Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs in New Jersey
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$33,230
after federal, FICA and New Jersey tax
Tax takes
$6,240
15.8% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$30,519
New Jersey costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in New Jersey — 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
$39,470
Kept after tax
$33,230
Worth in national money
$30,519
State rank
12
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pay for shuttle drivers and chauffeurs is strong here. New Jersey's middle earner gets $39,470, putting the state 12 of 51 — about 5.85% ahead of the national figure.
- Measured against other jobs in New Jersey, this one sits low: 438 of 490 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $39,470 the take-home is $33,230. But New Jersey costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $30,519 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $43,710, because the best-paid pull it up.
- For shuttle drivers and chauffeurs, New Jersey sits in the upper band nationally: a median of $39,470, ranking 12 of 51 and running about 5.85% above the national midpoint. Nominal advantage of this size is usually, though not always, large enough to survive the state's own tax and price levels.
- Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs occupies position 438 of 490 in New Jersey'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 New Jersey income tax is $33,230 for shuttle drivers and chauffeurs, from $39,470. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $30,519. ⚠️ 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 $43,710 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $32,750 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $39,470 |
| Top tenth earn over | $60,100 |
| This salary | $39,470 |
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 New Jersey | $33,230 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $33,894 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$4,360 |
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 | $38,644 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$5,273 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 109 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $39,470 as a midpoint for New Jersey, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $32,750 and the ninetieth is $60,100 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In New Jersey the take-home figure of $33,230, from $39,470, 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 438 of 490 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $30,519 uses one figure for the whole of New Jersey. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 490 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 438.
- The New Jersey median of $39,470 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $32,750 to $60,100. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Take-home for New Jersey is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $33,230 from $39,470. 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 438 of 490 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $30,519, worked from $39,470, 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 New Jersey address, on work sitting at 438 of 490 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 $43,710, pulled upward by the top of the range, which is why the middle is the fairer number to plan against.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $32,750 and the top tenth $60,100, so most people doing this work in New Jersey sit within a fairly tight band.
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 $30,519 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; New Jersey then takes its own share, leaving $33,230.
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 New Jersey is $43,710. 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 ($32,750 to $60,100) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to New Jersey rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
New Jersey's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $30,519 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 $33,230 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and New Jersey 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.