Cost Estimators in West Virginia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$60,678
after federal, FICA and West Virginia tax
Tax takes
$16,802
21.7% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$67,591
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
$77,480
Kept after tax
$60,678
Worth in national money
$67,591
State rank
27
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. West Virginia is 27 of 51 states for cost estimators, with a middle wage of $77,480. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- This is one of the better-paid jobs in West Virginia. It ranks 85 out of 473 occupations the state publishes figures for, which puts it in the top quarter locally.
- Here is where West Virginia does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $77,480 you keep $60,678, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $67,591 would elsewhere. The average is lower, $76,980, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- West Virginia ranks 27 of 51 for cost estimators at $77,480. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Within West Virginia, cost estimators ranks 85 of 473 occupations by median pay, placing it in the top quartile of the local distribution. This is the comparison a resident actually makes — against neighbors rather than against the same job elsewhere.
- After federal, FICA and West Virginia income tax, retained pay for cost estimators on $77,480 is $60,678. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $67,591 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 $76,980 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
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Pay band: Cost Estimators
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $42,730 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $77,480 |
| Top tenth earn over | $122,450 |
| This salary | $77,480 |
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 | $60,678 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $63,337 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,412 |
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 | $73,700 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$3,332 |
| 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 $77,480. The published range is $42,730 up to $122,450, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- That $60,678 take-home in West Virginia comes from $77,480. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 85 of 473.
- One number stands for prices across all of West Virginia, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $67,591, the adjusted value of that $77,480 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 85 of 473 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for cost estimators in West Virginia the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $42,730 to $122,450. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Retained pay of $60,678, from $77,480, assumes a single West Virginia filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 85 of 473 locally, and the state ranks 27 of 51 for it.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for West Virginia, so $67,591 — the adjusted value of that $77,480 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 85 of 473 locally.
Questions people ask
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
One title, many jobs. The lowest tenth take $42,730, the highest tenth $122,450, 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 $67,591 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 $60,678.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($42,730) and the ninetieth ($122,450) 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 $67,591 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 $60,678 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.
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.