Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare in Virginia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$42,717
after federal, FICA and Virginia tax
Tax takes
$10,603
19.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$42,400
Virginia costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in 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
$53,320
Kept after tax
$42,717
Worth in national money
$42,400
State rank
33
of 50 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Virginia is 33 of 50 states for this job, with a middle wage of $53,320. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. This job ranks 286 among 489 occupations Virginia publishes pay for.
- No great distortion either way. Virginia costs about what the country costs, so from $53,320, take-home of $42,717 is worth roughly $42,400 in national money. The average comes to $57,630, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Virginia ranks 33 of 50 for education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare at $53,320. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Position 286 of 489 in Virginia places education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare in the middle of the state's wage distribution. Because within-state and cross-state rankings measure different things, this figure and the national one above should be read together rather than as a single verdict.
- Price parity in Virginia is near the national base, so for education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare, whose median is $53,320, the adjusted figure of $42,400 differs little from $42,717 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $57,630 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $41,470 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $53,320 |
| Top tenth earn over | $78,230 |
| This salary | $53,320 |
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 Virginia | $42,717 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $45,023 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$3,932 |
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 | $50,451 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$4,755 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 101 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare in Virginia earn under $53,320 and half over. The published range runs $41,470 at the tenth percentile to $78,230 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Virginia's $42,717, worked from $53,320. 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 286 of 489.
- One number stands for prices across all of Virginia, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $42,400, the adjusted value of that $53,320 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 286 of 489 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare in Virginia, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $41,470 to $78,230; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- The Virginia take-home of $42,717, on $53,320 for work ranking 286 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 286 of 489 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Virginia, so $42,400 — the adjusted value of that $53,320 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 286 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $57,630, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $41,470 at the tenth percentile, $78,230 at the ninetieth.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
A larger wage in a dearer place is not automatically more. Adjusted for local prices, this pay behaves like $42,400 of national purchasing power.
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; Virginia then takes its own share, leaving $42,717.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 50 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
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 Virginia is $57,630. 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 ($41,470 to $78,230) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Virginia rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Virginia's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $42,400 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 $42,717 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and 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.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 50 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.