First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives in Pennsylvania
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$77,725
after federal, FICA and Pennsylvania tax
Tax takes
$24,675
24.1% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$79,718
Pennsylvania costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Pennsylvania — 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
$102,400
Kept after tax
$77,725
Worth in national money
$79,718
State rank
21
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Pennsylvania is 21 of 51 states for this job, with a middle wage of $102,400. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- This is one of the better-paid jobs in Pennsylvania. It ranks 51 out of 492 occupations the state publishes figures for, which puts it in the top quarter locally.
- No great distortion either way. Pennsylvania costs about what the country costs, so from $102,400, take-home of $77,725 is worth roughly $79,718 in national money. The average comes to $106,920, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Pennsylvania ranks 21 of 51 for first-line supervisors of police and detectives at $102,400. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Within Pennsylvania, first-line supervisors of police and detectives ranks 51 of 492 occupations by median pay, placing it in the top quartile of the local distribution. This is the comparison a resident actually makes — against neighbors rather than against the same job elsewhere.
- Price parity in Pennsylvania is near the national base, so for first-line supervisors of police and detectives, whose median is $102,400, the adjusted figure of $79,718 differs little from $77,725 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $106,920 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $72,840 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $102,400 |
| Top tenth earn over | $137,980 |
| This salary | $102,400 |
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 Pennsylvania | $77,725 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $80,868 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$3,502 |
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 | $97,931 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$4,837 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 98 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Pennsylvania earn less than $102,400. The published range is $72,840 up to $137,980, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Pennsylvania's $77,725, worked from $102,400. 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 51 of 492.
- One number stands for prices across all of Pennsylvania, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $79,718, the adjusted value of that $102,400 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 51 of 492 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for first-line supervisors of police and detectives in Pennsylvania the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $72,840 to $137,980. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The Pennsylvania take-home of $77,725, on $102,400 for work ranking 51 of 492 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 51 of 492 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Pennsylvania, so $79,718 — the adjusted value of that $102,400 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 51 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
No — it is the middle. Half of these workers earn more and half earn less. The average is $106,920, pulled upward by the top of the range, which is why the middle is the fairer number to plan against.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $72,840 and the top tenth $137,980, so most people doing this work in Pennsylvania sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Pennsylvania is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $79,718 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; Pennsylvania then takes its own share, leaving $77,725.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
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 Pennsylvania is $106,920. 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 ($72,840 to $137,980) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Pennsylvania rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Pennsylvania'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 $79,718 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 $77,725 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Pennsylvania 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.