Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary in Hawaii
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$30,326
after federal, FICA and Hawaii tax
Tax takes
$6,484
17.6% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$27,922
Hawaii costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Hawaii — 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
$36,810
Kept after tax
$30,326
Worth in national money
$27,922
State rank
22
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Hawaii sits in the middle of the pack for this job. The median is $36,810, ranking 22 of 51 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Measured against other jobs in Hawaii, this one sits low: 422 of 437 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $36,810 the take-home is $30,326. But Hawaii costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $27,922 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $39,570, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Hawaii occupies the middle band for teaching assistants, except postsecondary: a median of $36,810, ranking 22 of 51. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Teaching assistants, except postsecondary occupies position 422 of 437 in Hawaii'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 Hawaii income tax is $30,326 for teaching assistants, except postsecondary, from $36,810. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $27,922. ⚠️ 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 $39,570 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
Choose your filing status and local taxes, compare pay, and keep a shortlist.Compare wage and personal-pay outcomes by state, with selected resident local taxes and saved career choices.
Pay band: Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $30,130 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $36,810 |
| Top tenth earn over | $46,990 |
| This salary | $36,810 |
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 Hawaii | $30,326 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $31,757 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$4,758 |
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 | $35,029 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$5,754 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 109 |
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 teaching assistants, except postsecondary in Hawaii earn under $36,810 and half over. The published range runs $30,130 at the tenth percentile to $46,990 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Hawaii the take-home figure of $30,326, from $36,810, 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 422 of 437 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Hawaii, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $27,922, the adjusted value of that $36,810 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 422 of 437 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for teaching assistants, except postsecondary in Hawaii, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $30,130 to $46,990; 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 Hawaii is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $30,326 from $36,810. 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 422 of 437 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Hawaii, so $27,922 — the adjusted value of that $36,810 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 422 of 437 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $39,570, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $30,130 and the top tenth $46,990, so most people doing this work in Hawaii 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 $27,922 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; Hawaii then takes its own share, leaving $30,326.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
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 Hawaii is $39,570. 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 ($30,130 to $46,990) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Hawaii rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Hawaii's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $27,922 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 $30,326 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Hawaii 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.