Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers in Idaho
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$39,943
after federal, FICA and Idaho tax
Tax takes
$9,237
18.8% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$43,689
Idaho costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Idaho — 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
$49,180
Kept after tax
$39,943
Worth in national money
$43,689
State rank
47
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Idaho is among the lower-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $49,180, ranking 47 of 51 states — about 18.13% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 476 occupations Idaho reports figures for, this is number 292.
- Here is where Idaho does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $49,180 you keep $39,943, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $43,689 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $53,960, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Idaho ranks 47 of 51 for security and fire alarm systems installers, with a median of $49,180 — about 18.13% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- In Idaho's occupational distribution, security and fire alarm systems installers sits at 292 of 476 — 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 Idaho income tax, retained pay for security and fire alarm systems installers on $49,180 is $39,943. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $43,689 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 $53,960 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $35,360 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $49,180 |
| Top tenth earn over | $76,290 |
| This salary | $49,180 |
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 Idaho | $39,943 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $41,696 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$781 |
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 | $46,998 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$944 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 91 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Idaho earn less than $49,180. The published range is $35,360 up to $76,290, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Idaho the take-home figure of $39,943, from $49,180, 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 292 of 476 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Idaho, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $43,689, the adjusted value of that $49,180 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 292 of 476 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for security and fire alarm systems installers in Idaho the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $35,360 to $76,290. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for Idaho is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $39,943 from $49,180. 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 292 of 476 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Idaho, so $43,689 — the adjusted value of that $49,180 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 292 of 476 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $53,960, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
One title, many jobs. The lowest tenth take $35,360, the highest tenth $76,290, and what separates them is experience, employer and what exactly the role does.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
A smaller wage in a cheaper place is not automatically less. Adjusted for local prices, this is worth $43,689.
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 Idaho's own levy, $39,943 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 Idaho is $53,960. 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 ($35,360) and the ninetieth ($76,290) 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?
Idaho'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 $43,689 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 $39,943 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Idaho 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.