Physics Teachers, Postsecondary in Vermont
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$73,664
after federal, FICA and Vermont tax
Tax takes
$24,726
25.1% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$76,229
Vermont costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Vermont — 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
$98,390
Kept after tax
$73,664
Worth in national money
$76,229
State rank
24
of 47 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Vermont is 24 of 47 states for physics teachers, postsecondary, with a middle wage of $98,390. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- This is one of the better-paid jobs in Vermont. It ranks 58 out of 453 occupations the state publishes figures for, which puts it in the top quarter locally.
- Here is where Vermont does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $98,390 you keep $73,664, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $76,229 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $99,180, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Vermont ranks 24 of 47 for physics teachers, postsecondary at $98,390. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Within Vermont, physics teachers, postsecondary ranks 58 of 453 occupations by median pay, placing it in the top quartile of the local distribution. This is the comparison a resident actually makes — against neighbors rather than against the same job elsewhere.
- After federal, FICA and Vermont income tax, retained pay for physics teachers, postsecondary on $98,390 is $73,664. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $76,229 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 $99,180 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Physics Teachers, Postsecondary
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $64,570 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $98,390 |
| Top tenth earn over | $129,260 |
| This salary | $98,390 |
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 Vermont | $73,664 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $78,047 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$4,087 |
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 | $92,159 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$5,646 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 97 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $98,390 as a midpoint for Vermont, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $64,570 and the ninetieth is $129,260 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In Vermont the take-home figure of $73,664, from $98,390, 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 58 of 453 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Vermont, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $76,229, the adjusted value of that $98,390 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 58 of 453 in the state.
- The Vermont median of $98,390 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $64,570 to $129,260. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Take-home for Vermont is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $73,664 from $98,390. 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 58 of 453 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Vermont, so $76,229 — the adjusted value of that $98,390 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 58 of 453 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $64,570 and the top tenth $129,260, so most people doing this work in Vermont sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
A smaller wage in a cheaper place is not automatically less. Adjusted for local prices, this is worth $76,229.
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 Vermont's own levy, $73,664 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.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($64,570 to $129,260) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Vermont rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Vermont'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 $76,229 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 $73,664 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Vermont 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.