Dishwashers in West Virginia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$22,782
after federal, FICA and West Virginia tax
Tax takes
$3,678
13.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$25,378
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
$26,460
Kept after tax
$22,782
Worth in national money
$25,378
State rank
49
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- The nominal figure here is modest. West Virginia pays dishwashers a middle wage of $26,460, 49 of 51 states and about 23.99% below the national middle. Hold that thought until the adjusted numbers.
- Within West Virginia this is lower-paid work. Of 473 occupations the state publishes figures for, dishwashers ranks 465. That is the bottom quarter locally, whatever the national comparison says.
- Here is where West Virginia does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $26,460 you keep $22,782, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $25,378 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $26,500, because the best-paid pull it up.
- West Virginia's $26,460 median for dishwashers places it 49 of 51 states, about 23.99% below national. Because both the tax and price adjustments tend to favor lower-nominal states, this ranking is the least stable of the three reported here.
- Against every occupation West Virginia reports, dishwashers ranks 465 of 473, 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.
- After federal, FICA and West Virginia income tax, retained pay for dishwashers on $26,460 is $22,782. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $25,378 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 $26,500 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 | $20,450 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $26,460 |
| Top tenth earn over | $32,760 |
| This salary | $26,460 |
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 West Virginia | $22,782 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $23,400 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,298 |
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 | $25,710 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,532 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $26,460 as a midpoint for West Virginia, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $20,450 and the ninetieth is $32,760 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In West Virginia the take-home figure of $22,782, from $26,460, 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 465 of 473 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of West Virginia, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $25,378, the adjusted value of that $26,460 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 465 of 473 in the state.
- The West Virginia median of $26,460 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $20,450 to $32,760. 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 West Virginia is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $22,782 from $26,460. 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 465 of 473 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for West Virginia, so $25,378 — the adjusted value of that $26,460 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 465 of 473 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $20,450 at the bottom tenth to $32,760 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
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 $25,378.
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 $22,782.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($20,450 to $32,760) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to West Virginia rather than a national figure.
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 $25,378 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 $22,782 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.