Helpers--Electricians in Virginia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$36,160
after federal, FICA and Virginia tax
Tax takes
$8,370
18.8% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$35,891
Virginia costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Virginia — 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
$44,530
Kept after tax
$36,160
Worth in national money
$35,891
State rank
18
of 47 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Virginia sits in the middle of the pack for helpers--electricians. The median is $44,530, ranking 18 of 47 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Measured against other jobs in Virginia, this one sits low: 386 of 489 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Prices here sit close to the national average, so the adjustment changes little. From $44,530 the take-home is $36,160, which is worth about $35,891 in comparable money. Tax does most of the work here, not cost of living. The average is higher, $44,920, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Virginia occupies the middle band for helpers--electricians: a median of $44,530, ranking 18 of 47. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Helpers--electricians occupies position 386 of 489 in Virginia'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.
- Virginia's price level is near the national average, so price deflation is close to neutral for helpers--electricians on its $44,530 median: $36,160 retained after tax becomes $35,891 in national-average terms. Where the price adjustment is small, the tax stack is the dominant determinant of the real outcome. The mean of $44,920 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 | $33,710 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $44,530 |
| Top tenth earn over | $59,120 |
| This salary | $44,530 |
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 Virginia | $36,160 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $37,960 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$3,172 |
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 | $42,290 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$3,836 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 101 |
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--electricians in Virginia earn under $44,530 and half over. The published range runs $33,710 at the tenth percentile to $59,120 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- That $36,160 take-home in Virginia comes from $44,530. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 386 of 489.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $35,891 uses one figure for the whole of Virginia. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 489 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 386.
- Figures are distribution medians for helpers--electricians in Virginia, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $33,710 to $59,120; 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.
- Retained pay of $36,160, from $44,530, assumes a single Virginia filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 386 of 489 locally, and the state ranks 18 of 47 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $35,891, worked from $44,530, 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 Virginia address, on work sitting at 386 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $33,710 and the top tenth $59,120, so most people doing this work in Virginia sit within a fairly tight band.
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 $35,891 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; Virginia then takes its own share, leaving $36,160.
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 ($33,710 to $59,120) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Virginia rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Virginia's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $35,891 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 $36,160 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Virginia 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.