Couriers and Messengers in Pennsylvania
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$32,860
after federal, FICA and Pennsylvania tax
Tax takes
$6,840
17.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$33,703
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
$39,700
Kept after tax
$32,860
Worth in national money
$33,703
State rank
18
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pennsylvania sits in the middle of the pack for couriers and messengers. The median is $39,700, ranking 18 of 51 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Within Pennsylvania this is lower-paid work. Of 492 occupations the state publishes figures for, couriers and messengers ranks 417. That is the bottom quarter locally, whatever the national comparison says.
- Prices here sit close to the national average, so the adjustment changes little. From $39,700 the take-home is $32,860, which is worth about $33,703 in comparable money. Tax does most of the work here, not cost of living. The average is higher, $40,680, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Pennsylvania occupies the middle band for couriers and messengers: a median of $39,700, ranking 18 of 51. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Against every occupation Pennsylvania reports, couriers and messengers ranks 417 of 492, in the lowest quartile of the state's distribution. That position is set by the local labor market and is independent of how the state compares nationally for this work.
- Pennsylvania's price level is near the national average, so price deflation is close to neutral for couriers and messengers on its $39,700 median: $32,860 retained after tax becomes $33,703 in national-average terms. Where the price adjustment is small, the tax stack is the dominant determinant of the real outcome. The mean of $40,680 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Couriers and Messengers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $30,520 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $39,700 |
| Top tenth earn over | $48,950 |
| This salary | $39,700 |
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 | $32,860 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $34,079 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$1,367 |
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 | $38,183 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$1,653 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 98 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $39,700 as a midpoint for Pennsylvania, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $30,520 and the ninetieth is $48,950 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In Pennsylvania the take-home figure of $32,860, from $39,700, 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 417 of 492 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $33,703 uses one figure for the whole of Pennsylvania. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 492 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 417.
- The Pennsylvania median of $39,700 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $30,520 to $48,950. 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 $32,860 from $39,700. 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 417 of 492 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $33,703, worked from $39,700, 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 Pennsylvania address, on work sitting at 417 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $30,520 at the bottom tenth to $48,950 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. Pennsylvania is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $33,703 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 Pennsylvania's own levy, $32,860 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 ($30,520 to $48,950) 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 $33,703 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 $32,860 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.