Helpers--Production Workers in Wisconsin

Machined metal parts and a CNC machine in a clean manufacturing workshop.

May 2025 wages · tax year 2026

You keep

$37,048

after federal, FICA and Wisconsin tax

Tax takes

$8,052

17.9% of the whole

Worth, in national money

$39,795

Wisconsin costs less than average

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

$45,100

Kept after tax

$37,048

Worth in national money

$39,795

State rank

8

of 49 states

What this pays, and what it is worth

  • This is a good state for the work. Wisconsin pays helpers--production workers a middle wage of $45,100, ranking 8 of 49 states and sitting about 15.43% above the national middle.
  • Measured against other jobs in Wisconsin, this one sits low: 389 of 491 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
  • Wisconsin is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $45,100 the take-home is $37,048; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $39,795 would nationally. The average comes to $45,150, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
  • Wisconsin's median for helpers--production workers is $45,100, about 15.43% above the national figure and 8 of 49 states reporting. Whether that premium reaches the worker depends on the two adjustments below, which is the part a wage table cannot tell you.
  • Helpers--production workers occupies position 389 of 491 in Wisconsin'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.
  • Post-tax income for helpers--production workers in Wisconsin, on $45,100, is $37,048 — equivalent to $39,795 once regional price parity is applied. ⚠️ The adjustment uses a statewide index that describes no particular address; within-state price variation, concentrated in housing, routinely exceeds the difference between two states. At $45,150 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.

Compare this career across states

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Pay band: Helpers--Production Workers

The state median for this job

50thpercentile, roughly
Lowest tenth earn under$34,670
Half earn under$45,100
Top tenth earn over$61,010
This salary$45,100

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

Compare with
+$1,370take-home per year in Texas
Take-home in Wisconsin$37,048
Take-home in Texas$38,418
Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity−$260

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

Moving to
$0$45,415
$45,415in Texas, for the same life
To match take-home only$43,395
Raise you would need+$315
Prices in Texas97 vs 93

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--production workers in Wisconsin earn under $45,100 and half over. The published range runs $34,670 at the tenth percentile to $61,010 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 Wisconsin's $37,048, worked from $45,100. 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 389 of 491.
  • One number stands for prices across all of Wisconsin, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $39,795, the adjusted value of that $45,100 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 389 of 491 in the state.
  • Figures are distribution medians for helpers--production workers in Wisconsin, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $34,670 to $61,010; 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 Wisconsin take-home of $37,048, on $45,100 for work ranking 389 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 389 of 491 in the state.
  • Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Wisconsin, so $39,795 — the adjusted value of that $45,100 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 389 of 491 locally.

Questions people ask

How much does pay for this job actually vary?

The range here is narrow. From $34,670 at the bottom tenth to $61,010 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.

What does this pay actually buy where I live?

Further than the number implies. Wisconsin is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $39,795 in national terms.

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 Wisconsin's own levy, $37,048 remains.

Why is this job missing from some states?

A blank is a suppression, not a zero. 49 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 ($34,670 to $61,010) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Wisconsin rather than a national figure.

What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?

Wisconsin'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 $39,795 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 $37,048 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Wisconsin 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 49 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.