Dishwashers in District of Columbia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$32,097
after federal, FICA and District of Columbia tax
Tax takes
$6,573
17.0% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$28,967
District of Columbia costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in District of Columbia — 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
$38,670
Kept after tax
$32,097
Worth in national money
$28,967
State rank
2
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- District of Columbia is one of the better-paying states for dishwashers. The middle earner takes $38,670, which ranks 2 of 51 states with published figures. That is about 11.09% above the national middle.
- Against 390 occupations District of Columbia publishes, dishwashers lands at 376. That is the lower quarter. That is the comparison people actually feel, more than any national table.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $38,670 the take-home is $32,097. But District of Columbia costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $28,967 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $40,450, because the best-paid pull it up.
- District of Columbia ranks 2 of 51 states publishing a median for dishwashers, at $38,670 — about 11.09% above the national median. A state's position on nominal pay is the figure wage tables report and the least informative of the three on this page, because it survives neither the tax adjustment nor the price adjustment intact for most occupations.
- Within District of Columbia, this work ranks 376 of 390 occupations by median pay, in the bottom quartile. The within-state position is the more salient one for anyone weighing this job against alternatives available to them locally.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and District of Columbia income tax is $32,097 for dishwashers, from $38,670. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $28,967. ⚠️ This is purchasing power and not a wage; cross-state offer comparisons that stop at the nominal figure systematically overvalue high-cost states. The mean of $40,450 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Dishwashers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $37,710 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $38,670 |
| Top tenth earn over | $44,190 |
| This salary | $38,670 |
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 District of Columbia | $32,097 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $33,251 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$5,251 |
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 | $37,234 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$6,350 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 111 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in District of Columbia earn less than $38,670. The published range is $37,710 up to $44,190, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- That $32,097 take-home in District of Columbia comes from $38,670. 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 376 of 390.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $28,967 uses one figure for the whole of District of Columbia. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 390 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 376.
- Reported values are medians; for dishwashers in District of Columbia the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $37,710 to $44,190. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Retained pay of $32,097, from $38,670, assumes a single District of Columbia 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 376 of 390 locally, and the state ranks 2 of 51 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $28,967, worked from $38,670, 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 District of Columbia address, on work sitting at 376 of 390 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
Half earn more than this and half earn less. The average sits at $40,450 because a long tail of high pay lifts it, so the two answer different questions.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $37,710 and the top tenth $44,190, so most people doing this work in District of Columbia sit within a fairly tight band.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
Not on its own. Prices in District of Columbia run above the national level, so the same dollars buy less here. Adjusted for that, this pay is worth $28,967 — the wage did not change, only what it covers.
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 District of Columbia's own levy, $32,097 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.
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 District of Columbia is $40,450. 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 is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($37,710 to $44,190) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to District of Columbia rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
District of Columbia's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $28,967 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $32,097 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and District of Columbia 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.