Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers in District of Columbia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$46,799
after federal, FICA and District of Columbia tax
Tax takes
$11,661
19.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$42,236
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
$58,460
Kept after tax
$46,799
Worth in national money
$42,236
State rank
34
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- District of Columbia sits in the middle of the pack for this job. The median is $58,460, ranking 34 of 51 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Measured against other jobs in District of Columbia, this one sits low: 295 of 390 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $58,460 the take-home is $46,799. But District of Columbia costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $42,236 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $67,870, because the best-paid pull it up.
- District of Columbia occupies the middle band for security and fire alarm systems installers: a median of $58,460, ranking 34 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.
- Security and fire alarm systems installers occupies position 295 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 $46,799 for security and fire alarm systems installers, from $58,460. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $42,236. ⚠️ 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 $67,870 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
Choose your filing status and local taxes, compare pay, and keep a shortlist.Compare wage and personal-pay outcomes by state, with selected resident local taxes and saved career choices.
Pay band: Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $46,730 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $58,460 |
| Top tenth earn over | $93,610 |
| This salary | $58,460 |
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 | $46,799 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $49,153 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$8,346 |
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 | $55,531 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$10,093 |
| 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 security and fire alarm systems installers in District of Columbia earn under $58,460 and half over. The published range runs $46,730 at the tenth percentile to $93,610 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind District of Columbia's $46,799, worked from $58,460. 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 295 of 390.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $42,236 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 295.
- Figures are distribution medians for security and fire alarm systems installers in District of Columbia, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $46,730 to $93,610; 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.
- The District of Columbia take-home of $46,799, on $58,460 for work ranking 295 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 295 of 390 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $42,236, worked from $58,460, 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 295 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 $67,870, 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 $46,730 at the bottom tenth to $93,610 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 $42,236 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 $46,799.
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 $67,870. 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 ($46,730) and the ninetieth ($93,610) 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 $42,236 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 $46,799 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.