Residential Advisors in District of Columbia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$31,956
after federal, FICA and District of Columbia tax
Tax takes
$6,524
17.0% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$28,840
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
$38,480
Kept after tax
$31,956
Worth in national money
$28,840
State rank
32
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. District of Columbia is 32 of 51 states for residential advisors, with a middle wage of $38,480. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Within District of Columbia this is lower-paid work. Of 390 occupations the state publishes figures for, residential advisors ranks 379. That is the bottom quarter locally, whatever the national comparison says.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $38,480 the take-home is $31,956. But District of Columbia costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $28,840 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $43,200, because the best-paid pull it up.
- District of Columbia ranks 32 of 51 for residential advisors at $38,480. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Against every occupation District of Columbia reports, residential advisors ranks 379 of 390, in the lowest quartile of the state's distribution. That position is set by the local labor market and is independent of how the state compares nationally for this work.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and District of Columbia income tax is $31,956 for residential advisors, from $38,480. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $28,840. ⚠️ 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 $43,200 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Residential Advisors
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $36,600 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $38,480 |
| Top tenth earn over | $56,490 |
| This salary | $38,480 |
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 | $31,956 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $33,099 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$5,221 |
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 | $37,058 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$6,314 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 111 |
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 residential advisors in District of Columbia earn under $38,480 and half over. The published range runs $36,600 at the tenth percentile to $56,490 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- That $31,956 take-home in District of Columbia comes from $38,480. 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 379 of 390.
- One number stands for prices across all of District of Columbia, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $28,840, the adjusted value of that $38,480 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 379 of 390 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for residential advisors in District of Columbia, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $36,600 to $56,490; 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 $31,956, from $38,480, assumes a single District of Columbia 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 379 of 390 locally, and the state ranks 32 of 51 for it.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for District of Columbia, so $28,840 — the adjusted value of that $38,480 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 379 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 $43,200, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $36,600 and the top tenth $56,490, so most people doing this work in District of Columbia sit within a fairly tight band.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
Not on its own. Prices in District of Columbia run above the national level, so the same dollars buy less here. Adjusted for that, this pay is worth $28,840 — the wage did not change, only what it covers.
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 District of Columbia's own levy, $31,956 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 District of Columbia is $43,200. 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 is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($36,600 to $56,490) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to District of Columbia rather than a national figure.
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 $28,840 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 $31,956 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.