Food Processing Workers, All Other in California
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$32,233
after federal, FICA and California tax
Tax takes
$5,997
15.7% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$28,631
California costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in California — 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
$38,230
Kept after tax
$32,233
Worth in national money
$28,631
State rank
28
of 46 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. California is 28 of 46 states for food processing workers, all other, with a middle wage of $38,230. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Within California this is lower-paid work. Of 492 occupations the state publishes figures for, food processing workers, all other ranks 475. That is the bottom quarter locally, whatever the national comparison says.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $38,230 the take-home is $32,233. But California costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $28,631 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $40,760, because the best-paid pull it up.
- California ranks 28 of 46 for food processing workers, all other at $38,230. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Against every occupation California reports, food processing workers, all other ranks 475 of 492, 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.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and California income tax is $32,233 for food processing workers, all other, from $38,230. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $28,631. ⚠️ This is purchasing power and not a wage; cross-state offer comparisons that stop at the nominal figure systematically overvalue high-cost states. The mean of $40,760 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
Choose your filing status and local taxes, compare pay, and keep a shortlist.Compare wage and personal-pay outcomes by state, with selected resident local taxes and saved career choices.
Pay band: Food Processing Workers, All Other
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $35,290 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $38,230 |
| Top tenth earn over | $48,450 |
| This salary | $38,230 |
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 California | $32,233 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $32,898 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$5,223 |
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 | $37,403 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$6,317 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 113 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $38,230 as a midpoint for California, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $35,290 and the ninetieth is $48,450 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind California's $32,233, worked from $38,230. 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 475 of 492.
- Two cautions on $28,631, the adjusted value of that $38,230 median. It levels out prices with a single number for all of California. No actual address matches that. The wage figures and price figures are also from different years. Each is published on its own timetable. This work sits at 475 of 492 locally.
- The California median of $38,230 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $35,290 to $48,450. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- The California take-home of $32,233, on $38,230 for work ranking 475 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 475 of 492 in the state.
- This $28,631 adjusted figure, worked from $38,230, rests on a state-level price parity averaging over within-state dispersion larger than much of the between-state dispersion. Wage and price vintages differ by publication schedule. The result is directionally sound and not address-specific, for work at 475 of 492 in the state. The occupation ranks 475 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $40,760, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $35,290 and the top tenth $48,450, so most people doing this work in California sit within a fairly tight band.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
Not on its own. Prices in California run above the national level, so the same dollars buy less here. Adjusted for that, this pay is worth $28,631 — the wage did not change, only what it covers.
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; California then takes its own share, leaving $32,233.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 46 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 California is $40,760. 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 ($35,290 to $48,450) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to California rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
California's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $28,631 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 $32,233 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and California 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 46 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.