Top Occupations in Kentucky by Political Donations

See which occupations donate the most in Kentucky. 100 occupations, $4.0M in donations from Kentucky.

The occupational breakdown of political donors in Kentucky reflects the state's economic makeup. This ranking shows which professions contribute the most to federal campaigns from within Kentucky, with both state-level and national totals provided for comparison. The mix of top occupations can differ substantially from one state to another based on local industries and workforce composition.

#OccupationKentucky TotalNational Total
1GOVERNMENT RELATIONS$474K$11.2M
2REAL ESTATE INVESTOR$463K$13.8M
3PSYCHOTHERAPIST$250K$6.6M
4PHARMACIST$203K$5.6M
5AIRLINE PILOT$182K$3.9M
6HOUSEWIFE$170K$2.0M
7PRODUCER$164K$13.4M
8LOBBYIST$162K$13.5M
9FILM$150K$867K
10MINING$134K$312K
11FACTORY WORKER$117K$2.3M
12SECRETARY$116K$2.4M
13GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS$111K$5.9M
14OPTOMETRIST$91K$2.0M
15URBAN PLANNER$90K$463K
16CEO/OWNER$50K$26.0M
17ASSET MANAGEMENT$45K$1.5M
18GEOLOGIST$41K$1.9M
19SENIOR ASSOCIATE$38K$255K
20MEMBER OF CONGRESS$36K$1.2M
21ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL$30K$103K
22HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERATOR$28K$1.1M
23FRANCHISEE$27K$1.2M
24INVENTOR$26K$770K
25POLICY ANALYST$25K$1.5M
26CHAPLAIN$24K$512K
27NON-PROFIT MANAGEMENT$21K$146K
28HORSE TRAINER$21K$207K
29GOVERNMENT RELATIONS CONSULTANT$21K$684K
30COAL MINER$20K$81K
31MEMBER, BOARD OF DIRECTORS$20K$391K
32CEO & CHAIRMAN$20K$15.7M
33NURSE ANESTHETIST$19K$341K
34PROJECT DIRECTOR$18K$469K
35ADMIN ASSISTANT$17K$309K
36FOREMAN$17K$182K
37BANK DIRECTOR$16K$156K
38PART OWNER$16K$154K
39BARBER$16K$114K
40CHRO$16K$293K
41STATE DIRECTOR$14K$157K
42HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER$14K$105K
43PLASTIC SURGEON$14K$473K
44COMPLIANCE$13K$405K
45SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR$13K$221K
46AUTO SALES$12K$407K
47VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS$12K$201K
48GOVT RELATIONS$12K$272K
49DISTRICT DIRECTOR$12K$153K
50COUNCILMAN$11K$81K
51FARM OWNER$11K$123K
52DIVISION MANAGER$11K$186K
53FINANCIAL MANAGER$11K$379K
54DISTRIBUTOR$11K$384K
55RE INVESTOR$10K$190K
56MINISTRY$10K$106K
57SENIOR ANALYST$9K$151K
58STOCKBROKER$9K$117K
59FOOD SERVICE$9K$327K
60PLAN PRESIDENT$9K$188K
61CFP$9K$270K
62LMFT$9K$226K
63WAREHOUSE WORKER$8K$117K
64TEMPORARY LABOR CONTRACT NEGOTIATOR$8K$101K
65REGIONAL VP$8K$149K
66ROOFING CONTRACTOR$8K$156K
67PAC$8K$118K
68DISPATCHER$8K$179K
69GARDENER$7K$197K
70CHANCELLOR$7K$303K
71ADVISER$7K$234K
72REGISTERED DIETITIAN$7K$248K
73LEADERSHIP CONSULTANT$7K$103K
74WOODWORKER$7K$274K
75FABRICATOR$6K$71K
76SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER$6K$163K
77VP HR$6K$117K
78NURSERYMAN$6K$109K
79COMPLIANCE DIRECTOR$6K$88K
80VP OF FINANCE$6K$181K
81MARKET PRESIDENT$6K$149K
82SERVICE MANAGER$5K$129K
83DISTRIBUTION$5K$178K
84APRN$5K$109K
85SALES AND MARKETING$5K$178K
86TOXICOLOGIST$5K$228K
87HOUSE WIFE$5K$132K
88FRANCHISEE, BUFFALO WILD WINGS$5K$62K
89AVP, FIELD OPERATIONS$5K$69K
90FINANCIAL PROFESSIONAL$5K$112K
91VP SUPPLY CHAIN$5K$121K
92OWNEROPERATOR$5K$67K
93SENIOR MANAGEMENT$4K$404K
94GOVT RELATIONS DIR SR (US)$4K$64K
95RESTAURANT OPERATOR$4K$118K
96VISUAL ARTIST$4K$513K
97PHARMACY$4K$115K
98BEHAVIOR ANALYST$4K$130K
99PUBLIC DEFENDER$4K$121K
100VP PUBLIC AFFAIRS$3K$99K

Frequently Asked Questions

What occupations donate the most in Kentucky?

The top political donors by occupation in Kentucky typically include retirees, attorneys, executives, and physicians. Across 100 tracked occupations, Kentucky residents have contributed $4.0M to federal campaigns.

Does Kentucky's occupation mix differ from the national average?

Each state's occupational giving profile reflects its local economy. States with major financial centers see more banker and investor donations, while states with large university systems see more professor and researcher contributions. Compare the Kentucky and National Total columns to spot these differences.

How are occupation categories determined?

Donors self-report their occupation on FEC contribution forms. We normalize common variations (e.g., "ATTORNEY" and "LAWYER" are combined) to produce cleaner rankings, though some inconsistency remains due to the self-reported nature of the data.

More Kentucky Data

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