Accountants prepare financial statements for companies and individuals and provide their clients with suggestions about increase their profits and reduce costs and tax liabilities. A minimum of a bachelor's degree is typically necessary to work in the field. In Kentucky, new graduates who are just entering the workforce as accountants earn entry-level wages that average $32,850 annually as of 2010, according to the Kentucky Office of Employment and Training.
Western
Starting salaries for accountants in Owensboro and Henderson averaged $34,000 as of 2010, according to the Kentucky Office of Employment and Training. Throughout the remainder of western Kentucky, entry-level wages for accountants were 3 percent to 15 percent below the statewide average. Accountants in the beginning of their careers who worked in the area of Elizabethtown, Fort Knox, Litchfield, Lebanon and Bardstown earned the least at an average of $28,053 per year.
Central
Entry-level wages for accountants in Kentucky were the highest in the Louisville area as of 2010, reports the Kentucky Office of Employment and Training. Accountants in the state's largest city made starting salaries that averaged $34,898 annually. The lowest-paying city for entry-level accountants in central Kentucky was the Cumblerland Mountains region, which serves as home to cities like Campbellsville, Somerset and Corbin. Starting accountants in the region made an average of $28,008 annually, roughly 15 percent below the statewide average.
Eastern and Northern
In eastern and northern Kentucky, entry-level accountants in the Ashland and Morehead area received the highest average annual wages at $34,405 per year as of 2010, according to the Kentucky Office of Employment and Training. The area of the region that includes the cities of Frenchburg, Inez and Sandy Hook featured starting salaries that averaged $26,182 per year. Wages in the area were 20 percent below the Kentucky average, making accountants there the lowest paid statewide.
Industry
The highest-paying industry for entry-level accountants in Kentucky was utilities, where new professionals made an average of $37,856 per year as of 2010, according to the Kentucky Office of Employment and Training. In the insurance industry, starting accountants made an average of $33,391 annually, while those in real estate averaged $35,631. Kentucky construction companies paid entry-level accountants $36,980 annually. Accountants who were considered entry-level in the food and accommodations industry were among the lowest paid in the state, receiving an average of $22,695 annually.
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