Transportation Security Screeners in Utah
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$48,562
after federal, FICA and Utah tax
Tax takes
$12,548
20.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$51,117
Utah costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Utah — 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
$61,110
Kept after tax
$48,562
Worth in national money
$51,117
State rank
40
of 45 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pay for this job is on the low side in Utah. The middle earner gets $61,110. That is 40 of 45 states, and about 8.48% under the national figure. Whether that matters depends on what things cost here.
- Against other work in Utah, this sits in the middle: 222 of 487 occupations with published pay. Solidly ordinary for the state, which is not the same as ordinary nationally.
- Here is where Utah does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $61,110 you keep $48,562, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $51,117 would elsewhere. The average is lower, $60,420, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- For transportation security screeners, Utah sits in the lower band at $61,110, ranking 40 of 45 and trailing the national median by about 8.48%. Nominal rankings routinely invert once tax and regional price level are applied, so this position should not be read as the conclusion.
- Transportation security screeners ranks 222 of 487 occupations in Utah by median pay, in the middle bands. Within-state and national positions are separate measurements and a job commonly sits in different quartiles on each.
- After federal, FICA and Utah income tax, retained pay for transportation security screeners on $61,110 is $48,562. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $51,117 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 $60,420 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
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Pay band: Transportation Security Screeners
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $50,210 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $61,110 |
| Top tenth earn over | $71,280 |
| This salary | $61,110 |
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 Utah | $48,562 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $51,282 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$1,655 |
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 | $57,726 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$2,002 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 95 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Utah earn less than $61,110. The published range is $50,210 up to $71,280, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Utah's $48,562, worked from $61,110. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 222 of 487.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $51,117 uses one figure for the whole of Utah. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 487 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 222.
- Reported values are medians; for transportation security screeners in Utah the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $50,210 to $71,280. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The Utah take-home of $48,562, on $61,110 for work ranking 222 of 487 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 222 of 487 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $51,117, worked from $61,110, 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 Utah address, on work sitting at 222 of 487 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $50,210 and the top tenth $71,280, so most people doing this work in Utah sit within a fairly tight band.
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 $51,117.
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; Utah then takes its own share, leaving $48,562.
Why is this job missing from some states?
Because the survey suppresses a figure when too few employers report it. This occupation has published pay in 45 states — the rest are withheld to protect confidentiality, which is not the same as nobody doing the work there.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($50,210 to $71,280) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Utah rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Utah'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 $51,117 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 $48,562 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Utah 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 45 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.