Self-Enrichment Teachers in Alabama
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$31,424
after federal, FICA and Alabama tax
Tax takes
$7,006
18.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$34,927
Alabama costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Alabama — 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
$38,430
Kept after tax
$31,424
Worth in national money
$34,927
State rank
39
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Alabama is among the lower-paying states for self-enrichment teachers. The middle earner takes $38,430, ranking 39 of 51 states — about 17.88% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Measured against other jobs in Alabama, this one sits low: 363 of 482 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Here is where Alabama does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $38,430 you keep $31,424, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $34,927 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $41,510, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Alabama ranks 39 of 51 for self-enrichment teachers, with a median of $38,430 — about 17.88% 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.
- Self-enrichment teachers occupies position 363 of 482 in Alabama'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.
- After federal, FICA and Alabama income tax, retained pay for self-enrichment teachers on $38,430 is $31,424. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $34,927 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 $41,510 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Self-Enrichment Teachers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $21,520 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $38,430 |
| Top tenth earn over | $60,810 |
| This salary | $38,430 |
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 Alabama | $31,424 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $33,059 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$907 |
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 | $36,395 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,097 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Alabama earn less than $38,430. The published range is $21,520 up to $60,810, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Alabama the take-home figure of $31,424, from $38,430, 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 363 of 482 occupations here.
- Two cautions on $34,927, the adjusted value of that $38,430 median. It levels out prices with a single number for all of Alabama. No actual address matches that. The wage figures and price figures are also from different years. Each is published on its own timetable. This work sits at 363 of 482 locally.
- Reported values are medians; for self-enrichment teachers in Alabama the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $21,520 to $60,810. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for Alabama is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $31,424 from $38,430. 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 363 of 482 locally.
- This $34,927 adjusted figure, worked from $38,430, rests on a state-level price parity averaging over within-state dispersion larger than much of the between-state dispersion. Wage and price vintages differ by publication schedule. The result is directionally sound and not address-specific, for work at 363 of 482 in the state. The occupation ranks 363 of 482 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 $41,510 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 $21,520 at the bottom tenth to $60,810 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. Alabama is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $34,927 in national terms.
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; Alabama then takes its own share, leaving $31,424.
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 Alabama is $41,510. 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 ($21,520) and the ninetieth ($60,810) 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?
Alabama'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 $34,927 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 $31,424 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Alabama 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.