Best Community Colleges in Kentucky by Salary Potential
Get the most out of an associate degree. Learn more about Kentucky’s best two-year colleges with the highest-paid graduates and alumni.
| Rank | School Name | School Sector | Early Career Pay | Mid-Career Pay | % High Meaning | % STEM Degrees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank:1 | School Name: University of Louisville | School Sector:Public | Early Career Pay:$46,500 | Mid-Career Pay:$69,700 | % High Meaning:52% | % STEM Degrees:20% |
| Rank:2 | School Name:_50px.png) Northern Kentucky University | School Sector:Public | Early Career Pay:$48,100 | Mid-Career Pay:$69,300 | % High Meaning:57% | % STEM Degrees:12% |
| Rank:3 | School Name: Kentucky State University | School Sector:Public | Early Career Pay:$47,800 | Mid-Career Pay:$69,100 | % High Meaning:- | % STEM Degrees:14% |
| Rank:4 | School Name:Midway University | School Sector:Private not-for-profit | Early Career Pay:$47,300 | Mid-Career Pay:$67,600 | % High Meaning:- | % STEM Degrees:3% |
| Rank:5 | School Name:University of Pikeville | School Sector:Private not-for-profit | Early Career Pay:$44,700 | Mid-Career Pay:$65,300 | % High Meaning:- | % STEM Degrees:9% |
| Rank:6 | School Name: Western Kentucky University | School Sector:Public | Early Career Pay:$43,200 | Mid-Career Pay:$63,400 | % High Meaning:71% | % STEM Degrees:10% |
| Rank:7 | School Name: Eastern Kentucky University | School Sector:Public | Early Career Pay:$44,200 | Mid-Career Pay:$63,000 | % High Meaning:71% | % STEM Degrees:5% |
| Rank:8 | School Name:Gateway Community and Technical College | School Sector:Public | Early Career Pay:$42,900 | Mid-Career Pay:$62,600 | % High Meaning:50% | % STEM Degrees:14% |
| Rank:9 | School Name:Henderson Community College | School Sector:Public | Early Career Pay:$42,200 | Mid-Career Pay:$62,000 | % High Meaning:74% | % STEM Degrees:20% |
| Rank:10 | School Name: Murray State University | School Sector:Public | Early Career Pay:$39,800 | Mid-Career Pay:$61,400 | % High Meaning:- | % STEM Degrees:9% |
| Rank:11 | School Name:Jefferson Community and Technical College | School Sector:Public | Early Career Pay:$42,700 | Mid-Career Pay:$60,400 | % High Meaning:61% | % STEM Degrees:19% |
| Rank:12 | School Name:_50px.png) Morehead State University | School Sector:Public | Early Career Pay:$41,800 | Mid-Career Pay:$59,600 | % High Meaning:76% | % STEM Degrees:8% |
| Rank:13 | School Name:Elizabethtown Community and Technical College | School Sector:Public | Early Career Pay:$40,200 | Mid-Career Pay:$59,500 | % High Meaning:59% | % STEM Degrees:11% |
| Rank:14 | School Name:Madisonville Community College | School Sector:Public | Early Career Pay:$41,600 | Mid-Career Pay:$59,000 | % High Meaning:63% | % STEM Degrees:15% |
| Rank:15 | School Name: Bluegrass Community and Technical College | School Sector:Public | Early Career Pay:$40,900 | Mid-Career Pay:$58,800 | % High Meaning:68% | % STEM Degrees:14% |
| Rank:16 | School Name:Big Sandy Community and Technical College | School Sector:Public | Early Career Pay:$39,300 | Mid-Career Pay:$58,500 | % High Meaning:81% | % STEM Degrees:4% |
| Rank:17 | School Name:West Kentucky Community and Technical College | School Sector:Public | Early Career Pay:$41,500 | Mid-Career Pay:$58,400 | % High Meaning:62% | % STEM Degrees:7% |
| Rank:18 | School Name:Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College | School Sector:Public | Early Career Pay:$39,600 | Mid-Career Pay:$58,100 | % High Meaning:47% | % STEM Degrees:9% |
| Rank:19 | School Name:Southeast Kentucky Community | School Sector:Public | Early Career Pay:$39,100 | Mid-Career Pay:$58,000 | % High Meaning:58% | % STEM Degrees:3% |
| Rank:19 | School Name:Hopkinsville Community College | School Sector:Public | Early Career Pay:$38,800 | Mid-Career Pay:$58,000 | % High Meaning:49% | % STEM Degrees:5% |
| Rank:21 | School Name:Somerset Community College | School Sector:Public | Early Career Pay:$39,500 | Mid-Career Pay:$57,500 | % High Meaning:68% | % STEM Degrees:7% |
| Rank:22 | School Name:Ashland Community and Technical College | School Sector:Public | Early Career Pay:$38,500 | Mid-Career Pay:$57,200 | % High Meaning:60% | % STEM Degrees:7% |
| Rank:23 | School Name:Owensboro Community and Technical College | School Sector:Public | Early Career Pay:$38,200 | Mid-Career Pay:$57,100 | % High Meaning:56% | % STEM Degrees:7% |
| Rank:24 | School Name:Hazard Community and Technical College | School Sector:Public | Early Career Pay:$37,800 | Mid-Career Pay:$56,400 | % High Meaning:74% | % STEM Degrees:12% |
| Rank:25 | School Name:Maysville Community and Technical College | School Sector:Public | Early Career Pay:$34,600 | Mid-Career Pay:$52,000 | % High Meaning:67% | % STEM Degrees:7% |
If you are choosing amongst the 42 two-year colleges in Kentucky, knowing the colleges with the highest-paid graduates can help to make the decision about which school to attend easier. Payscale has data on a number of these associate-degree-granting colleges, providing ample information to help you make an informed decision about the best career colleges in Kentucky.
Western Kentucky University is a relatively large school, with just about 17,500 undergraduates to Sullivan College’s roughly 4,000. Both Western and Sullivan have a slightly higher enrollment of female students than males.
Kentucky’s top employment industries include car manufacturing, biotechnology, sports and recreation and transportation/logistics.