Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers in Nebraska
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$30,247
after federal, FICA and Nebraska tax
Tax takes
$5,853
16.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$33,468
Nebraska costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Nebraska — 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
$36,100
Kept after tax
$30,247
Worth in national money
$33,468
State rank
39
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Nebraska is among the lower-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $36,100, ranking 39 of 51 states — about 5.37% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Measured against other jobs in Nebraska, this one sits low: 443 of 488 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $36,100 you keep $30,247 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $33,468 at national prices. Here the average runs under the middle, at $35,980.
- Nebraska ranks 39 of 51 for veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers, with a median of $36,100 — about 5.37% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers occupies position 443 of 488 in Nebraska'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 in Nebraska is $30,247 after the full tax stack, from $36,100. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $33,468 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $35,980 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $29,930 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $36,100 |
| Top tenth earn over | $42,050 |
| This salary | $36,100 |
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 Nebraska | $30,247 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $31,186 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,375 |
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 | $34,931 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,663 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $36,100 as a midpoint for Nebraska, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $29,930 and the ninetieth is $42,050 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Nebraska's $30,247, worked from $36,100. 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 443 of 488.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $33,468 uses one figure for the whole of Nebraska. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 488 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 443.
- The Nebraska median of $36,100 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $29,930 to $42,050. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- The Nebraska take-home of $30,247, on $36,100 for work ranking 443 of 488 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 443 of 488 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $33,468, worked from $36,100, 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 Nebraska address, on work sitting at 443 of 488 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $29,930 at the tenth percentile, $42,050 at the ninetieth.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Nebraska is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $33,468 in national terms.
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; Nebraska then takes its own share, leaving $30,247.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($29,930 to $42,050) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Nebraska rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Nebraska'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 $33,468 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 $30,247 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Nebraska 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.