Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners in Louisiana
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$40,390
after federal, FICA and Louisiana tax
Tax takes
$8,510
17.4% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$45,719
Louisiana costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Louisiana — 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
$48,900
Kept after tax
$40,390
Worth in national money
$45,719
State rank
26
of 49 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Louisiana sits in the middle of the pack for this job. The median is $48,900, ranking 26 of 49 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 484 occupations Louisiana reports figures for, this is number 269.
- Louisiana is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $48,900 the take-home is $40,390; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $45,719 would nationally. The average comes to $52,900, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Louisiana occupies the middle band for septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners: a median of $48,900, ranking 26 of 49. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- In Louisiana's occupational distribution, septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners sits at 269 of 484 — 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.
- Post-tax income for septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners in Louisiana, on $48,900, is $40,390 — equivalent to $45,719 once regional price parity is applied. ⚠️ The adjustment uses a statewide index that describes no particular address; within-state price variation, concentrated in housing, routinely exceeds the difference between two states. At $52,900 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $39,590 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $48,900 |
| Top tenth earn over | $76,080 |
| This salary | $48,900 |
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 Louisiana | $40,390 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $41,471 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$3,042 |
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 | $47,555 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$3,679 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 88 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Louisiana earn less than $48,900. The published range is $39,590 up to $76,080, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Louisiana's $40,390, worked from $48,900. 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 269 of 484.
- One number stands for prices across all of Louisiana, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $45,719, the adjusted value of that $48,900 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 269 of 484 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners in Louisiana the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $39,590 to $76,080. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The Louisiana take-home of $40,390, on $48,900 for work ranking 269 of 484 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 269 of 484 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Louisiana, so $45,719 — the adjusted value of that $48,900 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 269 of 484 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
No — it is the middle. Half of these workers earn more and half earn less. The average is $52,900, pulled upward by the top of the range, which is why the middle is the fairer number to plan against.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $39,590 at the bottom tenth to $76,080 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Louisiana sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $45,719 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
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; Louisiana then takes its own share, leaving $40,390.
Why is this job missing from some states?
Because the survey suppresses a figure when too few employers report it. This occupation has published pay in 49 states — the rest are withheld to protect confidentiality, which is not the same as nobody doing the work there.
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 Louisiana is $52,900. 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 ($39,590) and the ninetieth ($76,080) 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?
Louisiana'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 $45,719 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 $40,390 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Louisiana 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.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 49 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.