Computer Programmers in West Virginia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$52,562
after federal, FICA and West Virginia tax
Tax takes
$12,758
19.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$58,551
West Virginia costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in West Virginia — 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
$65,320
Kept after tax
$52,562
Worth in national money
$58,551
State rank
45
of 46 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pay for computer programmers is on the low side in West Virginia. The middle earner gets $65,320. That is 45 of 46 states, and about 34.93% under the national figure. Whether that matters depends on what things cost here.
- Against other work in West Virginia, this sits in the middle: 132 of 473 occupations with published pay. Solidly ordinary for the state, which is not the same as ordinary nationally.
- Here is where West Virginia does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $65,320 you keep $52,562, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $58,551 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $75,360, because the best-paid pull it up.
- For computer programmers, West Virginia sits in the lower band at $65,320, ranking 45 of 46 and trailing the national median by about 34.93%. Nominal rankings routinely invert once tax and regional price level are applied, so this position should not be read as the conclusion.
- Computer programmers ranks 132 of 473 occupations in West Virginia by median pay, in the middle bands. Within-state and national positions are separate measurements and a job commonly sits in different quartiles on each.
- After federal, FICA and West Virginia income tax, retained pay for computer programmers on $65,320 is $52,562. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $58,551 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 $75,360 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
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Pay band: Computer Programmers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $46,330 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $65,320 |
| Top tenth earn over | $123,320 |
| This salary | $65,320 |
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 West Virginia | $52,562 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $54,665 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,297 |
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 | $62,703 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$3,005 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in West Virginia earn less than $65,320. The published range is $46,330 up to $123,320, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In West Virginia the take-home figure of $52,562, from $65,320, 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 132 of 473 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $58,551 uses one figure for the whole of West Virginia. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 473 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 132.
- Reported values are medians; for computer programmers in West Virginia the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $46,330 to $123,320. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for West Virginia is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $52,562 from $65,320. 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 132 of 473 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $58,551, worked from $65,320, 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 West Virginia address, on work sitting at 132 of 473 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $75,360, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
One title, many jobs. The lowest tenth take $46,330, the highest tenth $123,320, and what separates them is experience, employer and what exactly the role does.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in West Virginia sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $58,551 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
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; West Virginia then takes its own share, leaving $52,562.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 46 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
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 West Virginia is $75,360. 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 ($46,330) and the ninetieth ($123,320) 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?
West Virginia'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 $58,551 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 $52,562 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and West Virginia 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.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 46 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.