Rehabilitation Counselors in District of Columbia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$40,283
after federal, FICA and District of Columbia tax
Tax takes
$9,397
18.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$36,355
District of Columbia costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in District of Columbia — 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
$49,680
Kept after tax
$40,283
Worth in national money
$36,355
State rank
15
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- This is a good state for the work. District of Columbia pays rehabilitation counselors a middle wage of $49,680, ranking 15 of 51 states and sitting about 6.04% above the national middle.
- Measured against other jobs in District of Columbia, this one sits low: 318 of 390 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $49,680 the take-home is $40,283. But District of Columbia costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $36,355 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $63,780, because the best-paid pull it up.
- District of Columbia's median for rehabilitation counselors is $49,680, about 6.04% 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.
- Rehabilitation counselors occupies position 318 of 390 in District of Columbia'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.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and District of Columbia income tax is $40,283 for rehabilitation counselors, from $49,680. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $36,355. ⚠️ This is purchasing power and not a wage; cross-state offer comparisons that stop at the nominal figure systematically overvalue high-cost states. The mean of $63,780 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Rehabilitation Counselors
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $49,670 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $49,680 |
| Top tenth earn over | $95,530 |
| This salary | $49,680 |
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 District of Columbia | $40,283 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $42,098 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$6,966 |
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 | $47,421 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$8,425 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 111 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $49,680 as a midpoint for District of Columbia, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $49,670 and the ninetieth is $95,530 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind District of Columbia's $40,283, worked from $49,680. 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 318 of 390.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $36,355 uses one figure for the whole of District of Columbia. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 390 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 318.
- The District of Columbia median of $49,680 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $49,670 to $95,530. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- The District of Columbia take-home of $40,283, on $49,680 for work ranking 318 of 390 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 318 of 390 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $36,355, worked from $49,680, 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 District of Columbia address, on work sitting at 318 of 390 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $63,780, 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 $49,670 at the bottom tenth to $95,530 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
A larger wage in a dearer place is not automatically more. Adjusted for local prices, this pay behaves like $36,355 of national purchasing power.
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; District of Columbia then takes its own share, leaving $40,283.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like 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 District of Columbia is $63,780. 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 ($49,670) and the ninetieth ($95,530) 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.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
District of Columbia's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $36,355 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $40,283 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and District of Columbia 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.