Computer Network Architects in Pennsylvania
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$97,331
after federal, FICA and Pennsylvania tax
Tax takes
$34,509
26.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$99,827
Pennsylvania costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Pennsylvania — 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
$131,840
Kept after tax
$97,331
Worth in national money
$99,827
State rank
21
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Middling, nationally. Pennsylvania pays computer network architects around $131,840 at the midpoint, 21 of 51 states. The interesting numbers on this page are the two below it.
- Within Pennsylvania this is well-paid work. Of 492 occupations with published figures in the state, computer network architects ranks 20 — in the top quarter of everything people do there.
- No great distortion either way. Pennsylvania costs about what the country costs, so from $131,840, take-home of $97,331 is worth roughly $99,827 in national money. The average comes to $136,290, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- For computer network architects the Pennsylvania median is $131,840, ranking 21 of 51 states reporting. Mid-band nominal positions are the ones most frequently reordered by the adjustments, because no large wage premium exists to absorb a state's tax or price level.
- Ranked against every occupation Pennsylvania publishes a median for, computer network architects sits 20 of 492 — the upper quartile of the state's wage distribution. National standing and within-state standing are separate questions, and a job can occupy very different positions on each.
- Price parity in Pennsylvania is near the national base, so for computer network architects, whose median is $131,840, the adjusted figure of $99,827 differs little from $97,331 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $136,290 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Computer Network Architects
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $79,240 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $131,840 |
| Top tenth earn over | $188,120 |
| This salary | $131,840 |
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 Pennsylvania | $97,331 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $101,379 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$4,499 |
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 | $125,918 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$6,396 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 98 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $131,840 as a midpoint for Pennsylvania, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $79,240 and the ninetieth is $188,120 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In Pennsylvania the take-home figure of $97,331, from $131,840, 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 20 of 492 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Pennsylvania, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $99,827, the adjusted value of that $131,840 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 20 of 492 in the state.
- The Pennsylvania median of $131,840 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $79,240 to $188,120. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Take-home for Pennsylvania is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $97,331 from $131,840. 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 20 of 492 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Pennsylvania, so $99,827 — the adjusted value of that $131,840 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 20 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
Half earn more than this and half earn less. The average sits at $136,290 because a long tail of high pay lifts it, so the two answer different questions.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
Because one job title covers very different work. The bottom tenth here earn $79,240 and the top tenth $188,120 — experience, employer and specialism separate them, and a single figure hides all three.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Pennsylvania is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $99,827 in national terms.
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; Pennsylvania then takes its own share, leaving $97,331.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in Pennsylvania is $136,290. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($79,240) and the ninetieth ($188,120) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Pennsylvania'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 $99,827 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 $97,331 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Pennsylvania 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.