Motorcycle Mechanics in Arkansas
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$38,932
after federal, FICA and Arkansas tax
Tax takes
$8,418
17.8% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$45,004
Arkansas costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Arkansas — 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
$47,350
Kept after tax
$38,932
Worth in national money
$45,004
State rank
25
of 45 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Arkansas is 25 of 45 states for motorcycle mechanics, with a middle wage of $47,350. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 489 occupations Arkansas reports figures for, this is number 254.
- Here is where Arkansas does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $47,350 you keep $38,932, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $45,004 would elsewhere. The average is lower, $46,680, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- Arkansas ranks 25 of 45 for motorcycle mechanics at $47,350. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- In Arkansas's occupational distribution, motorcycle mechanics sits at 254 of 489 — 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.
- After federal, FICA and Arkansas income tax, retained pay for motorcycle mechanics on $47,350 is $38,932. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $45,004 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $46,680 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
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Pay band: Motorcycle Mechanics
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $38,520 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $47,350 |
| Top tenth earn over | $59,850 |
| This salary | $47,350 |
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 Arkansas | $38,932 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $40,226 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$3,609 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
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 | $45,740 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$4,365 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 87 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Arkansas earn less than $47,350. The published range is $38,520 up to $59,850, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Arkansas's $38,932, worked from $47,350. 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 254 of 489.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $45,004 uses one figure for the whole of Arkansas. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 489 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 254.
- Reported values are medians; for motorcycle mechanics in Arkansas the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $38,520 to $59,850. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The Arkansas take-home of $38,932, on $47,350 for work ranking 254 of 489 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 254 of 489 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $45,004, worked from $47,350, 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 Arkansas address, on work sitting at 254 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $38,520 at the bottom tenth to $59,850 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Arkansas is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $45,004 in national terms.
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 Arkansas's own levy, $38,932 remains.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 45 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 ($38,520 to $59,850) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Arkansas rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Arkansas'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 $45,004 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 $38,932 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Arkansas 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 45 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.