Kentucky Plumbing Workers Comp Rates (2026)
Kentucky does not publish its plumbing class figures online. Across the 26 states that do, the median typical premium is about $2.25 per $100 of payroll. Ask a carrier or the state's rating bureau for the current Kentucky figure.
No official Kentucky figure is available online, so the numbers below use the US median of the states that publish one.
Kentucky class code for plumbing
- 5183: Plumbing NOC & Drivers
- 5188 (Sprinkler Installation & Drivers)
Plumbing work involves back strain, cuts, burns from soldering and hot water, and work in crawl spaces and other confined spaces.
What comp costs per plumber in Kentucky
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 6,360 plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters on payrolls in Kentucky (May 2025), the 26th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $30.84 an hour, in line with the US median of $30.67.
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters make up about the same share of Kentucky jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 1.06).
At the US median of $2.25 per $100 of payroll (Kentucky does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.69 for every hour worked, or $1,443 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $2,887 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Kentucky pay runs from $21.57 an hour at the 10th percentile to $45.53 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.49 an hour on a new hire and $1.02 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Kentucky
- Coverage required: 1 employee
- Owners and sole proprietors: Excluded by default; may elect in; officers may elect out
- State fund: Competitive state fund (Kentucky Employers' Mutual, KEMI)
- Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive if disability lasts 14+ days
- Penalty for going without: $100-$1,000 fine per employee, per day without coverage
Kentucky's uninsured-employer fine is assessed per employee, per day, so exposure compounds quickly.
Kentucky vs neighboring states
- Indiana: about $1.02 per $100 of payroll
- Missouri: about $3.27 per $100 of payroll
- Ohio: about $1.46 per $100 of payroll
- West Virginia: about $0.93 per $100 of payroll
Kentucky does not publish its figure, so the first row is the US median. Among neighbors that publish, West Virginia is the cheapest for plumbing comp at about $0.93 and Missouri the most expensive at about $3.27 per $100 of payroll.
Working across the line into Ohio needs separate coverage from that state's fund. A private policy's other-states coverage (item 3.C) does not reach monopolistic states.
What moves a plumbing comp bill
- Plumbing rates sit in the middle of the construction classes; the swing comes from your experience mod. Trench and excavation injuries are the costly claims, so trench-safety training pays back quickly.
- Some states split residential and commercial plumbing into different classes. If you do both, make sure the payroll for each is recorded so the cheaper work is not rated at the higher class.
- Apprentices carry the same class rate as journeymen, but their lower wages mean less premium per hour. Your payroll mix matters as much as the rate.
- Uninsured subs (excavators, drywall patchers) get added to your payroll at audit unless you collect certificates before they start.