Helpers--Electricians in Pennsylvania
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$32,226
after federal, FICA and Pennsylvania tax
Tax takes
$6,654
17.1% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$33,053
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
$38,880
Kept after tax
$32,226
Worth in national money
$33,053
State rank
36
of 47 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- The nominal figure here is modest. Pennsylvania pays helpers--electricians a middle wage of $38,880, 36 of 47 states and about 8.88% below the national middle. Hold that thought until the adjusted numbers.
- Within Pennsylvania this is lower-paid work. Of 492 occupations the state publishes figures for, helpers--electricians ranks 422. That is the bottom quarter locally, whatever the national comparison says.
- Prices here sit close to the national average, so the adjustment changes little. From $38,880 the take-home is $32,226, which is worth about $33,053 in comparable money. Tax does most of the work here, not cost of living. The average is higher, $39,000, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Pennsylvania's $38,880 median for helpers--electricians places it 36 of 47 states, about 8.88% below national. Because both the tax and price adjustments tend to favor lower-nominal states, this ranking is the least stable of the three reported here.
- Against every occupation Pennsylvania reports, helpers--electricians ranks 422 of 492, 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.
- Pennsylvania's price level is near the national average, so price deflation is close to neutral for helpers--electricians on its $38,880 median: $32,226 retained after tax becomes $33,053 in national-average terms. Where the price adjustment is small, the tax stack is the dominant determinant of the real outcome. The mean of $39,000 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
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Pay band: Helpers--Electricians
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $26,240 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $38,880 |
| Top tenth earn over | $49,770 |
| This salary | $38,880 |
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 | $32,226 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $33,420 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$1,339 |
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 | $37,394 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$1,619 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 98 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Pennsylvania earn less than $38,880. The published range is $26,240 up to $49,770, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Pennsylvania's $32,226, worked from $38,880. 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 422 of 492.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $33,053 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 422.
- Reported values are medians; for helpers--electricians in Pennsylvania the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $26,240 to $49,770. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The Pennsylvania take-home of $32,226, on $38,880 for work ranking 422 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 422 of 492 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $33,053, worked from $38,880, 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 422 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $26,240 at the tenth percentile, $49,770 at the ninetieth.
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 $33,053 in national terms.
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; Pennsylvania then takes its own share, leaving $32,226.
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 47 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 ($26,240 to $49,770) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Pennsylvania rather than a national figure.
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 $33,053 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 $32,226 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.
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.