Medical Transcriptionists in Pennsylvania
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$34,259
after federal, FICA and Pennsylvania tax
Tax takes
$7,251
17.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$35,137
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
$41,510
Kept after tax
$34,259
Worth in national money
$35,137
State rank
21
of 50 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pennsylvania sits in the middle of the pack for medical transcriptionists. The median is $41,510, ranking 21 of 50 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Measured against other jobs in Pennsylvania, this one sits low: 407 of 492 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Prices here sit close to the national average, so the adjustment changes little. From $41,510 the take-home is $34,259, which is worth about $35,137 in comparable money. Tax does most of the work here, not cost of living. The average is lower, $41,370, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- Pennsylvania occupies the middle band for medical transcriptionists: a median of $41,510, ranking 21 of 50. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Medical transcriptionists occupies position 407 of 492 in Pennsylvania'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.
- Pennsylvania's price level is near the national average, so price deflation is close to neutral for medical transcriptionists on its $41,510 median: $34,259 retained after tax becomes $35,137 in national-average terms. Where the price adjustment is small, the tax stack is the dominant determinant of the real outcome. The mean of $41,370 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Medical Transcriptionists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $32,070 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $41,510 |
| Top tenth earn over | $52,510 |
| This salary | $41,510 |
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 | $34,259 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $35,533 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$1,429 |
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 | $39,924 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$1,728 |
| 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 transcriptionists in Pennsylvania earn under $41,510 and half over. The published range runs $32,070 at the tenth percentile to $52,510 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 Pennsylvania's $34,259, worked from $41,510. 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 407 of 492.
- One number stands for prices across all of Pennsylvania, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $35,137, the adjusted value of that $41,510 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 407 of 492 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for medical transcriptionists in Pennsylvania, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $32,070 to $52,510; 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 Pennsylvania take-home of $34,259, on $41,510 for work ranking 407 of 492 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 407 of 492 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Pennsylvania, so $35,137 — the adjusted value of that $41,510 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 407 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $32,070 at the bottom tenth to $52,510 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Pennsylvania sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $35,137 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
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; Pennsylvania then takes its own share, leaving $34,259.
Why is this job missing from some states?
Because the survey suppresses a figure when too few employers report it. This occupation has published pay in 50 states — the rest are withheld to protect confidentiality, which is not the same as nobody doing the work there.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($32,070 to $52,510) 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 $35,137 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 $34,259 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.
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 50 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.