Printing Press Operators in Pennsylvania
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$38,509
after federal, FICA and Pennsylvania tax
Tax takes
$8,501
18.1% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$39,497
Pennsylvania costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Pennsylvania — 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
$47,010
Kept after tax
$38,509
Worth in national money
$39,497
State rank
14
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pennsylvania is one of the better-paying states for printing press operators. The middle earner takes $47,010, which ranks 14 of 51 states with published figures. That is about 2.69% above the national middle.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. Printing press operators ranks 351 among 492 occupations Pennsylvania publishes pay for.
- No great distortion either way. Pennsylvania costs about what the country costs, so from $47,010, take-home of $38,509 is worth roughly $39,497 in national money. The average comes to $47,940, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Pennsylvania ranks 14 of 51 states publishing a median for printing press operators, at $47,010 — about 2.69% above the national median. A state's position on nominal pay is the figure wage tables report and the least informative of the three on this page, because it survives neither the tax adjustment nor the price adjustment intact for most occupations.
- Position 351 of 492 in Pennsylvania places printing press operators in the middle of the state's wage distribution. Because within-state and cross-state rankings measure different things, this figure and the national one above should be read together rather than as a single verdict.
- Price parity in Pennsylvania is near the national base, so for printing press operators, whose median is $47,010, the adjusted figure of $39,497 differs little from $38,509 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $47,940 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Printing Press Operators
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $34,850 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $47,010 |
| Top tenth earn over | $63,690 |
| This salary | $47,010 |
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 Pennsylvania | $38,509 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $39,953 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$1,617 |
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 | $45,214 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$1,956 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 98 |
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 printing press operators in Pennsylvania earn under $47,010 and half over. The published range runs $34,850 at the tenth percentile to $63,690 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- That $38,509 take-home in Pennsylvania comes from $47,010. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 351 of 492.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $39,497 uses one figure for the whole of Pennsylvania. 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 351.
- Figures are distribution medians for printing press operators in Pennsylvania, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $34,850 to $63,690; 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.
- Retained pay of $38,509, from $47,010, assumes a single Pennsylvania filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 351 of 492 locally, and the state ranks 14 of 51 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $39,497, worked from $47,010, 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 Pennsylvania address, on work sitting at 351 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $34,850 at the tenth percentile, $63,690 at the ninetieth.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Pennsylvania sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $39,497 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
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; Pennsylvania then takes its own share, leaving $38,509.
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 ($34,850 to $63,690) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Pennsylvania rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Pennsylvania'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 $39,497 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 $38,509 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Pennsylvania 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.