Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary in Montana
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$72,109
after federal, FICA and Montana tax
Tax takes
$23,591
24.7% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$79,904
Montana costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Montana — 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
$95,700
Kept after tax
$72,109
Worth in national money
$79,904
State rank
43
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Montana is among the lower-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $95,700, ranking 43 of 51 states — about 9.61% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Locally, this pays well. Among 475 occupations Montana reports, this job comes in at 59 — comfortably in the upper quarter.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $95,700 you keep $72,109 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $79,904 at national prices. Averages run higher here, $97,130, since top earners drag the number up.
- Montana ranks 43 of 51 for education administrators, kindergarten through secondary, with a median of $95,700 — about 9.61% 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.
- Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary ranks 59 of 475 occupations by median in Montana, in the top quartile. Within-state position is largely independent of national position, so this holds regardless of how the state compares to others for the same work.
- Retained pay in Montana is $72,109 after the full tax stack, from $95,700. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $79,904 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $97,130 exceeds the median, so the upper tail is doing the work.
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Pay band: Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $63,960 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $95,700 |
| Top tenth earn over | $127,800 |
| This salary | $95,700 |
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 Montana | $72,109 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $76,155 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,535 |
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 | $89,949 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,121 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $95,700 as a midpoint for Montana, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $63,960 and the ninetieth is $127,800 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- That $72,109 take-home in Montana comes from $95,700. 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 59 of 475.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $79,904 uses one figure for the whole of Montana. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 475 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 59.
- The Montana median of $95,700 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $63,960 to $127,800. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Retained pay of $72,109, from $95,700, assumes a single Montana 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 59 of 475 locally, and the state ranks 43 of 51 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $79,904, worked from $95,700, 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 Montana address, on work sitting at 59 of 475 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $63,960 at the bottom tenth to $127,800 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 $79,904.
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 Montana's own levy, $72,109 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 ($63,960 to $127,800) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Montana rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Montana'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 $79,904 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 $72,109 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Montana 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.