Kentucky Apprenticeship Programs
As of September 2026, Kentucky fields 9,000 active apprentices across 380 registered programs, a mid-sized system with 58.7% completion.
- Active apprentices
- 9,000
- National rank
- #27 / 51
- Completion rate
- 58.7%
- Completion wage
- $27
Kentucky ranks #27 of 51 jurisdictions by active registered apprentices - about 1.1% of all U.S. registered apprentices. Its 58.7% completion rate sits 0.5 pts above the 58.2% national average, and apprentices who finish raise their pay by 82% - from $15 to $27 an hour.
Apprenticeship filing desk
Jurisdiction KE · Kentucky
Kentucky registered-apprenticeship filing: 9,000 active apprentices (rank 27/51), 380 programs, 58.7% completion.
- BOOK-SMALL 9,000
- RANK-LOWER #27
- PROG-SPARSE 380
- COMP-MID 58.7%
- WAGE-STRONG +82%
- SHARE-SMALL 1.1%
- NEW-FY 2,400
Nearest enrollment peer: Nevada (200 apprentice gap)
U.S. Department of Labor registered-apprenticeship filing stamps for this jurisdiction. Read: future proof careers
Where Kentucky sits among all 51 jurisdictions
Enrollment by jurisdiction with Kentucky marked mid-field. Inventory size is not a quality ranking.
Kentucky vs all states by active apprentices
Where this state's DOL registered-apprenticeship enrollment sits among every tracked jurisdiction
9,000 27th of 51 higher than 24 of 51 states
States and territories, banded by active apprentices
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Labor registered-apprenticeship data · 2026-09-25
Source: U.S. Department of Labor registered-apprenticeship data, compiled by PlainWorkforce.
Reading Kentucky's numbers
What stands out in this state's DOL filing, most distinctive first. Every figure below is computed from the state's own row in the dataset.
The signature stat: intake
The number that separates Kentucky from its peers is intake velocity: new registrations equal 26.7% of the active base, a faster pipeline than 84% of states.
Completion near the average
A 58.7% completion rate holds within two points of the national average (58.2%).
Where the scale sits
9,000 active apprentices rank 27 of 51 nationally, 1.1% of all registered enrollment.
Typical wage progression
Pay runs $14.75/hour at the start and $26.80 at completion — a 81.7% progression near the 82.7% norm.
Middle-of-the-road program size
380 registered programs at 23.7 apprentices per program lands in the middle tercile of states; program structure is not what distinguishes this system.
Kentucky's largest registered-apprenticeship occupations, ranked by AI-exposure score, most sit well below the 37% occupation-wide average (the dotted line), which is exactly why the trades are AI-resilient. Bars link to the full occupation profile where tracked.
- Electrician 13%
- Operating Engineer 25%
- Plumber 27%
- Carpenter 28%
- Pipefitter -
AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis of O*NET task data; the 37% line is the average across all 832 tracked occupations. Lower = more AI-resilient.
Frequently asked questions
How many apprentices does Kentucky have?
Kentucky reports about 9,000 active registered apprentices in 380 programs, ranking 27 of 51 jurisdictions.
What is the apprenticeship completion rate in Kentucky?
Roughly 58.7%, effectively at the national average of 58.2%.
How much do apprentices earn in Kentucky?
Entry wages average $14.75/hour, rising to about $26.80 at completion (81.7% growth).
What are the top apprenticeship trades in Kentucky?
The dataset's largest registered-apprenticeship occupations for Kentucky are Electrician, Plumber, Pipefitter, Carpenter, Operating Engineer — construction trades dominate registered apprenticeship in every state.
Is apprenticeship growing in Kentucky?
The intake numbers say yes: 2,400 new apprentices registered in the latest fiscal year, 26.7% of the current active base and above the 25.9% national pace.
Compare other states
What to do with this
Use Kentucky's apprenticeship numbers above to plan a specific trade path, not just compare states.
- Compare an apprenticeship path against a college degree using real wage and growth numbers. Apprenticeships vs college
- Browse the full occupation directory to check wage and AI exposure for a specific trade. Browse all occupations
- The occupations projected to add the most jobs through 2034 are worth a look. Fastest-growing occupations
Apprenticeship figures come from U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship data; enrollment and completion vary by program and year.
Every figure on PlainWorkforce is rendered directly from BLS/O*NET source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Enrollment and wage figures are rounded. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these figures, or report a data error. Data current as of U.S. Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship (active apprentices, registered programs, completion rates, and wages by state), O*NET (occupation task data, for the linked AI-exposure scores).