Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines in District of Columbia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$55,470
after federal, FICA and District of Columbia tax
Tax takes
$15,310
21.6% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$50,061
District of Columbia costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in District of Columbia — 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
$70,780
Kept after tax
$55,470
Worth in national money
$50,061
State rank
16
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- District of Columbia is one of the better-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $70,780, which ranks 16 of 51 states with published figures. That is about 8.04% above the national middle.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. This job ranks 232 among 390 occupations District of Columbia publishes pay for.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $70,780 the take-home is $55,470. But District of Columbia costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $50,061 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $71,660, because the best-paid pull it up.
- District of Columbia ranks 16 of 51 states publishing a median for mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines, at $70,780 — about 8.04% above the national median. A state's position on nominal pay is the figure wage tables report and the least informative of the three on this page, because it survives neither the tax adjustment nor the price adjustment intact for most occupations.
- Position 232 of 390 in District of Columbia places mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines in the middle of the state's wage distribution. Because within-state and cross-state rankings measure different things, this figure and the national one above should be read together rather than as a single verdict.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and District of Columbia income tax is $55,470 for mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines, from $70,780. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $50,061. ⚠️ 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 $71,660 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
Choose your filing status and local taxes, compare pay, and keep a shortlist.Compare wage and personal-pay outcomes by state, with selected resident local taxes and saved career choices.
Pay band: Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $52,340 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $70,780 |
| Top tenth earn over | $100,210 |
| This salary | $70,780 |
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 District of Columbia | $55,470 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $58,624 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$10,267 |
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 | $66,322 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$12,950 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 111 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $70,780 as a midpoint for District of Columbia, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $52,340 and the ninetieth is $100,210 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- That $55,470 take-home in District of Columbia comes from $70,780. 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 232 of 390.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $50,061 uses one figure for the whole of District of Columbia. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 390 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 232.
- The District of Columbia median of $70,780 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $52,340 to $100,210. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Retained pay of $55,470, from $70,780, assumes a single District of Columbia 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 232 of 390 locally, and the state ranks 16 of 51 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $50,061, worked from $70,780, 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 District of Columbia address, on work sitting at 232 of 390 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $52,340 and the top tenth $100,210, so most people doing this work in District of Columbia sit within a fairly tight band.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
Not on its own. Prices in District of Columbia run above the national level, so the same dollars buy less here. Adjusted for that, this pay is worth $50,061 — the wage did not change, only what it covers.
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 District of Columbia's own levy, $55,470 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 ($52,340 to $100,210) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to District of Columbia rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
District of Columbia's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $50,061 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 $55,470 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and District of Columbia 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.