Health Education Specialists in Pennsylvania
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$63,105
after federal, FICA and Pennsylvania tax
Tax takes
$17,565
21.8% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$64,723
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
$80,670
Kept after tax
$63,105
Worth in national money
$64,723
State rank
4
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- This is a good state for the work. Pennsylvania pays health education specialists a middle wage of $80,670, ranking 4 of 51 states and sitting about 25.91% above the national middle.
- Locally, this pays well. Among 492 occupations Pennsylvania reports, health education specialists comes in at 113 — comfortably in the upper quarter.
- No great distortion either way. Pennsylvania costs about what the country costs, so from $80,670, take-home of $63,105 is worth roughly $64,723 in national money. The average comes to $81,320, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Pennsylvania's median for health education specialists is $80,670, about 25.91% above the national figure and 4 of 51 states reporting. Whether that premium reaches the worker depends on the two adjustments below, which is the part a wage table cannot tell you.
- Health education specialists ranks 113 of 492 occupations by median in Pennsylvania, in the top quartile. Within-state position is largely independent of national position, so this holds regardless of how the state compares to others for the same work.
- Price parity in Pennsylvania is near the national base, so for health education specialists, whose median is $80,670, the adjusted figure of $64,723 differs little from $63,105 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $81,320 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
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: Health Education Specialists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $45,720 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $80,670 |
| Top tenth earn over | $120,640 |
| This salary | $80,670 |
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 Pennsylvania | $63,105 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $65,581 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$2,765 |
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 | $77,150 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$3,819 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 98 |
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 health education specialists in Pennsylvania earn under $80,670 and half over. The published range runs $45,720 at the tenth percentile to $120,640 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Pennsylvania's $63,105, worked from $80,670. 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 113 of 492.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $64,723 uses one figure for the whole of Pennsylvania. 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 113.
- Figures are distribution medians for health education specialists in Pennsylvania, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $45,720 to $120,640; 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.
- The Pennsylvania take-home of $63,105, on $80,670 for work ranking 113 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 113 of 492 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $64,723, worked from $80,670, 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 Pennsylvania address, on work sitting at 113 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $45,720 at the bottom tenth to $120,640 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
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 $64,723 in national terms.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Pennsylvania's own levy, $63,105 remains.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($45,720) and the ninetieth ($120,640) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
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 $64,723 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 $63,105 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.