Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks in District of Columbia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$57,953
after federal, FICA and District of Columbia tax
Tax takes
$16,717
22.4% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$52,303
District of Columbia costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in District of Columbia — 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
$74,670
Kept after tax
$57,953
Worth in national money
$52,303
State rank
1
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pay for payroll and timekeeping clerks is strong here. District of Columbia's middle earner gets $74,670, putting the state 1 of 51 — about 28.17% ahead of the national figure.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 390 occupations District of Columbia reports figures for, this is number 218.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $74,670 the take-home is $57,953. But District of Columbia costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $52,303 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $76,510, because the best-paid pull it up.
- For payroll and timekeeping clerks, District of Columbia sits in the upper band nationally: a median of $74,670, ranking 1 of 51 and running about 28.17% above the national midpoint. Nominal advantage of this size is usually, though not always, large enough to survive the state's own tax and price levels.
- In District of Columbia's occupational distribution, payroll and timekeeping clerks sits at 218 of 390 — 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.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and District of Columbia income tax is $57,953 for payroll and timekeeping clerks, from $74,670. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $52,303. ⚠️ 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 $76,510 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $49,270 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $74,670 |
| Top tenth earn over | $98,760 |
| This salary | $74,670 |
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 District of Columbia | $57,953 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $61,360 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$10,842 |
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 | $69,827 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$14,129 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 111 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in District of Columbia earn less than $74,670. The published range is $49,270 up to $98,760, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In District of Columbia the take-home figure of $57,953, from $74,670, 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 218 of 390 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of District of Columbia, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $52,303, the adjusted value of that $74,670 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 218 of 390 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for payroll and timekeeping clerks in District of Columbia the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $49,270 to $98,760. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for District of Columbia is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $57,953 from $74,670. 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 218 of 390 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for District of Columbia, so $52,303 — the adjusted value of that $74,670 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 218 of 390 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $49,270 and the top tenth $98,760, so most people doing this work in District of Columbia sit within a fairly tight band.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
The number and the value are different things. District of Columbia costs more than the national average, so this take-home stretches like $52,303 rather than its face figure.
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 District of Columbia's own levy, $57,953 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 ($49,270 to $98,760) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to District of Columbia rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
District of Columbia's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $52,303 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 $57,953 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and District of Columbia 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.