Prepress Technicians and Workers in Louisiana
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$32,006
after federal, FICA and Louisiana tax
Tax takes
$6,054
15.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$36,228
Louisiana costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Louisiana — 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
$38,060
Kept after tax
$32,006
Worth in national money
$36,228
State rank
43
of 45 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Louisiana is among the lower-paying states for prepress technicians and workers. The middle earner takes $38,060, ranking 43 of 45 states — about 21.83% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Measured against other jobs in Louisiana, this one sits low: 369 of 484 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Louisiana is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $38,060 the take-home is $32,006; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $36,228 would nationally. The average comes to $41,740, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Louisiana ranks 43 of 45 for prepress technicians and workers, with a median of $38,060 — about 21.83% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- Prepress technicians and workers occupies position 369 of 484 in Louisiana'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.
- Post-tax income for prepress technicians and workers in Louisiana, on $38,060, is $32,006 — equivalent to $36,228 once regional price parity is applied. ⚠️ The adjustment uses a statewide index that describes no particular address; within-state price variation, concentrated in housing, routinely exceeds the difference between two states. At $41,740 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
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Pay band: Prepress Technicians and Workers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $29,450 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $38,060 |
| Top tenth earn over | $61,620 |
| This salary | $38,060 |
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 Louisiana | $32,006 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $32,761 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,514 |
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 | $37,120 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$3,041 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 88 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Louisiana earn less than $38,060. The published range is $29,450 up to $61,620, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Louisiana the take-home figure of $32,006, from $38,060, 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 369 of 484 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Louisiana, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $36,228, the adjusted value of that $38,060 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 369 of 484 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for prepress technicians and workers in Louisiana the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $29,450 to $61,620. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for Louisiana is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $32,006 from $38,060. 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 369 of 484 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Louisiana, so $36,228 — the adjusted value of that $38,060 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 369 of 484 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $41,740, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $29,450 at the bottom tenth to $61,620 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Louisiana is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $36,228 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; Louisiana then takes its own share, leaving $32,006.
Why is this job missing from some states?
A blank is a suppression, not a zero. 45 states have a published figure for this work; the others had too few responses to release one.
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 Louisiana is $41,740. 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 drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($29,450) and the ninetieth ($61,620) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Louisiana'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 $36,228 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 $32,006 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Louisiana 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 45 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.