Food Processing Workers, All Other in Oklahoma
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$31,906
after federal, FICA and Oklahoma tax
Tax takes
$6,625
17.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$36,139
Oklahoma costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Oklahoma — 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
$38,530
Kept after tax
$31,906
Worth in national money
$36,139
State rank
26
of 46 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Oklahoma sits in the middle of the pack for food processing workers, all other. The median is $38,530, ranking 26 of 46 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Measured against other jobs in Oklahoma, this one sits low: 389 of 492 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Here is where Oklahoma does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $38,530 you keep $31,906, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $36,139 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $39,160, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Oklahoma occupies the middle band for food processing workers, all other: a median of $38,530, ranking 26 of 46. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Food processing workers, all other occupies position 389 of 492 in Oklahoma'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 federal, FICA and Oklahoma income tax, retained pay for food processing workers, all other on $38,530 is $31,906. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $36,139 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $39,160 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
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Pay band: Food Processing Workers, All Other
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $32,830 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $38,530 |
| Top tenth earn over | $45,780 |
| This salary | $38,530 |
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 Oklahoma | $31,906 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $33,139 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,037 |
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 | $36,995 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,463 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 88 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $38,530 as a midpoint for Oklahoma, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $32,830 and the ninetieth is $45,780 — 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 Oklahoma's $31,906, worked from $38,530. 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 389 of 492.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $36,139 uses one figure for the whole of Oklahoma. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 492 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 389.
- The Oklahoma median of $38,530 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $32,830 to $45,780. 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 Oklahoma take-home of $31,906, on $38,530 for work ranking 389 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 389 of 492 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $36,139, worked from $38,530, 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 Oklahoma address, on work sitting at 389 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $32,830 at the bottom tenth to $45,780 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Oklahoma is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $36,139 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; Oklahoma then takes its own share, leaving $31,906.
Why is this job missing from some states?
Because the survey suppresses a figure when too few employers report it. This occupation has published pay in 46 states — the rest are withheld to protect confidentiality, which is not the same as nobody doing the work there.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($32,830 to $45,780) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Oklahoma rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Oklahoma'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 $36,139 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 $31,906 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Oklahoma 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.