Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic in Illinois
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$37,899
after federal, FICA and Illinois tax
Tax takes
$9,281
19.7% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$38,337
Illinois costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Illinois — 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
$47,180
Kept after tax
$37,899
Worth in national money
$38,337
State rank
19
of 48 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Illinois is 19 of 48 states for this job, with a middle wage of $47,180. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Against other work in Illinois, this sits in the middle: 365 of 494 occupations with published pay. Solidly ordinary for the state, which is not the same as ordinary nationally.
- No great distortion either way. Illinois costs about what the country costs, so from $47,180, take-home of $37,899 is worth roughly $38,337 in national money. The average comes to $48,150, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Illinois ranks 19 of 48 for molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic at $47,180. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic ranks 365 of 494 occupations in Illinois by median pay, in the middle bands. Within-state and national positions are separate measurements and a job commonly sits in different quartiles on each.
- Price parity in Illinois is near the national base, so for molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic, whose median is $47,180, the adjusted figure of $38,337 differs little from $37,899 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $48,150 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
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Pay band: Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $34,900 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $47,180 |
| Top tenth earn over | $62,080 |
| This salary | $47,180 |
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 Illinois | $37,899 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $40,089 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$2,917 |
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 | $44,454 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$3,528 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 99 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Illinois earn less than $47,180. The published range is $34,900 up to $62,080, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Illinois the take-home figure of $37,899, from $47,180, 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 365 of 494 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $38,337 uses one figure for the whole of Illinois. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 494 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 365.
- Reported values are medians; for molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic in Illinois the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $34,900 to $62,080. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for Illinois is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $37,899 from $47,180. 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 365 of 494 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $38,337, worked from $47,180, 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 Illinois address, on work sitting at 365 of 494 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $34,900 at the bottom tenth to $62,080 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 $38,337.
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; Illinois then takes its own share, leaving $37,899.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 48 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 ($34,900 to $62,080) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Illinois rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Illinois'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 $38,337 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 $37,899 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Illinois 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 48 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.