.

    Hiring MD / DOs in Kentucky

    Pay is the last thing that fixes a stalled search

    Child and adolescent fellowship-trained psychiatrists are the hardest hire in behavioral health, full stop.

    Join the MD / DO talent networkHire a MD / DO in Kentucky
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    • Behavioral health only
    • Recruiting across all 50 states
    • Pay published on every role
    • Recruitment partnerships, not job spam