Medical Equipment Preparers in Pennsylvania
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$37,590
after federal, FICA and Pennsylvania tax
Tax takes
$8,230
18.0% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$38,554
Pennsylvania costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Pennsylvania — 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
$45,820
Kept after tax
$37,590
Worth in national money
$38,554
State rank
32
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pennsylvania sits in the middle of the pack for medical equipment preparers. The median is $45,820, ranking 32 of 51 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 492 occupations Pennsylvania reports figures for, this is number 367.
- Prices here sit close to the national average, so the adjustment changes little. From $45,820 the take-home is $37,590, which is worth about $38,554 in comparable money. Tax does most of the work here, not cost of living. The average is higher, $46,260, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Pennsylvania occupies the middle band for medical equipment preparers: a median of $45,820, ranking 32 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.
- In Pennsylvania's occupational distribution, medical equipment preparers sits at 367 of 492 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Pennsylvania's price level is near the national average, so price deflation is close to neutral for medical equipment preparers on its $45,820 median: $37,590 retained after tax becomes $38,554 in national-average terms. Where the price adjustment is small, the tax stack is the dominant determinant of the real outcome. The mean of $46,260 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Medical Equipment Preparers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $37,500 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $45,820 |
| Top tenth earn over | $57,070 |
| This salary | $45,820 |
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 Pennsylvania | $37,590 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $38,996 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$1,577 |
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 | $44,069 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$1,907 |
| 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 medical equipment preparers in Pennsylvania earn under $45,820 and half over. The published range runs $37,500 at the tenth percentile to $57,070 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Pennsylvania the take-home figure of $37,590, from $45,820, 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 367 of 492 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $38,554 uses one figure for the whole of Pennsylvania. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 492 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 367.
- Figures are distribution medians for medical equipment preparers in Pennsylvania, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $37,500 to $57,070; 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 Pennsylvania is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $37,590 from $45,820. 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 367 of 492 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $38,554, worked from $45,820, 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 Pennsylvania address, on work sitting at 367 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $37,500 at the bottom tenth to $57,070 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
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 $38,554.
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 Pennsylvania's own levy, $37,590 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 ($37,500 to $57,070) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Pennsylvania rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Pennsylvania'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 $38,554 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 $37,590 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Pennsylvania 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.