Amusement and Recreation Attendants in Pennsylvania
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$23,880
after federal, FICA and Pennsylvania tax
Tax takes
$4,210
15.0% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$24,492
Pennsylvania costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Pennsylvania — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$28,090
Kept after tax
$23,880
Worth in national money
$24,492
State rank
34
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Pennsylvania is 34 of 51 states for this job, with a middle wage of $28,090. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Within Pennsylvania this is lower-paid work. Of 492 occupations the state publishes figures for, this job ranks 489. That is the bottom quarter locally, whatever the national comparison says.
- No great distortion either way. Pennsylvania costs about what the country costs, so from $28,090, take-home of $23,880 is worth roughly $24,492 in national money. The average comes to $28,220, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Pennsylvania ranks 34 of 51 for amusement and recreation attendants at $28,090. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Against every occupation Pennsylvania reports, amusement and recreation attendants ranks 489 of 492, in the lowest quartile of the state's distribution. That position is set by the local labor market and is independent of how the state compares nationally for this work.
- Price parity in Pennsylvania is near the national base, so for amusement and recreation attendants, whose median is $28,090, the adjusted figure of $24,492 differs little from $23,880 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $28,220 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
Choose your filing status and local taxes, compare pay, and keep a shortlist.Compare wage and personal-pay outcomes by state, with selected resident local taxes and saved career choices.
Pay band: Amusement and Recreation Attendants
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $19,200 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $28,090 |
| Top tenth earn over | $36,670 |
| This salary | $28,090 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Pennsylvania | $23,880 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $24,742 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$969 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $27,043 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$1,144 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 98 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $28,090 as a midpoint for Pennsylvania, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $19,200 and the ninetieth is $36,670 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In Pennsylvania the take-home figure of $23,880, from $28,090, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 489 of 492 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Pennsylvania, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $24,492, the adjusted value of that $28,090 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 489 of 492 in the state.
- The Pennsylvania median of $28,090 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $19,200 to $36,670. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Take-home for Pennsylvania is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $23,880 from $28,090. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 489 of 492 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Pennsylvania, so $24,492 — the adjusted value of that $28,090 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 489 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $19,200 and the top tenth $36,670, so most people doing this work in Pennsylvania sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
A smaller wage in a cheaper place is not automatically less. Adjusted for local prices, this is worth $24,492.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Pennsylvania then takes its own share, leaving $23,880.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($19,200 to $36,670) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Pennsylvania rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Pennsylvania's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $24,492 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $23,880 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Pennsylvania income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.