Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop pay in Kentucky

$26,900avg. a year

$12.93 an hour · 5,120 employed

Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop in Kentucky earn an average of $26,900 a year. That is $5,790 (18%) less than the U.S. average of $32,690. The best-paying metro area is Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN at $30,220.

Pay by city Compare states

$27,100Median pay

$12.93Average hourly

+23%Avg. pay since 2020

#43Of 50 states + D.C.

Top-paying Kentucky metro areas

Average pay for hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop by metro area. Swipe to see all 9.

13,790 jobs

Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN

$30,220

$14.53 an hour

2400 jobs

Clarksville, TN-KY

$29,340

$14.10 an hour

31,990 jobs

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN

$28,490

$13.70 an hour

4910 jobs

Lexington-Fayette, KY

$28,100

$13.51 an hour

5190 jobs

Paducah, KY-IL

$25,780

$12.39 an hour

6280 jobs

Bowling Green, KY

$25,560

$12.29 an hour

7150 jobs

Owensboro, KY

$25,550

$12.28 an hour

8140 jobs

Elizabethtown, KY

$24,800

$11.92 an hour

9340 jobs

Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH

$24,580

$11.82 an hour

Why people trust JobPayFacts

Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.

Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.

Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.

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Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop pay in Kentucky, charted

Pay over time

Kentucky, annual wage, May of each year

AverageMedian

Where Kentucky hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop work

Employment by metro area, May 2025

Average pay by state

May 2025 · Kentucky highlighted · tap a state

AKMEWIVTNH WA IDMTNDMN IL MI NY MA OR NVWYSDIA IN OH PA NJ CTRICA UT CO NE MO KYWVVA MDDEAZ NM KS AR TN NC SC DC OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL

Under $28k$28k–$31k$31k–$35k$35k+Kentucky

Kentucky vs. neighbors

Average pay, May 2025

Area	Avg. pay	Hourly
United States	$32,690	$15.72
Kentucky	$26,900	$12.93
Illinois	$34,750	$16.71
Virginia	$33,240	$15.98
Missouri	$32,440	$15.59
Ohio	$29,370	$14.12
Indiana	$27,730	$13.33

Related jobs in Kentucky

Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers$26,350
Dishwashers$29,190
Fast Food and Counter Workers$26,890
Waiters and Waitresses$35,410
Cooks, Restaurant$33,700
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers$39,320

All jobs in Kentucky

Average pay, Kentucky, May 2025

Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS

Questions and answers

How much do hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop make in Kentucky?

The average is $26,900 a year, and the median is $27,100. That is $5,790 (18%) less than the U.S. average of $32,690.

What is the hourly wage in Kentucky?

$12.93 an hour on average; the median is $13.03.

Where in Kentucky do they earn the most?

Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN ($30,220), followed by Clarksville, TN-KY ($29,340). The lowest average among 9 metro areas with data is Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH ($24,580).

How does Kentucky rank?

Kentucky ranks #43 of 51 states (including D.C.) with published data for this job, by average pay.

Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 35-9031. State rank compares average pay across states with published data. Metro figures cover metropolitan statistical areas; a metro area can cross state lines. See also the national hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop page. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.