Correctional Officers and Jailers in Pennsylvania
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$51,222
after federal, FICA and Pennsylvania tax
Tax takes
$12,238
19.3% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$52,535
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
$63,460
Kept after tax
$51,222
Worth in national money
$52,535
State rank
18
of 49 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Middling, nationally. Pennsylvania pays this job around $63,460 at the midpoint, 18 of 49 states. The interesting numbers on this page are the two below it.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 492 occupations Pennsylvania reports figures for, this is number 205.
- No great distortion either way. Pennsylvania costs about what the country costs, so from $63,460, take-home of $51,222 is worth roughly $52,535 in national money. The average comes to $64,650, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- For correctional officers and jailers the Pennsylvania median is $63,460, ranking 18 of 49 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.
- In Pennsylvania's occupational distribution, correctional officers and jailers sits at 205 of 492 — 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.
- Price parity in Pennsylvania is near the national base, so for correctional officers and jailers, whose median is $63,460, the adjusted figure of $52,535 differs little from $51,222 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $64,650 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
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Pay band: Correctional Officers and Jailers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $46,840 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $63,460 |
| Top tenth earn over | $85,630 |
| This salary | $63,460 |
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 Pennsylvania | $51,222 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $53,170 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$2,181 |
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 | $61,035 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$2,637 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 98 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Pennsylvania earn less than $63,460. The published range is $46,840 up to $85,630, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Pennsylvania the take-home figure of $51,222, from $63,460, 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 205 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 $52,535, the adjusted value of that $63,460 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 205 of 492 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for correctional officers and jailers in Pennsylvania the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $46,840 to $85,630. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for Pennsylvania is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $51,222 from $63,460. 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 205 of 492 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Pennsylvania, so $52,535 — the adjusted value of that $63,460 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 205 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $46,840 and the top tenth $85,630, so most people doing this work in Pennsylvania sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
A smaller wage in a cheaper place is not automatically less. Adjusted for local prices, this is worth $52,535.
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 $51,222.
Why is this job missing from some states?
A blank is a suppression, not a zero. 49 states have a published figure for this work; the others had too few responses to release one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($46,840 to $85,630) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Pennsylvania rather than a national figure.
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 $52,535 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 $51,222 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.
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 49 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.