English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary in Mississippi
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$48,601
after federal, FICA and Mississippi tax
Tax takes
$12,079
19.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$55,677
Mississippi costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Mississippi — 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
$60,680
Kept after tax
$48,601
Worth in national money
$55,677
State rank
45
of 49 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pay for this job is on the low side in Mississippi. The middle earner gets $60,680. That is 45 of 49 states, and about 22.96% under the national figure. Whether that matters depends on what things cost here.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 486 occupations Mississippi reports figures for, this is number 148.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $60,680 you keep $48,601 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $55,677 at national prices. Here the average runs under the middle, at $59,850.
- For english language and literature teachers, postsecondary, Mississippi sits in the lower band at $60,680, ranking 45 of 49 and trailing the national median by about 22.96%. Nominal rankings routinely invert once tax and regional price level are applied, so this position should not be read as the conclusion.
- In Mississippi's occupational distribution, english language and literature teachers, postsecondary sits at 148 of 486 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Retained pay in Mississippi is $48,601 after the full tax stack, from $60,680. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $55,677 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $59,850 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
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Pay band: English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $30,450 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $60,680 |
| Top tenth earn over | $78,540 |
| This salary | $60,680 |
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 Mississippi | $48,601 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $50,936 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$3,259 |
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 | $57,774 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$3,942 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 87 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Mississippi earn less than $60,680. The published range is $30,450 up to $78,540, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Mississippi the take-home figure of $48,601, from $60,680, 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 148 of 486 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $55,677 uses one figure for the whole of Mississippi. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 486 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 148.
- Reported values are medians; for english language and literature teachers, postsecondary in Mississippi the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $30,450 to $78,540. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for Mississippi is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $48,601 from $60,680. 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 148 of 486 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $55,677, worked from $60,680, 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 Mississippi address, on work sitting at 148 of 486 locally.
Questions people ask
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $30,450 at the bottom tenth to $78,540 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Mississippi is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $55,677 in national terms.
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; Mississippi then takes its own share, leaving $48,601.
Why is this job missing from some states?
A blank is a suppression, not a zero. 49 states have a published figure for this work; the others had too few responses to release one.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($30,450) and the ninetieth ($78,540) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Mississippi'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 $55,677 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 $48,601 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Mississippi 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 49 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.