Food Processing Workers, All Other in Virginia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$31,147
after federal, FICA and Virginia tax
Tax takes
$6,663
17.6% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$30,915
Virginia costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Virginia — 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
$37,810
Kept after tax
$31,147
Worth in national money
$30,915
State rank
33
of 46 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Virginia is among the lower-paying states for food processing workers, all other. The middle earner takes $37,810, ranking 33 of 46 states — about 4.71% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Measured against other jobs in Virginia, this one sits low: 434 of 489 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Prices here sit close to the national average, so the adjustment changes little. From $37,810 the take-home is $31,147, which is worth about $30,915 in comparable money. Tax does most of the work here, not cost of living. The average is higher, $38,120, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Virginia ranks 33 of 46 for food processing workers, all other, with a median of $37,810 — about 4.71% 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 434 of 489 in Virginia'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.
- Virginia's price level is near the national average, so price deflation is close to neutral for food processing workers, all other on its $37,810 median: $31,147 retained after tax becomes $30,915 in national-average terms. Where the price adjustment is small, the tax stack is the dominant determinant of the real outcome. The mean of $38,120 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Food Processing Workers, All Other
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $34,790 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $37,810 |
| Top tenth earn over | $43,390 |
| This salary | $37,810 |
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 Virginia | $31,147 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $32,560 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$2,592 |
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 | $36,051 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$3,134 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 101 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Virginia earn less than $37,810. The published range is $34,790 up to $43,390, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- That $31,147 take-home in Virginia comes from $37,810. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 434 of 489.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $30,915 uses one figure for the whole of Virginia. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 489 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 434.
- Reported values are medians; for food processing workers, all other in Virginia the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $34,790 to $43,390. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Retained pay of $31,147, from $37,810, assumes a single Virginia filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 434 of 489 locally, and the state ranks 33 of 46 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $30,915, worked from $37,810, 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 Virginia address, on work sitting at 434 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $34,790 and the top tenth $43,390, so most people doing this work in Virginia sit within a fairly tight band.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
A larger wage in a dearer place is not automatically more. Adjusted for local prices, this pay behaves like $30,915 of national purchasing power.
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 Virginia adds its own income tax on top — which is why $31,147 of this wage survives to your account.
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 ($34,790 to $43,390) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Virginia rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Virginia's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $30,915 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 $31,147 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Virginia 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.