Baggage Porters and Bellhops in District of Columbia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$31,725
after federal, FICA and District of Columbia tax
Tax takes
$6,445
16.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$28,632
District of Columbia costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in District of Columbia — 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
$38,170
Kept after tax
$31,725
Worth in national money
$28,632
State rank
10
of 48 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- District of Columbia is one of the better-paying states for baggage porters and bellhops. The middle earner takes $38,170, which ranks 10 of 48 states with published figures. That is about 2.94% above the national middle.
- Against 390 occupations District of Columbia publishes, baggage porters and bellhops lands at 382. That is the lower quarter. That is the comparison people actually feel, more than any national table.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $38,170 the take-home is $31,725. But District of Columbia costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $28,632 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $40,400, because the best-paid pull it up.
- District of Columbia ranks 10 of 48 states publishing a median for baggage porters and bellhops, at $38,170 — about 2.94% above the national median. A state's position on nominal pay is the figure wage tables report and the least informative of the three on this page, because it survives neither the tax adjustment nor the price adjustment intact for most occupations.
- Within District of Columbia, this work ranks 382 of 390 occupations by median pay, in the bottom quartile. The within-state position is the more salient one for anyone weighing this job against alternatives available to them locally.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and District of Columbia income tax is $31,725 for baggage porters and bellhops, from $38,170. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $28,632. ⚠️ This is purchasing power and not a wage; cross-state offer comparisons that stop at the nominal figure systematically overvalue high-cost states. The mean of $40,400 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Baggage Porters and Bellhops
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $36,400 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $38,170 |
| Top tenth earn over | $46,920 |
| This salary | $38,170 |
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 District of Columbia | $31,725 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $32,850 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$5,173 |
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 | $36,771 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$6,256 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 111 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $38,170 as a midpoint for District of Columbia, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $36,400 and the ninetieth is $46,920 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind District of Columbia's $31,725, worked from $38,170. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 382 of 390.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $28,632 uses one figure for the whole of District of Columbia. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 390 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 382.
- The District of Columbia median of $38,170 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $36,400 to $46,920. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- The District of Columbia take-home of $31,725, on $38,170 for work ranking 382 of 390 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 382 of 390 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $28,632, worked from $38,170, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular District of Columbia address, on work sitting at 382 of 390 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $40,400, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $36,400 and the top tenth $46,920, so most people doing this work in District of Columbia sit within a fairly tight band.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
The number and the value are different things. District of Columbia costs more than the national average, so this take-home stretches like $28,632 rather than its face figure.
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; District of Columbia then takes its own share, leaving $31,725.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 48 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in District of Columbia is $40,400. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($36,400 to $46,920) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to District of Columbia rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
District of Columbia's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $28,632 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $31,725 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and District of Columbia 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.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 48 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.