Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers in Minnesota
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$26,901
after federal, FICA and Minnesota tax
Tax takes
$4,969
15.6% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$27,334
Minnesota costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Minnesota — 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
$31,870
Kept after tax
$26,901
Worth in national money
$27,334
State rank
22
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Middling, nationally. Minnesota pays this job around $31,870 at the midpoint, 22 of 51 states. The interesting numbers on this page are the two below it.
- Against 490 occupations Minnesota publishes, this job lands at 483. That is the lower quarter. That is the comparison people actually feel, more than any national table.
- No great distortion either way. Minnesota costs about what the country costs, so from $31,870, take-home of $26,901 is worth roughly $27,334 in national money. The average comes to $32,330, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- For lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers the Minnesota median is $31,870, ranking 22 of 51 states reporting. Mid-band nominal positions are the ones most frequently reordered by the adjustments, because no large wage premium exists to absorb a state's tax or price level.
- Within Minnesota, this work ranks 483 of 490 occupations by median pay, in the bottom quartile. The within-state position is the more salient one for anyone weighing this job against alternatives available to them locally.
- Price parity in Minnesota is near the national base, so for lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers, whose median is $31,870, the adjusted figure of $27,334 differs little from $26,901 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $32,330 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
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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 | $25,950 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $31,870 |
| Top tenth earn over | $38,120 |
| This salary | $31,870 |
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 Minnesota | $26,901 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $27,788 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$1,262 |
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 | $30,767 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$1,526 |
| 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 lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers in Minnesota earn under $31,870 and half over. The published range runs $25,950 at the tenth percentile to $38,120 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 Minnesota's $26,901, worked from $31,870. 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 483 of 490.
- One number stands for prices across all of Minnesota, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $27,334, the adjusted value of that $31,870 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 483 of 490 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers in Minnesota, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $25,950 to $38,120; 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.
- The Minnesota take-home of $26,901, on $31,870 for work ranking 483 of 490 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 483 of 490 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Minnesota, so $27,334 — the adjusted value of that $31,870 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 483 of 490 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $25,950 and the top tenth $38,120, so most people doing this work in Minnesota sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Minnesota is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $27,334 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; Minnesota then takes its own share, leaving $26,901.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($25,950 to $38,120) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Minnesota rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Minnesota'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 $27,334 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 $26,901 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Minnesota 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.