Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary in Wisconsin
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$60,257
after federal, FICA and Wisconsin tax
Tax takes
$17,323
22.3% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$64,725
Wisconsin costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Wisconsin — 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
$77,580
Kept after tax
$60,257
Worth in national money
$64,725
State rank
33
of 50 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Wisconsin is 33 of 50 states for this job, with a middle wage of $77,580. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 491 occupations Wisconsin reports figures for, this is number 139.
- Here is where Wisconsin does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $77,580 you keep $60,257, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $64,725 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $86,320, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Wisconsin ranks 33 of 50 for psychology teachers, postsecondary at $77,580. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- In Wisconsin's occupational distribution, psychology teachers, postsecondary sits at 139 of 491 — 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 Wisconsin income tax, retained pay for psychology teachers, postsecondary on $77,580 is $60,257. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $64,725 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 $86,320 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $52,950 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $77,580 |
| Top tenth earn over | $136,890 |
| This salary | $77,580 |
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 Wisconsin | $60,257 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $63,408 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$526 |
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 | $73,101 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$727 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 93 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Wisconsin earn less than $77,580. The published range is $52,950 up to $136,890, 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 Wisconsin's $60,257, worked from $77,580. 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 139 of 491.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $64,725 uses one figure for the whole of Wisconsin. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 491 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 139.
- Reported values are medians; for psychology teachers, postsecondary in Wisconsin the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $52,950 to $136,890. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The Wisconsin take-home of $60,257, on $77,580 for work ranking 139 of 491 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 139 of 491 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $64,725, worked from $77,580, 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 Wisconsin address, on work sitting at 139 of 491 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
Half earn more than this and half earn less. The average sits at $86,320 because a long tail of high pay lifts it, so the two answer different questions.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $52,950 at the bottom tenth to $136,890 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. Wisconsin is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $64,725 in national terms.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Into four separate taxes, not one. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare apply everywhere, and Wisconsin adds its own income tax on top — which is why $60,257 of this wage survives to your account.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 50 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
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 Wisconsin is $86,320. 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 ($52,950) and the ninetieth ($136,890) 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?
Wisconsin'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 $64,725 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 $60,257 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Wisconsin 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 50 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.