Office Machine Operators, Except Computer in Maryland
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$29,510
after federal, FICA and Maryland tax
Tax takes
$6,160
17.3% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$28,385
Maryland costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Maryland — 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
$35,670
Kept after tax
$29,510
Worth in national money
$28,385
State rank
41
of 47 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Maryland is among the lower-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $35,670, ranking 41 of 47 states — about 12.92% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Measured against other jobs in Maryland, this one sits low: 472 of 489 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $35,670 the take-home is $29,510. But Maryland costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $28,385 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $41,260, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Maryland ranks 41 of 47 for office machine operators, except computer, with a median of $35,670 — about 12.92% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- Office machine operators, except computer occupies position 472 of 489 in Maryland'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.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and Maryland income tax is $29,510 for office machine operators, except computer, from $35,670. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $28,385. ⚠️ 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 $41,260 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Office Machine Operators, Except Computer
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $32,440 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $35,670 |
| Top tenth earn over | $55,600 |
| This salary | $35,670 |
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 Maryland | $29,510 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $30,841 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$3,353 |
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 | $34,014 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$4,055 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 104 |
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 office machine operators, except computer in Maryland earn under $35,670 and half over. The published range runs $32,440 at the tenth percentile to $55,600 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- That $29,510 take-home in Maryland comes from $35,670. 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 472 of 489.
- Two cautions on $28,385, the adjusted value of that $35,670 median. It levels out prices with a single number for all of Maryland. No actual address matches that. The wage figures and price figures are also from different years. Each is published on its own timetable. This work sits at 472 of 489 locally.
- Figures are distribution medians for office machine operators, except computer in Maryland, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $32,440 to $55,600; 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.
- Retained pay of $29,510, from $35,670, assumes a single Maryland 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 472 of 489 locally, and the state ranks 41 of 47 for it.
- This $28,385 adjusted figure, worked from $35,670, rests on a state-level price parity averaging over within-state dispersion larger than much of the between-state dispersion. Wage and price vintages differ by publication schedule. The result is directionally sound and not address-specific, for work at 472 of 489 in the state. The occupation ranks 472 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $41,260, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $32,440 and the top tenth $55,600, so most people doing this work in Maryland sit within a fairly tight band.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
Not on its own. Prices in Maryland run above the national level, so the same dollars buy less here. Adjusted for that, this pay is worth $28,385 — 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 Maryland's own levy, $29,510 remains.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 47 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in Maryland is $41,260. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($32,440 to $55,600) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Maryland rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Maryland's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $28,385 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 $29,510 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Maryland 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 47 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.