Protective Service Workers, All Other in Mississippi
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$40,294
after federal, FICA and Mississippi tax
Tax takes
$9,506
19.1% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$46,160
Mississippi costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Mississippi — 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
$49,800
Kept after tax
$40,294
Worth in national money
$46,160
State rank
18
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Mississippi sits in the middle of the pack for this job. The median is $49,800, ranking 18 of 51 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 486 occupations Mississippi reports figures for, this is number 229.
- Here is where Mississippi does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $49,800 you keep $40,294, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $46,160 would elsewhere. The average is lower, $47,910, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- Mississippi occupies the middle band for protective service workers, all other: a median of $49,800, ranking 18 of 51. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- In Mississippi's occupational distribution, protective service workers, all other sits at 229 of 486 — 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.
- After federal, FICA and Mississippi income tax, retained pay for protective service workers, all other on $49,800 is $40,294. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $46,160 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 $47,910 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
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Pay band: Protective Service Workers, All Other
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $27,060 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $49,800 |
| Top tenth earn over | $67,200 |
| This salary | $49,800 |
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 Mississippi | $40,294 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $42,194 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,739 |
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 | $47,435 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$3,313 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 87 |
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 protective service workers, all other in Mississippi earn under $49,800 and half over. The published range runs $27,060 at the tenth percentile to $67,200 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Mississippi the take-home figure of $40,294, from $49,800, 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 229 of 486 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $46,160 uses one figure for the whole of Mississippi. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 486 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 229.
- Figures are distribution medians for protective service workers, all other in Mississippi, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $27,060 to $67,200; 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.
- Take-home for Mississippi is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $40,294 from $49,800. 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 229 of 486 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $46,160, worked from $49,800, 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 Mississippi address, on work sitting at 229 of 486 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $47,910, 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 $27,060 at the bottom tenth to $67,200 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Mississippi sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $46,160 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
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 Mississippi's own levy, $40,294 remains.
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.
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 Mississippi is $47,910. 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 ($27,060) and the ninetieth ($67,200) 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?
Mississippi'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 $46,160 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 $40,294 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Mississippi 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.