SOC 53-7081 · Transportation and Material Moving Occupations · May 2025
How much do Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors make in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN?
In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN is $51,080. The 10th percentile is $34,710 and the 90th percentile is $61,470. Employment is 500.
Median annual wage
$51,080
- 10th percentile
- $34,710
- 25th percentile
- $47,350
- Median
- $51,080
- 75th percentile
- $59,770
- 90th percentile
- $61,470
- Mean
- $51,200
Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

Percentile spread
For Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors, the published 10th percentile is $34,710 and the 90th percentile is $61,470. The difference is $26,760, which is 52.4% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.
The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $47,350 to the 75th at $59,770, covers $12,420.
The mean annual wage is $51,200, which sits above the median of $51,080. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.
National and state comparison
The Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN median is 2.8% higher than the national median of $49,690 for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors. In 2024 national prices the local median is $54,881, which is 10.4% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.
It is 18.5% higher than the Kentucky median of $43,100.
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN covers more than one state. The state comparison uses Kentucky, the primary state on the BLS area record.
Price-adjusted pay
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN is 93.074, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $51,080 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors at $54,881 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.
Nearby metros
20 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors. Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN ranks 8th of 21 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).
- Elizabethtown, KY is 41 miles away, with a median of $47,700 and employment of 50. That median is 6.6% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $52,665, against $54,881 here.
- Lexington-Fayette, KY is 69 miles away, with a median of $48,140 and employment of 270. That median is 5.8% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $51,825, against $54,881 here.
- Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN is 89 miles away, with a median of $49,940 and employment of 950. That median is 2.2% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $52,364, against $54,881 here.
Employment share
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors accounts for 0.07% of wage-and-salary employment in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN (500 of 685,190). Nationally the occupation is 0.09% of employment (147,240 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.77 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.
Highest-paying jobs in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN · Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices
Questions this page answers
How much do Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors make in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN?
In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN is $51,080. The 10th percentile is $34,710 and the 90th percentile is $61,470. Employment is 500.
How does that compare with the national median for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors?
The local median is 2.8% higher than the national median of $49,690.
What is Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors pay in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN after local prices?
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN is 93.074, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $51,080 is $54,881. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.
How does Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN compare with nearby metros for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors?
Elizabethtown, KY is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 41 miles away, at $47,700. Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN ranks 8th of 21 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.