Butchers and Meat Cutters in District of Columbia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$39,599
after federal, FICA and District of Columbia tax
Tax takes
$9,161
18.8% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$35,738
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
$48,760
Kept after tax
$39,599
Worth in national money
$35,738
State rank
5
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- District of Columbia is one of the better-paying states for butchers and meat cutters. The middle earner takes $48,760, which ranks 5 of 51 states with published figures. That is about 21.47% above the national middle.
- Against 390 occupations District of Columbia publishes, butchers and meat cutters lands at 328. That is the lower quarter. That is the comparison people actually feel, more than any national table.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $48,760 the take-home is $39,599. But District of Columbia costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $35,738 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $49,360, because the best-paid pull it up.
- District of Columbia ranks 5 of 51 states publishing a median for butchers and meat cutters, at $48,760 — about 21.47% 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 328 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 $39,599 for butchers and meat cutters, from $48,760. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $35,738. ⚠️ 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 $49,360 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Butchers and Meat Cutters
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $38,140 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $48,760 |
| Top tenth earn over | $63,360 |
| This salary | $48,760 |
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 | $39,599 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $41,359 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$6,823 |
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 | $46,570 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$8,252 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 111 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $48,760 as a midpoint for District of Columbia, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $38,140 and the ninetieth is $63,360 — 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 $39,599, worked from $48,760. 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 328 of 390.
- One number stands for prices across all of District of Columbia, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $35,738, the adjusted value of that $48,760 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 328 of 390 in the state.
- The District of Columbia median of $48,760 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $38,140 to $63,360. 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 $39,599, on $48,760 for work ranking 328 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 328 of 390 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for District of Columbia, so $35,738 — the adjusted value of that $48,760 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 328 of 390 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $38,140 and the top tenth $63,360, 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?
Not on its own. Prices in District of Columbia run above the national level, so the same dollars buy less here. Adjusted for that, this pay is worth $35,738 — the wage did not change, only what it covers.
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 $39,599.
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 ($38,140 to $63,360) 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 $35,738 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 $39,599 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.
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.