Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a teaching assistant make in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY?

In the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metropolitan area, teaching assistants earned a median of $34,190 a year in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 990 of these jobs there. That is 28% below the $47,600 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $32,240 and $48,250; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and New York tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $28,402 in take-home pay.

Teaching assistant pay in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY at a glance

Median salary

$34,190$2,849 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$32,240—
25th percentile$32,240—
75th percentile$40,350—
90th percentile$48,250—
Jobs in this metro990Location quotient 2.76 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here28% belowAll-jobs median $47,600
Against New York11% belowStatewide median $38,240
Against the U.S.7% belowNational median $36,780

Run the numbers on your own pay

Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Teaching assistant salary in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY after taxes

$34,190
$15,000$70,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$34,190
Net 83%
Fed 6%
NY 4%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$28,402After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,367Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,092Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate16.9%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$1,923 / yr
New York state income tax$1,250 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,616 / yr

Teaching assistants pay range in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What teaching assistants earned in the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (NY)
10th percentile—$2,687$32,240$26,940
25th percentile—$2,687$32,240$26,940
MedianMedian—$2,849$34,190$28,402
75th percentile—$3,363$40,350$33,019
90th percentile—$4,021$48,250$38,940

Is $34,190 a good salary in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for teaching assistants next to both.

Median household income$66,301Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)87.712.3% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household51.6%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Teaching assistant pay in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY: common questions

What is the median salary for teaching assistants in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY?

The BLS median annual wage for teaching assistants in the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area was $34,190 in May 2025, about $2,849 a month. Statewide, the New York median for this job is $38,240, so the metro pays 11% below the state.

Is there an hourly rate for teaching assistants in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY?

BLS publishes pay for this job as an annual salary only, because the hours worked in a year vary too much to state a meaningful hourly rate.

How many teaching assistants work in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY?

BLS estimated 990 jobs for teaching assistants in the metro in May 2025, or 25.2 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 2.76 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for teaching assistants in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY?

BLS wage estimates for teaching assistants in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY run from $32,240 at the 10th percentile to $32,240 at the 25th, $40,350 at the 75th, and $48,250 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do teaching assistants take home after taxes in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY?

On a median gross salary of $34,190, an estimated $28,402 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,092 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in New York in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $5,788 (an effective rate of 16.9%).

How much do teaching assistants make per month in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY?

On the median annual salary of $34,190, gross monthly income is $2,849. After federal, FICA, and New York state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,367 per month (or $1,092 every two weeks).

Is $34,190 a good salary in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY?

At $34,190, the median salary for teaching assistants is 51.6% of the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY median household income ($66,301). It is 28% below the $47,600 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 87.7, so prices here run 12.3% below the U.S. average.