Butchers and Meat Cutters in Louisiana
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$31,023
after federal, FICA and Louisiana tax
Tax takes
$5,767
15.7% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$35,116
Louisiana costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Louisiana — 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
$36,790
Kept after tax
$31,023
Worth in national money
$35,116
State rank
44
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Louisiana is among the lower-paying states for butchers and meat cutters. The middle earner takes $36,790, ranking 44 of 51 states — about 8.35% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Measured against other jobs in Louisiana, this one sits low: 388 of 484 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $36,790 you keep $31,023 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $35,116 at national prices. Averages run higher here, $36,940, since top earners drag the number up.
- Louisiana ranks 44 of 51 for butchers and meat cutters, with a median of $36,790 — about 8.35% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- Butchers and meat cutters occupies position 388 of 484 in Louisiana's occupational wage distribution, in the bottom quartile. National ranking and local ranking answer different questions and frequently disagree; this is the one a resident experiences.
- Retained pay in Louisiana is $31,023 after the full tax stack, from $36,790. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $35,116 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $36,940 exceeds the median, so the upper tail is doing the work.
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Pay band: Butchers and Meat Cutters
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $25,120 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $36,790 |
| Top tenth earn over | $48,240 |
| This salary | $36,790 |
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 Louisiana | $31,023 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $31,741 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,453 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
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 | $35,897 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,966 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 88 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of butchers and meat cutters in Louisiana earn under $36,790 and half over. The published range runs $25,120 at the tenth percentile to $48,240 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Louisiana the take-home figure of $31,023, from $36,790, 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 388 of 484 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $35,116 uses one figure for the whole of Louisiana. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 484 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 388.
- Figures are distribution medians for butchers and meat cutters in Louisiana, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $25,120 to $48,240; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- Take-home for Louisiana is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $31,023 from $36,790. 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 388 of 484 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $35,116, worked from $36,790, 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 Louisiana address, on work sitting at 388 of 484 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $25,120 at the tenth percentile, $48,240 at the ninetieth.
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 $35,116.
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; Louisiana then takes its own share, leaving $31,023.
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 ($25,120 to $48,240) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Louisiana rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Louisiana'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 $35,116 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 $31,023 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Louisiana 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.