Helpers--Carpenters in Michigan
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$36,645
after federal, FICA and Michigan tax
Tax takes
$8,315
18.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$38,908
Michigan costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Michigan — 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
$44,960
Kept after tax
$36,645
Worth in national money
$38,908
State rank
12
of 47 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- This is a good state for the work. Michigan pays helpers--carpenters a middle wage of $44,960, ranking 12 of 47 states and sitting about 2.7% above the national middle.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. Helpers--carpenters ranks 369 among 493 occupations Michigan publishes pay for.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $44,960 you keep $36,645 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $38,908 at national prices. Here the average runs under the middle, at $43,730.
- Michigan's median for helpers--carpenters is $44,960, about 2.7% above the national figure and 12 of 47 states reporting. Whether that premium reaches the worker depends on the two adjustments below, which is the part a wage table cannot tell you.
- Position 369 of 493 in Michigan places helpers--carpenters in the middle of the state's wage distribution. Because within-state and cross-state rankings measure different things, this figure and the national one above should be read together rather than as a single verdict.
- Retained pay in Michigan is $36,645 after the full tax stack, from $44,960. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $38,908 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $43,730 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
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Pay band: Helpers--Carpenters
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $34,820 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $44,960 |
| Top tenth earn over | $53,020 |
| This salary | $44,960 |
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 Michigan | $36,645 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $38,305 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$511 |
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 | $42,894 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$618 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 94 |
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 helpers--carpenters in Michigan earn under $44,960 and half over. The published range runs $34,820 at the tenth percentile to $53,020 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 Michigan's $36,645, worked from $44,960. 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 369 of 493.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $38,908 uses one figure for the whole of Michigan. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 493 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 369.
- Figures are distribution medians for helpers--carpenters in Michigan, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $34,820 to $53,020; 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 Michigan take-home of $36,645, on $44,960 for work ranking 369 of 493 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 369 of 493 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $38,908, worked from $44,960, 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 Michigan address, on work sitting at 369 of 493 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $34,820 and the top tenth $53,020, so most people doing this work in Michigan sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
A smaller wage in a cheaper place is not automatically less. Adjusted for local prices, this is worth $38,908.
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 Michigan adds its own income tax on top — which is why $36,645 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 47 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($34,820 to $53,020) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Michigan rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Michigan'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 $38,908 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 $36,645 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Michigan 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.