Helpers--Electricians in Idaho
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$32,663
after federal, FICA and Idaho tax
Tax takes
$6,817
17.3% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$35,727
Idaho costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Idaho — 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
$39,480
Kept after tax
$32,663
Worth in national money
$35,727
State rank
33
of 47 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Idaho is among the lower-paying states for helpers--electricians. The middle earner takes $39,480, ranking 33 of 47 states — about 7.48% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Measured against other jobs in Idaho, this one sits low: 394 of 476 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $39,480 you keep $32,663 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $35,727 at national prices. Averages run higher here, $43,510, since top earners drag the number up.
- Idaho ranks 33 of 47 for helpers--electricians, with a median of $39,480 — about 7.48% 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.
- Helpers--electricians occupies position 394 of 476 in Idaho'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.
- Retained pay in Idaho is $32,663 after the full tax stack, from $39,480. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $35,727 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $43,510 exceeds the median, so the upper tail is doing the work.
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: Helpers--Electricians
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $35,880 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $39,480 |
| Top tenth earn over | $58,110 |
| This salary | $39,480 |
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 Idaho | $32,663 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $33,902 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$839 |
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 | $37,938 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,014 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 91 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $39,480 as a midpoint for Idaho, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $35,880 and the ninetieth is $58,110 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In Idaho the take-home figure of $32,663, from $39,480, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 394 of 476 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $35,727 uses one figure for the whole of Idaho. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 476 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 394.
- The Idaho median of $39,480 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $35,880 to $58,110. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Take-home for Idaho is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $32,663 from $39,480. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 394 of 476 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $35,727, worked from $39,480, 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 Idaho address, on work sitting at 394 of 476 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
Half earn more than this and half earn less. The average sits at $43,510 because a long tail of high pay lifts it, so the two answer different questions.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $35,880 at the bottom tenth to $58,110 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
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 $35,727.
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 Idaho's own levy, $32,663 remains.
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.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in Idaho is $43,510. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($35,880 to $58,110) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Idaho rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Idaho'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 $35,727 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 $32,663 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Idaho 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.