Food Processing Workers, All Other in New Jersey
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$29,518
after federal, FICA and New Jersey tax
Tax takes
$5,152
14.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$27,110
New Jersey costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in New Jersey — 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
$34,670
Kept after tax
$29,518
Worth in national money
$27,110
State rank
43
of 46 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- New Jersey is among the lower-paying states for food processing workers, all other. The middle earner takes $34,670, ranking 43 of 46 states — about 12.63% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Measured against other jobs in New Jersey, this one sits low: 483 of 490 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Costs eat into it here. Of $34,670, tax leaves $29,518 — and because New Jersey is dearer than average, that stretches only as far as $27,110 would nationally. Averages run higher here, $37,990, since top earners drag the number up.
- New Jersey ranks 43 of 46 for food processing workers, all other, with a median of $34,670 — about 12.63% 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.
- Food processing workers, all other occupies position 483 of 490 in New Jersey's occupational wage distribution, in the bottom quartile. National ranking and local ranking answer different questions and frequently disagree; this is the one a resident experiences.
- After tax, $29,518 remains from the New Jersey median of $34,670 for this occupation. Applying the state's above-average price parity yields $27,110 in national-average terms — the quantity relevant to a relocation decision, and the one absent from essentially every published wage comparison. Mean pay of $37,990 exceeds the median, so the upper tail is doing the work.
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Pay band: Food Processing Workers, All Other
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $32,220 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $34,670 |
| Top tenth earn over | $48,300 |
| This salary | $34,670 |
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 New Jersey | $29,518 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $30,037 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$3,801 |
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 | $34,024 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$4,596 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 109 |
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 food processing workers, all other in New Jersey earn under $34,670 and half over. The published range runs $32,220 at the tenth percentile to $48,300 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In New Jersey the take-home figure of $29,518, from $34,670, 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 483 of 490 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $27,110 uses one figure for the whole of New Jersey. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 490 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 483.
- Figures are distribution medians for food processing workers, all other in New Jersey, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $32,220 to $48,300; 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.
- Take-home for New Jersey is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $29,518 from $34,670. 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 483 of 490 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $27,110, worked from $34,670, 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 New Jersey address, on work sitting at 483 of 490 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 $37,990, 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?
The range here is narrow. From $32,220 at the bottom tenth to $48,300 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
Not on its own. Prices in New Jersey run above the national level, so the same dollars buy less here. Adjusted for that, this pay is worth $27,110 — the wage did not change, only what it covers.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Into four separate taxes, not one. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare apply everywhere, and New Jersey adds its own income tax on top — which is why $29,518 of this wage survives to your account.
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 New Jersey is $37,990. 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 ($32,220 to $48,300) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to New Jersey rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
New Jersey's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $27,110 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 $29,518 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and New Jersey 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.