Library Assistants, Clerical in Pennsylvania
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$25,897
after federal, FICA and Pennsylvania tax
Tax takes
$4,793
15.6% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$26,561
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
$30,690
Kept after tax
$25,897
Worth in national money
$26,561
State rank
43
of 50 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pennsylvania is among the lower-paying states for library assistants, clerical. The middle earner takes $30,690, ranking 43 of 50 states — about 16.85% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Measured against other jobs in Pennsylvania, this one sits low: 477 of 492 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Prices here sit close to the national average, so the adjustment changes little. From $30,690 the take-home is $25,897, which is worth about $26,561 in comparable money. Tax does most of the work here, not cost of living. The average is higher, $33,610, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Pennsylvania ranks 43 of 50 for library assistants, clerical, with a median of $30,690 — about 16.85% 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.
- Library assistants, clerical occupies position 477 of 492 in Pennsylvania'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.
- Pennsylvania's price level is near the national average, so price deflation is close to neutral for library assistants, clerical on its $30,690 median: $25,897 retained after tax becomes $26,561 in national-average terms. Where the price adjustment is small, the tax stack is the dominant determinant of the real outcome. The mean of $33,610 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
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Pay band: Library Assistants, Clerical
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $22,110 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $30,690 |
| Top tenth earn over | $45,930 |
| This salary | $30,690 |
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 | $25,897 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $26,839 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$1,058 |
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 | $29,517 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$1,280 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 98 |
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 library assistants, clerical in Pennsylvania earn under $30,690 and half over. The published range runs $22,110 at the tenth percentile to $45,930 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Pennsylvania the take-home figure of $25,897, from $30,690, 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 477 of 492 occupations here.
- Two cautions on $26,561, the adjusted value of that $30,690 median. It levels out prices with a single number for all of Pennsylvania. No actual address matches that. The wage figures and price figures are also from different years. Each is published on its own timetable. This work sits at 477 of 492 locally.
- Figures are distribution medians for library assistants, clerical in Pennsylvania, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $22,110 to $45,930; 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.
- Take-home for Pennsylvania is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $25,897 from $30,690. 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 477 of 492 locally.
- This $26,561 adjusted figure, worked from $30,690, rests on a state-level price parity averaging over within-state dispersion larger than much of the between-state dispersion. Wage and price vintages differ by publication schedule. The result is directionally sound and not address-specific, for work at 477 of 492 in the state. The occupation ranks 477 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $33,610, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $22,110 at the bottom tenth to $45,930 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
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 $26,561.
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 Pennsylvania's own levy, $25,897 remains.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 50 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 Pennsylvania is $33,610. 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 drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($22,110) and the ninetieth ($45,930) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
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 $26,561 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 $25,897 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 50 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.