Phlebotomists in Alabama
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$30,505
after federal, FICA and Alabama tax
Tax takes
$6,715
18.0% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$33,905
Alabama costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Alabama — 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
$37,220
Kept after tax
$30,505
Worth in national money
$33,905
State rank
49
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- The nominal figure here is modest. Alabama pays phlebotomists a middle wage of $37,220, 49 of 51 states and about 17.71% below the national middle. Hold that thought until the adjusted numbers.
- Within Alabama this is lower-paid work. Of 482 occupations the state publishes figures for, phlebotomists ranks 383. That is the bottom quarter locally, whatever the national comparison says.
- Here is where Alabama does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $37,220 you keep $30,505, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $33,905 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $38,020, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Alabama's $37,220 median for phlebotomists places it 49 of 51 states, about 17.71% below national. Because both the tax and price adjustments tend to favor lower-nominal states, this ranking is the least stable of the three reported here.
- Against every occupation Alabama reports, phlebotomists ranks 383 of 482, 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.
- After federal, FICA and Alabama income tax, retained pay for phlebotomists on $37,220 is $30,505. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $33,905 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 $38,020 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Phlebotomists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $30,440 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $37,220 |
| Top tenth earn over | $45,710 |
| This salary | $37,220 |
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 Alabama | $30,505 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $32,086 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$886 |
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 | $35,252 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,072 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
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 phlebotomists in Alabama earn under $37,220 and half over. The published range runs $30,440 at the tenth percentile to $45,710 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Alabama the take-home figure of $30,505, from $37,220, 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 383 of 482 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $33,905 uses one figure for the whole of Alabama. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 482 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 383.
- Figures are distribution medians for phlebotomists in Alabama, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $30,440 to $45,710; 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 Alabama is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $30,505 from $37,220. 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 383 of 482 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $33,905, worked from $37,220, 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 Alabama address, on work sitting at 383 of 482 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $30,440 at the tenth percentile, $45,710 at the ninetieth.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Alabama is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $33,905 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; Alabama then takes its own share, leaving $30,505.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($30,440 to $45,710) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Alabama rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Alabama'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 $33,905 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 $30,505 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Alabama 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.