Chemical Technicians in District of Columbia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$45,374
after federal, FICA and District of Columbia tax
Tax takes
$11,156
19.7% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$40,950
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
$56,530
Kept after tax
$45,374
Worth in national money
$40,950
State rank
37
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- District of Columbia is among the lower-paying states for chemical technicians. The middle earner takes $56,530, ranking 37 of 51 states — about 6.39% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Measured against other jobs in District of Columbia, this one sits low: 299 of 390 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $56,530 the take-home is $45,374. But District of Columbia costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $40,950 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is lower, $55,130, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- District of Columbia ranks 37 of 51 for chemical technicians, with a median of $56,530 — about 6.39% 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.
- Chemical technicians occupies position 299 of 390 in District of Columbia'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 after federal, FICA and District of Columbia income tax is $45,374 for chemical technicians, from $56,530. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $40,950. ⚠️ 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 $55,130 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
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: Chemical Technicians
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $38,670 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $56,530 |
| Top tenth earn over | $69,820 |
| This salary | $56,530 |
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 | $45,374 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $47,602 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$8,036 |
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 | $53,757 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$9,719 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 111 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in District of Columbia earn less than $56,530. The published range is $38,670 up to $69,820, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- That $45,374 take-home in District of Columbia comes from $56,530. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 299 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 $40,950, the adjusted value of that $56,530 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 299 of 390 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for chemical technicians in District of Columbia the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $38,670 to $69,820. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Retained pay of $45,374, from $56,530, assumes a single District of Columbia filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 299 of 390 locally, and the state ranks 37 of 51 for it.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for District of Columbia, so $40,950 — the adjusted value of that $56,530 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 299 of 390 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $38,670 at the bottom tenth to $69,820 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
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 $40,950 rather than its face figure.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Into four separate taxes, not one. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare apply everywhere, and District of Columbia adds its own income tax on top — which is why $45,374 of this wage survives to your account.
Can I compare this job across every state?
This occupation is published everywhere — all 51 of them — so comparing states measures real differences rather than gaps in the data.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($38,670 to $69,820) 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 $40,950 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 $45,374 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.