Registered apprenticeships Rank #27 of 51 51-state dataset

Kentucky Apprenticeship Programs

Kentucky runs a smaller registered-apprenticeship system in the country — 9,000 active apprentices across 380 programs, with a 58.7% completion rate and wages that climb from $15 to $27.

Compare all states → Apprenticeship vs. college
Active apprentices
9,000
National rank
#27 / 51
Completion rate
58.7%
Completion wage
$27
The verdict

Kentucky ranks #27 of 51 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.

#27
of 51 by size
380
Registered programs
2,400
New this year
+$12.1
Wage gain / hr

Where Kentucky sits among all 51 jurisdictions

Active registered apprentices by state (in thousands). Kentucky is marked in rose; most states cluster at the lower end while a few large states carry the bulk of enrollment.

active apprentices distribution — Kentucky marked 26 states at 0–10k 26 0 11 states at 10–20k 11 10 6 states at 20–30k 6 20 3 states at 30–40k 3 30 2 states at 40–50k 2 40 1 states at 50–60k 1 50 0 states at 60–70k 60 1 states at 70–80k 1 70 1 states at 80–90k 1 80 active apprentices (k) →
Top 52% by active apprentices Higher active apprentices than 48% of all 51 states.

Kentucky has active apprentices of 9k. Distribution: 26 states at 0-10k; 11 states at 10-20k; 6 states at 20-30k; 3 states at 30-40k; 2 states at 40-50k; 1 states at 50-60k; 0 states at 60-70k; 1 states at 70-80k; 1 states at 80-90k.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor registered-apprenticeship data, compiled by PlainWorkforce. Counts rounded to the nearest thousand.

Top apprenticeship trades in Kentucky, by AI exposure

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.

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.

Kentucky vs. the national average

Completion rate
58.7%
National avg 58.2% · 0.5 pts above
Starting wage
$15
National avg $16/hr
Completion wage
$27
National avg $30/hr

Frequently asked questions

How many apprentices does Kentucky have?

Kentucky has approximately 9,000 active registered apprentices across about 380 registered programs, ranking 27 of 51 U.S. jurisdictions by active enrollment (U.S. Department of Labor registered-apprenticeship data).

What is the apprenticeship completion rate in Kentucky?

Kentucky's registered-apprenticeship completion rate is approximately 58.7%, 0.5 points above the 58.2% national average across all 51 jurisdictions.

How much do apprentices earn in Kentucky?

Registered apprentices in Kentucky start at around $15 per hour and earn approximately $27 per hour on completion — a 82% increase. Wages rise progressively as skills develop.

What are the top apprenticeship trades in Kentucky?

The most common registered-apprenticeship trades in Kentucky are Electrician, Plumber, Pipefitter, Carpenter, Operating Engineer. Construction trades (electricians, plumbers, carpenters) dominate registered enrollment nationally.

Compare other states

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Data 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). Compiled and formatted by PlainWorkforce. Enrollment and wage figures are rounded. See our methodology for how this data is sourced and computed.