Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers in Idaho
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$24,625
after federal, FICA and Idaho tax
Tax takes
$4,145
14.4% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$26,935
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
$28,770
Kept after tax
$24,625
Worth in national money
$26,935
State rank
33
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Idaho is 33 of 51 states for this job, with a middle wage of $28,770. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Within Idaho this is lower-paid work. Of 476 occupations the state publishes figures for, this job ranks 472. That is the bottom quarter locally, whatever the national comparison says.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $28,770 you keep $24,625 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $26,935 at national prices. Here the average runs under the middle, at $28,450.
- Idaho ranks 33 of 51 for lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers at $28,770. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Against every occupation Idaho reports, lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers ranks 472 of 476, 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.
- Retained pay in Idaho is $24,625 after the full tax stack, from $28,770. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $26,935 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $28,450 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
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Pay band: Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $23,200 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $28,770 |
| Top tenth earn over | $33,540 |
| This salary | $28,770 |
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 | $24,625 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $25,297 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$903 |
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 | $27,948 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,092 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 91 |
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 lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers in Idaho earn under $28,770 and half over. The published range runs $23,200 at the tenth percentile to $33,540 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 Idaho's $24,625, worked from $28,770. 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 472 of 476.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $26,935 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 472.
- Figures are distribution medians for lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers in Idaho, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $23,200 to $33,540; 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 Idaho take-home of $24,625, on $28,770 for work ranking 472 of 476 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 472 of 476 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $26,935, worked from $28,770, 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 472 of 476 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $23,200 at the tenth percentile, $33,540 at the ninetieth.
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 $26,935.
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, $24,625 remains.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($23,200 to $33,540) 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 $26,935 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 $24,625 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.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.