Social Workers, All Other in Pennsylvania
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$58,907
after federal, FICA and Pennsylvania tax
Tax takes
$15,524
20.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$60,417
Pennsylvania costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Pennsylvania — 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
$74,430
Kept after tax
$58,907
Worth in national money
$60,417
State rank
29
of 50 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pennsylvania sits in the middle of the pack for social workers, all other. The median is $74,430, ranking 29 of 50 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. Social workers, all other ranks 157 among 492 occupations Pennsylvania publishes pay for.
- Prices here sit close to the national average, so the adjustment changes little. From $74,430 the take-home is $58,907, which is worth about $60,417 in comparable money. Tax does most of the work here, not cost of living. The average is higher, $75,760, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Pennsylvania occupies the middle band for social workers, all other: a median of $74,430, ranking 29 of 50. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Position 157 of 492 in Pennsylvania places social workers, all other in the middle of the state's wage distribution. Because within-state and cross-state rankings measure different things, this figure and the national one above should be read together rather than as a single verdict.
- Pennsylvania's price level is near the national average, so price deflation is close to neutral for social workers, all other on its $74,430 median: $58,907 retained after tax becomes $60,417 in national-average terms. Where the price adjustment is small, the tax stack is the dominant determinant of the real outcome. The mean of $75,760 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
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Pay band: Social Workers, All Other
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $39,890 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $74,430 |
| Top tenth earn over | $112,570 |
| This salary | $74,430 |
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 Pennsylvania | $58,907 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $61,192 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$2,553 |
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 | $71,182 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$3,527 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 98 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of social workers, all other in Pennsylvania earn under $74,430 and half over. The published range runs $39,890 at the tenth percentile to $112,570 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Pennsylvania the take-home figure of $58,907, from $74,430, 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 157 of 492 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $60,417 uses one figure for the whole of Pennsylvania. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 492 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 157.
- Figures are distribution medians for social workers, all other in Pennsylvania, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $39,890 to $112,570; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- Take-home for Pennsylvania is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $58,907 from $74,430. 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 157 of 492 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $60,417, worked from $74,430, 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 Pennsylvania address, on work sitting at 157 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
Because one job title covers very different work. The bottom tenth here earn $39,890 and the top tenth $112,570 — experience, employer and specialism separate them, and a single figure hides all three.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Pennsylvania sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $60,417 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Into four separate taxes, not one. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare apply everywhere, and Pennsylvania adds its own income tax on top — which is why $58,907 of this wage survives to your account.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 50 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($39,890) and the ninetieth ($112,570) 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?
Pennsylvania'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 $60,417 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 $58,907 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Pennsylvania 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 50 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.