Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators in Montana
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$60,456
after federal, FICA and Montana tax
Tax takes
$17,234
22.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$66,992
Montana costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Montana — 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
$77,690
Kept after tax
$60,456
Worth in national money
$66,992
State rank
15
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pay for this job is strong here. Montana's middle earner gets $77,690, putting the state 15 of 51 — about 1.18% ahead of the national figure.
- Within Montana this is well-paid work. Of 475 occupations with published figures in the state, this job ranks 114 — in the top quarter of everything people do there.
- Here is where Montana does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $77,690 you keep $60,456, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $66,992 would elsewhere. The average is lower, $77,000, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- For stationary engineers and boiler operators, Montana sits in the upper band nationally: a median of $77,690, ranking 15 of 51 and running about 1.18% 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.
- Ranked against every occupation Montana publishes a median for, stationary engineers and boiler operators sits 114 of 475 — the upper quartile of the state's wage distribution. National standing and within-state standing are separate questions, and a job can occupy very different positions on each.
- After federal, FICA and Montana income tax, retained pay for stationary engineers and boiler operators on $77,690 is $60,456. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $66,992 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 $77,000 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
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Pay band: Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $50,410 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $77,690 |
| Top tenth earn over | $108,210 |
| This salary | $77,690 |
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 Montana | $60,456 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $63,485 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,662 |
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 | $73,385 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,295 |
| 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 Montana earn less than $77,690. The published range is $50,410 up to $108,210, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Montana the take-home figure of $60,456, from $77,690, 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 114 of 475 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $66,992 uses one figure for the whole of Montana. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 475 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 114.
- Reported values are medians; for stationary engineers and boiler operators in Montana the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $50,410 to $108,210. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for Montana is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $60,456 from $77,690. 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 114 of 475 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $66,992, worked from $77,690, 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 Montana address, on work sitting at 114 of 475 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 $50,410 and the top tenth $108,210 — experience, employer and specialism separate them, and a single figure hides all three.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
A smaller wage in a cheaper place is not automatically less. Adjusted for local prices, this is worth $66,992.
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; Montana then takes its own share, leaving $60,456.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($50,410) and the ninetieth ($108,210) 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?
Montana'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 $66,992 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 $60,456 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Montana 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.