Manicurists and Pedicurists in New Jersey
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$30,848
after federal, FICA and New Jersey tax
Tax takes
$5,522
15.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$28,331
New Jersey costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in New Jersey — 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
$36,370
Kept after tax
$30,848
Worth in national money
$28,331
State rank
23
of 49 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- New Jersey sits in the middle of the pack for manicurists and pedicurists. The median is $36,370, ranking 23 of 49 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Measured against other jobs in New Jersey, this one sits low: 470 of 490 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $36,370 the take-home is $30,848. But New Jersey costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $28,331 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $37,190, because the best-paid pull it up.
- New Jersey occupies the middle band for manicurists and pedicurists: a median of $36,370, ranking 23 of 49. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Manicurists and pedicurists occupies position 470 of 490 in New Jersey'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 after federal, FICA and New Jersey income tax is $30,848 for manicurists and pedicurists, from $36,370. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $28,331. ⚠️ This is purchasing power and not a wage; cross-state offer comparisons that stop at the nominal figure systematically overvalue high-cost states. The mean of $37,190 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Manicurists and Pedicurists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $32,220 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $36,370 |
| Top tenth earn over | $39,390 |
| This salary | $36,370 |
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 New Jersey | $30,848 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $31,403 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$3,985 |
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 | $35,679 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$4,820 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 109 |
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 manicurists and pedicurists in New Jersey earn under $36,370 and half over. The published range runs $32,220 at the tenth percentile to $39,390 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- That $30,848 take-home in New Jersey comes from $36,370. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 470 of 490.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $28,331 uses one figure for the whole of New Jersey. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 490 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 470.
- Figures are distribution medians for manicurists and pedicurists in New Jersey, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $32,220 to $39,390; 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.
- Retained pay of $30,848, from $36,370, assumes a single New Jersey filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 470 of 490 locally, and the state ranks 23 of 49 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $28,331, worked from $36,370, 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 New Jersey address, on work sitting at 470 of 490 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $32,220 at the bottom tenth to $39,390 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
A larger wage in a dearer place is not automatically more. Adjusted for local prices, this pay behaves like $28,331 of national purchasing power.
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 New Jersey's own levy, $30,848 remains.
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 ($32,220 to $39,390) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to New Jersey rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
New Jersey's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $28,331 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $30,848 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and New Jersey 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.