Printing Press Operators in Arkansas
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$38,258
after federal, FICA and Arkansas tax
Tax takes
$8,212
17.7% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$44,225
Arkansas costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Arkansas — 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
$46,470
Kept after tax
$38,258
Worth in national money
$44,225
State rank
15
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- This is a good state for the work. Arkansas pays printing press operators a middle wage of $46,470, ranking 15 of 51 states and sitting about 1.51% above the national middle.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 489 occupations Arkansas reports figures for, this is number 261.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $46,470 you keep $38,258 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $44,225 at national prices. Averages run higher here, $47,640, since top earners drag the number up.
- Arkansas's median for printing press operators is $46,470, about 1.51% above the national figure and 15 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 Arkansas's occupational distribution, printing press operators sits at 261 of 489 — 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 in Arkansas is $38,258 after the full tax stack, from $46,470. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $44,225 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $47,640 exceeds the median, so the upper tail is doing the work.
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Pay band: Printing Press Operators
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $28,540 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $46,470 |
| Top tenth earn over | $64,060 |
| This salary | $46,470 |
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 Arkansas | $38,258 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $39,519 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$3,557 |
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 | $44,901 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$4,302 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 87 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Arkansas earn less than $46,470. The published range is $28,540 up to $64,060, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Arkansas the take-home figure of $38,258, from $46,470, 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 261 of 489 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Arkansas, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $44,225, the adjusted value of that $46,470 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 261 of 489 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for printing press operators in Arkansas the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $28,540 to $64,060. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for Arkansas is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $38,258 from $46,470. 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 261 of 489 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Arkansas, so $44,225 — the adjusted value of that $46,470 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 261 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $28,540 at the bottom tenth to $64,060 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
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 $44,225.
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; Arkansas then takes its own share, leaving $38,258.
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 drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($28,540) and the ninetieth ($64,060) 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?
Arkansas'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 $44,225 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 $38,258 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Arkansas 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.