Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners in Virginia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$38,115
after federal, FICA and Virginia tax
Tax takes
$9,035
19.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$37,831
Virginia costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Virginia — 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
$47,150
Kept after tax
$38,115
Worth in national money
$37,831
State rank
34
of 49 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pay for this job is on the low side in Virginia. The middle earner gets $47,150. That is 34 of 49 states, and about 5.47% under the national figure. Whether that matters depends on what things cost here.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 489 occupations Virginia reports figures for, this is number 347.
- No great distortion either way. Virginia costs about what the country costs, so from $47,150, take-home of $38,115 is worth roughly $37,831 in national money. The average comes to $49,620, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- For septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners, Virginia sits in the lower band at $47,150, ranking 34 of 49 and trailing the national median by about 5.47%. Nominal rankings routinely invert once tax and regional price level are applied, so this position should not be read as the conclusion.
- In Virginia's occupational distribution, septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners sits at 347 of 489 — 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.
- Price parity in Virginia is near the national base, so for septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners, whose median is $47,150, the adjusted figure of $37,831 differs little from $38,115 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $49,620 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
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Pay band: Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $36,610 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $47,150 |
| Top tenth earn over | $62,570 |
| This salary | $47,150 |
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 Virginia | $38,115 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $40,065 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$3,399 |
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 | $44,722 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$4,110 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 101 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Virginia earn less than $47,150. The published range is $36,610 up to $62,570, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Virginia the take-home figure of $38,115, from $47,150, 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 347 of 489 occupations here.
- Two cautions on $37,831, the adjusted value of that $47,150 median. It levels out prices with a single number for all of Virginia. 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 347 of 489 locally.
- Reported values are medians; for septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners in Virginia the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $36,610 to $62,570. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for Virginia is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $38,115 from $47,150. 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 347 of 489 locally.
- This $37,831 adjusted figure, worked from $47,150, 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 347 of 489 in the state. The occupation ranks 347 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $49,620, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $36,610 at the tenth percentile, $62,570 at the ninetieth.
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 $37,831 of national purchasing power.
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 Virginia's own levy, $38,115 remains.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 49 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
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 Virginia is $49,620. 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 ($36,610 to $62,570) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Virginia rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Virginia's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $37,831 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 $38,115 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Virginia 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.