Postal Service Clerks in California
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$51,303
after federal, FICA and California tax
Tax takes
$12,347
19.4% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$45,570
California costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in California — 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
$63,650
Kept after tax
$51,303
Worth in national money
$45,570
State rank
4
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- This is a good state for the work. California pays postal service clerks a middle wage of $63,650, ranking 4 of 51 states and sitting about 2.45% above the national middle.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 492 occupations California reports figures for, this is number 267.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $63,650 the take-home is $51,303. But California costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $45,570 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $64,270, because the best-paid pull it up.
- California's median for postal service clerks is $63,650, about 2.45% above the national figure and 4 of 51 states reporting. Whether that premium reaches the worker depends on the two adjustments below, which is the part a wage table cannot tell you.
- In California's occupational distribution, postal service clerks sits at 267 of 492 — 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 California income tax is $51,303 for postal service clerks, from $63,650. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $45,570. ⚠️ 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 $64,270 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Postal Service Clerks
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $54,330 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $63,650 |
| Top tenth earn over | $76,360 |
| This salary | $63,650 |
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 California | $51,303 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $53,323 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$9,303 |
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 | $61,137 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$11,251 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 113 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in California earn less than $63,650. The published range is $54,330 up to $76,360, 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 California's $51,303, worked from $63,650. 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 267 of 492.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $45,570 uses one figure for the whole of California. 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 267.
- Reported values are medians; for postal service clerks in California the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $54,330 to $76,360. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The California take-home of $51,303, on $63,650 for work ranking 267 of 492 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 267 of 492 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $45,570, worked from $63,650, 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 California address, on work sitting at 267 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $54,330 and the top tenth $76,360, so most people doing this work in California sit within a fairly tight band.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
A larger wage in a dearer place is not automatically more. Adjusted for local prices, this pay behaves like $45,570 of national purchasing power.
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; California then takes its own share, leaving $51,303.
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 ($54,330 to $76,360) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to California rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
California's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $45,570 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 $51,303 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and California 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.