Childcare Workers in Wisconsin
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$27,515
after federal, FICA and Wisconsin tax
Tax takes
$4,945
15.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$29,555
Wisconsin costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Wisconsin — 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
$32,460
Kept after tax
$27,515
Worth in national money
$29,555
State rank
25
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Wisconsin sits in the middle of the pack for childcare workers. The median is $32,460, ranking 25 of 51 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Measured against other jobs in Wisconsin, this one sits low: 474 of 491 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Wisconsin is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $32,460 the take-home is $27,515; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $29,555 would nationally. The average comes to $33,420, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Wisconsin occupies the middle band for childcare workers: a median of $32,460, ranking 25 of 51. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Childcare workers occupies position 474 of 491 in Wisconsin'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.
- Post-tax income for childcare workers in Wisconsin, on $32,460, is $27,515 — equivalent to $29,555 once regional price parity is applied. ⚠️ The adjustment uses a statewide index that describes no particular address; within-state price variation, concentrated in housing, routinely exceeds the difference between two states. At $33,420 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Childcare Workers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $24,650 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $32,460 |
| Top tenth earn over | $42,830 |
| This salary | $32,460 |
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 Wisconsin | $27,515 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $28,262 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$472 |
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 | $31,530 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$570 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 93 |
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 childcare workers in Wisconsin earn under $32,460 and half over. The published range runs $24,650 at the tenth percentile to $42,830 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Wisconsin the take-home figure of $27,515, from $32,460, 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 474 of 491 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $29,555 uses one figure for the whole of Wisconsin. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 491 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 474.
- Figures are distribution medians for childcare workers in Wisconsin, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $24,650 to $42,830; 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 Wisconsin is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $27,515 from $32,460. 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 474 of 491 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $29,555, worked from $32,460, 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 Wisconsin address, on work sitting at 474 of 491 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $24,650 at the tenth percentile, $42,830 at the ninetieth.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Wisconsin sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $29,555 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Wisconsin's own levy, $27,515 remains.
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 ($24,650 to $42,830) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Wisconsin rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Wisconsin'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 $29,555 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 $27,515 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Wisconsin 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.