Couriers and Messengers in Arkansas
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$31,053
after federal, FICA and Arkansas tax
Tax takes
$6,017
16.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$35,896
Arkansas costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Arkansas — 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
$37,070
Kept after tax
$31,053
Worth in national money
$35,896
State rank
39
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Arkansas is among the lower-paying states for couriers and messengers. The middle earner takes $37,070, ranking 39 of 51 states — about 5.43% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Measured against other jobs in Arkansas, this one sits low: 382 of 489 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Here is where Arkansas does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $37,070 you keep $31,053, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $35,896 would elsewhere. The average is lower, $36,770, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- Arkansas ranks 39 of 51 for couriers and messengers, with a median of $37,070 — about 5.43% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- Couriers and messengers occupies position 382 of 489 in Arkansas's occupational wage distribution, in the bottom quartile. National ranking and local ranking answer different questions and frequently disagree; this is the one a resident experiences.
- After federal, FICA and Arkansas income tax, retained pay for couriers and messengers on $37,070 is $31,053. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $35,896 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 $36,770 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
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Pay band: Couriers and Messengers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $27,600 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $37,070 |
| Top tenth earn over | $43,690 |
| This salary | $37,070 |
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 Arkansas | $31,053 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $31,966 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$3,001 |
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 | $35,934 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$3,629 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 87 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Arkansas earn less than $37,070. The published range is $27,600 up to $43,690, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Arkansas's $31,053, worked from $37,070. 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 382 of 489.
- Two cautions on $35,896, the adjusted value of that $37,070 median. It levels out prices with a single number for all of Arkansas. No actual address matches that. The wage figures and price figures are also from different years. Each is published on its own timetable. This work sits at 382 of 489 locally.
- Reported values are medians; for couriers and messengers in Arkansas the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $27,600 to $43,690. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The Arkansas take-home of $31,053, on $37,070 for work ranking 382 of 489 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 382 of 489 in the state.
- This $35,896 adjusted figure, worked from $37,070, rests on a state-level price parity averaging over within-state dispersion larger than much of the between-state dispersion. Wage and price vintages differ by publication schedule. The result is directionally sound and not address-specific, for work at 382 of 489 in the state. The occupation ranks 382 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $27,600 at the bottom tenth to $43,690 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Arkansas is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $35,896 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 Arkansas's own levy, $31,053 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 ($27,600 to $43,690) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Arkansas rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Arkansas'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 $35,896 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 $31,053 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Arkansas 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.