Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders in Michigan
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$34,157
after federal, FICA and Michigan tax
Tax takes
$7,533
18.1% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$36,266
Michigan costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Michigan — 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
$41,690
Kept after tax
$34,157
Worth in national money
$36,266
State rank
29
of 50 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Michigan sits in the middle of the pack for this job. The median is $41,690, ranking 29 of 50 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Measured against other jobs in Michigan, this one sits low: 395 of 493 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $41,690 you keep $34,157 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $36,266 at national prices. Averages run higher here, $44,110, since top earners drag the number up.
- Michigan occupies the middle band for packaging and filling machine operators and tenders: a median of $41,690, ranking 29 of 50. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders occupies position 395 of 493 in Michigan'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 in Michigan is $34,157 after the full tax stack, from $41,690. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $36,266 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $44,110 exceeds the median, so the upper tail is doing the work.
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Pay band: Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $31,890 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $41,690 |
| Top tenth earn over | $59,370 |
| This salary | $41,690 |
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 Michigan | $34,157 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $35,678 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$449 |
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 | $39,797 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$543 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 94 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Michigan earn less than $41,690. The published range is $31,890 up to $59,370, 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 Michigan's $34,157, worked from $41,690. 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 395 of 493.
- One number stands for prices across all of Michigan, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $36,266, the adjusted value of that $41,690 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 395 of 493 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for packaging and filling machine operators and tenders in Michigan the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $31,890 to $59,370. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The Michigan take-home of $34,157, on $41,690 for work ranking 395 of 493 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 395 of 493 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Michigan, so $36,266 — the adjusted value of that $41,690 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 395 of 493 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $44,110, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $31,890 at the tenth percentile, $59,370 at the ninetieth.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Michigan is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $36,266 in national terms.
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; Michigan then takes its own share, leaving $34,157.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 50 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 Michigan is $44,110. 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 ($31,890 to $59,370) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Michigan rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Michigan'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 $36,266 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 $34,157 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Michigan 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 50 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.