Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers in Utah
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$23,978
after federal, FICA and Utah tax
Tax takes
$4,742
16.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$25,240
Utah costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Utah — 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
$28,720
Kept after tax
$23,978
Worth in national money
$25,240
State rank
34
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Utah sits in the middle of the pack for this job. The median is $28,720, ranking 34 of 51 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Measured against other jobs in Utah, this one sits low: 482 of 487 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Utah is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $28,720 the take-home is $23,978; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $25,240 would nationally. The average comes to $30,990, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Utah occupies the middle band for lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers: a median of $28,720, ranking 34 of 51. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers occupies position 482 of 487 in Utah'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 lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers in Utah, on $28,720, is $23,978 — equivalent to $25,240 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 $30,990 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 | $21,280 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $28,720 |
| Top tenth earn over | $46,210 |
| This salary | $28,720 |
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 Utah | $23,978 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $25,257 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$751 |
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 | $27,163 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$891 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 95 |
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 Utah earn under $28,720 and half over. The published range runs $21,280 at the tenth percentile to $46,210 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Utah the take-home figure of $23,978, from $28,720, 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 482 of 487 occupations here.
- Two cautions on $25,240, the adjusted value of that $28,720 median. It levels out prices with a single number for all of Utah. 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 482 of 487 locally.
- Figures are distribution medians for lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers in Utah, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $21,280 to $46,210; 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 Utah is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $23,978 from $28,720. 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 482 of 487 locally.
- This $25,240 adjusted figure, worked from $28,720, 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 482 of 487 in the state. The occupation ranks 482 of 487 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $30,990, 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 $21,280 at the bottom tenth to $46,210 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Utah is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $25,240 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 Utah's own levy, $23,978 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.
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 Utah is $30,990. 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 ($21,280) and the ninetieth ($46,210) 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?
Utah'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 $25,240 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 $23,978 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Utah 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.