Ophthalmic Medical Technicians in Pennsylvania
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$36,995
after federal, FICA and Pennsylvania tax
Tax takes
$8,055
17.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$37,943
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
$45,050
Kept after tax
$36,995
Worth in national money
$37,943
State rank
27
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Pennsylvania is 27 of 51 states for ophthalmic medical technicians, with a middle wage of $45,050. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Within Pennsylvania this is lower-paid work. Of 492 occupations the state publishes figures for, ophthalmic medical technicians ranks 377. That is the bottom quarter locally, whatever the national comparison says.
- No great distortion either way. Pennsylvania costs about what the country costs, so from $45,050, take-home of $36,995 is worth roughly $37,943 in national money. The average comes to $45,110, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Pennsylvania ranks 27 of 51 for ophthalmic medical technicians at $45,050. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Against every occupation Pennsylvania reports, ophthalmic medical technicians ranks 377 of 492, in the lowest quartile of the state's distribution. That position is set by the local labor market and is independent of how the state compares nationally for this work.
- Price parity in Pennsylvania is near the national base, so for ophthalmic medical technicians, whose median is $45,050, the adjusted figure of $37,943 differs little from $36,995 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $45,110 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $36,300 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $45,050 |
| Top tenth earn over | $55,900 |
| This salary | $45,050 |
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 | $36,995 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $38,378 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$1,550 |
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 | $43,329 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$1,875 |
| 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 ophthalmic medical technicians in Pennsylvania earn under $45,050 and half over. The published range runs $36,300 at the tenth percentile to $55,900 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Pennsylvania the take-home figure of $36,995, from $45,050, 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 377 of 492 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $37,943 uses one figure for the whole of Pennsylvania. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 492 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 377.
- Figures are distribution medians for ophthalmic medical technicians in Pennsylvania, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $36,300 to $55,900; 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.
- Take-home for Pennsylvania is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $36,995 from $45,050. 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 377 of 492 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $37,943, worked from $45,050, 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 Pennsylvania address, on work sitting at 377 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $36,300 at the bottom tenth to $55,900 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. Pennsylvania is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $37,943 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 Pennsylvania's own levy, $36,995 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 ($36,300 to $55,900) 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 $37,943 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 $36,995 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.
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.