Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators in Wisconsin
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$60,630
after federal, FICA and Wisconsin tax
Tax takes
$17,530
22.4% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$65,126
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
$78,160
Kept after tax
$60,630
Worth in national money
$65,126
State rank
21
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Wisconsin is 21 of 51 states for this job, with a middle wage of $78,160. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 491 occupations Wisconsin reports figures for, this is number 135.
- Here is where Wisconsin does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $78,160 you keep $60,630, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $65,126 would elsewhere. The average is lower, $77,930, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- Wisconsin ranks 21 of 51 for claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators at $78,160. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- In Wisconsin's occupational distribution, claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators sits at 135 of 491 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- After federal, FICA and Wisconsin income tax, retained pay for claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators on $78,160 is $60,630. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $65,126 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $77,930 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $50,570 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $78,160 |
| Top tenth earn over | $103,620 |
| This salary | $78,160 |
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 | $60,630 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $63,816 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$545 |
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 | $73,632 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$753 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 93 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $78,160 as a midpoint for Wisconsin, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $50,570 and the ninetieth is $103,620 — 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 Wisconsin's $60,630, worked from $78,160. 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 135 of 491.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $65,126 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 135.
- The Wisconsin median of $78,160 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $50,570 to $103,620. 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 Wisconsin take-home of $60,630, on $78,160 for work ranking 135 of 491 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 135 of 491 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $65,126, worked from $78,160, 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 135 of 491 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $50,570 and the top tenth $103,620, so most people doing this work in Wisconsin sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Wisconsin is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $65,126 in national terms.
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, $60,630 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 ($50,570 to $103,620) 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 $65,126 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 $60,630 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.