Median pay · Pennsylvania
$49,690A year, or $24 an hour.| Percentile | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile1 in 10 earn less | $28,920 | $14 |
| 25th percentile | $36,690 | $18 |
| MedianHalf earn more, half less | $49,690 | $24 |
| 75th percentile | $78,270 | $38 |
| 90th percentile1 in 10 earn more | $117,860 | $57 |
| MeanAll pay divided by all jobs | $65,730 | $32 |
All occupations combined. Individual occupations vary far more than this figure suggests. The tables below show the spread.
How we got this
- Median wage in PennsylvaniaBLS OEWS May 2025. Half of all wage earners here were paid more than this, half less.$49,690
- Median hourly wagePublished separately by BLS, not divided out of the annual figure.$23.89
- Take-home after federal, state and FICA tax$3,382 a month at an effective rate of 18.3%.$40,580 a year
- Worth at national average pricesPrices in Pennsylvania sit at 97.6 against a national 100 (BEA, 2024).$50,926
- Against the national medianThe national median is $50,980.2.5% below
- Jobs countedWage and salary jobs; the self-employed are not surveyed.6,064,600
What we assumed
- Wages are BLS OEWS survey estimates for May 2025, not job postings or offers.
- OEWS surveys wage and salary workers. The self-employed and business owners are outside it.
- Take-home assumes one 2026 filer, filing single, taking the standard deduction, with no dependents, pre-tax retirement contributions or local income tax.
- Regional price parities compare price levels between places in one year. They are not inflation, and they do not adjust for what a household actually buys.
Technical details
Method occupation-wage-v1Data bls-oews-2025-05-v1, us-tax-2026-v1, bea-rpp-2024-v1, census-acs5-2024-v1
Questions
Pay in Pennsylvania: common questions
What is the average salary in Pennsylvania?
$65,730 a year, or $31.60 an hour, across every job the Bureau of Labor Statistics surveyed in Pennsylvania for May 2025.
The median is lower, $49,690: half of workers earn more and half earn less. The average sits above it because a smaller number of very high salaries pull it up, so the median is closer to what a typical worker makes.
What is a good salary in Pennsylvania?
Anything over $49,690 pays more than half the jobs in Pennsylvania. $78,270 puts you in the top quarter and $117,860 in the top 10%.
A single person on the median keeps about $3,382 a month after federal, state and FICA tax.
What are the highest-paying jobs in Pennsylvania?
By median pay: cardiologists ($579,120), anesthesiologists ($461,390), radiologists ($455,380), pathologists ($413,370) and orthopedic surgeons ($354,020). The table on this page lists the top 25.
What are the most common jobs in Pennsylvania?
By number of jobs: home health or personal care aides ($29,420), general or operations managers ($103,130), registered nurses ($96,430), fast food or counter workers ($28,570) and retail salespersons ($31,200), with the median pay for each.