Manicurists and Pedicurists in Montana
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$28,400
after federal, FICA and Montana tax
Tax takes
$5,260
15.6% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$31,471
Montana costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Montana — 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
$33,660
Kept after tax
$28,400
Worth in national money
$31,471
State rank
38
of 49 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Montana is among the lower-paying states for manicurists and pedicurists. The middle earner takes $33,660, ranking 38 of 49 states — about 5.87% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Measured against other jobs in Montana, this one sits low: 458 of 475 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $33,660 you keep $28,400 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $31,471 at national prices. Here the average runs under the middle, at $33,510.
- Montana ranks 38 of 49 for manicurists and pedicurists, with a median of $33,660 — about 5.87% 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.
- Manicurists and pedicurists occupies position 458 of 475 in Montana'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.
- Retained pay in Montana is $28,400 after the full tax stack, from $33,660. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $31,471 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $33,510 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Manicurists and Pedicurists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $26,690 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $33,660 |
| Top tenth earn over | $43,880 |
| This salary | $33,660 |
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 Montana | $28,400 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $29,226 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,395 |
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 | $32,633 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,688 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $33,660 as a midpoint for Montana, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $26,690 and the ninetieth is $43,880 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Montana's $28,400, worked from $33,660. 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 458 of 475.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $31,471 uses one figure for the whole of Montana. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 475 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 458.
- The Montana median of $33,660 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $26,690 to $43,880. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- The Montana take-home of $28,400, on $33,660 for work ranking 458 of 475 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 458 of 475 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $31,471, worked from $33,660, 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 Montana address, on work sitting at 458 of 475 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $26,690 at the tenth percentile, $43,880 at the ninetieth.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Montana is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $31,471 in national terms.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Into four separate taxes, not one. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare apply everywhere, and Montana adds its own income tax on top — which is why $28,400 of this wage survives to your account.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 49 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($26,690 to $43,880) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Montana rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Montana'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 $31,471 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 $28,400 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Montana 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.