Helpers--Carpenters in Arizona
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$34,921
after federal, FICA and Arizona tax
Tax takes
$6,619
15.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$34,540
Arizona costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Arizona — 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
$41,540
Kept after tax
$34,921
Worth in national money
$34,540
State rank
24
of 47 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Arizona is 24 of 47 states for helpers--carpenters, with a middle wage of $41,540. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Within Arizona this is lower-paid work. Of 491 occupations the state publishes figures for, helpers--carpenters ranks 416. That is the bottom quarter locally, whatever the national comparison says.
- No great distortion either way. Arizona costs about what the country costs, so from $41,540, take-home of $34,921 is worth roughly $34,540 in national money. The average lands at $41,440, below the middle of the range.
- Arizona ranks 24 of 47 for helpers--carpenters at $41,540. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Against every occupation Arizona reports, helpers--carpenters ranks 416 of 491, 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.
- Price parity in Arizona is near the national base, so for helpers--carpenters, whose median is $41,540, the adjusted figure of $34,540 differs little from $34,921 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $41,440 the mean undershoots the median, an inversion of the usual skew.
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Pay band: Helpers--Carpenters
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $38,590 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $41,540 |
| Top tenth earn over | $44,960 |
| This salary | $41,540 |
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 Arizona | $34,921 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $35,557 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$2,051 |
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 | $40,748 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$2,481 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 101 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $41,540 as a midpoint for Arizona, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $38,590 and the ninetieth is $44,960 — 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 Arizona's $34,921, worked from $41,540. 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 416 of 491.
- One number stands for prices across all of Arizona, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $34,540, the adjusted value of that $41,540 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 416 of 491 in the state.
- The Arizona median of $41,540 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $38,590 to $44,960. 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 Arizona take-home of $34,921, on $41,540 for work ranking 416 of 491 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 416 of 491 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Arizona, so $34,540 — the adjusted value of that $41,540 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 416 of 491 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $38,590 at the bottom tenth to $44,960 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
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 $34,540 of national purchasing power.
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; Arizona then takes its own share, leaving $34,921.
Why is this job missing from some states?
A blank is a suppression, not a zero. 47 states have a published figure for this work; the others had too few responses to release one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($38,590 to $44,960) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Arizona rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Arizona's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $34,540 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 $34,921 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Arizona 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 47 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.