Is Indiana a good state for your salary to go far?

Indiana ranks #31 of 51 states on the Gera US Real Pay Index, with a mean index of 98.3 across 371 occupations (100 = the average state). Its 2024 BEA cost of living is 93.3 (US = 100), and its 2025 state income tax schedule is applied to each occupation's median wage.

What is the cost of living in Indiana?

Indiana's Regional Price Parity (All Items) for 2024 is 93.3, where the US average is 100. That is at or below the national average, so a dollar buys as much as or more than it does nationally. The Gera US Real Pay Index divides take-home pay by this figure to express salaries in purchasing-power-equivalent dollars.

GeraJobs / US Real Pay Index / Indiana

Where Your Salary Goes Furthest in Indiana

Indiana ranks #31 of 51 states on the Gera US Real Pay Index (mean 98.3, base = 100). Cost of living 93.3 (US = 100); top income tax 3.00%.

Does a salary go further in Indiana? (cost of living + state tax)

In Indiana, the cost of living is 93.3 on the BEA index (US = 100) and the Gera US Real Pay Index averages 98.3 across 371 occupations, ranking it #31 of 51 states for how far pay goes after 2025 state income tax and 2024 BEA cost of living. Real BLS OEWS; re-dated annually.

Source:U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)·As of May 2025 state estimates · updated annually · last refreshed 19 June 2026

Gera US Real Pay Index

Indiana ranks #31 of 51 states. Mean across 371 occupations; 100 = the average state, 98.3 means pay goes -1.7% less far after tax and cost of living.

How this is calculated

98.3

Real pay by occupation in Indiana (best first)

Occupation	BLS median	Real pay	Index
Physicians, All Other	$366,190	$380,626	135.0
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators	$79,580	$82,742	130.3
Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping	$57,210	$59,492	126.9
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other	$81,290	$84,520	126.7
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors	$58,900	$61,249	121.5
Financial Specialists, All Other	$92,410	$96,077	120.1
Engineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other	$88,880	$92,408	120.0
Brickmasons and Blockmasons	$73,110	$76,018	118.0
Information and Record Clerks, All Other	$56,310	$58,557	117.2
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters	$76,320	$79,354	116.6
Production Workers, All Other	$48,260	$50,190	116.2
Biological Technicians	$58,790	$61,135	114.7
Firefighters	$62,780	$65,282	114.3
First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers	$61,520	$63,972	114.3
Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity	$58,410	$60,740	114.1
Surveyors	$80,510	$83,709	112.0
Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers	$42,450	$44,152	111.6
Carpenters	$62,870	$65,375	110.9
Social Workers, All Other	$84,570	$87,929	110.9
Glaziers	$60,210	$62,610	110.9
Roofers	$57,980	$60,293	110.4
Power Plant Operators	$107,000	$111,241	110.3
Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers	$61,270	$63,712	110.1
Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians	$79,380	$82,534	110.1
Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks	$47,320	$49,213	109.6
Medical Equipment Repairers	$64,590	$67,163	109.2
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers	$44,880	$46,677	109.1
First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers	$62,040	$64,512	109.1
Veterinary Technologists and Technicians	$48,720	$50,668	109.0
Healthcare Support Workers, All Other	$49,900	$51,895	109.0
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	$102,040	$106,086	108.7
Engineers, All Other	$120,880	$125,667	108.6
Packers and Packagers, Hand	$37,420	$38,924	108.5
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders	$44,600	$46,386	108.0
Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other	$48,950	$50,908	108.0
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products	$71,330	$74,168	107.9
Postmasters and Mail Superintendents	$98,680	$102,594	107.9
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	$60,290	$62,694	107.6
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers	$69,490	$72,255	107.6
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining	$61,910	$64,377	107.2

Showing the 40 highest real-pay occupations of 371 BLS publishes for Indiana. Real pay = BLS median − 2025 state income tax, divided by the 2024 BEA cost of living (93.3, US = 100).

Where does your salary go furthest?

Enter a salary and a state. We adjust for 2025 state income tax and the 2024 BEA cost of living to show your real, purchasing-power-equivalent pay — then rank every state.

Gross annual salary (USD)Compare against state

In Indiana, a $85,000 salary is worth about $88,343 in cost-of-living-and-tax-adjusted terms.

State income tax $2,550 (flat 3.00%) · take-home $82,450 · BEA cost of living 93.3 (US = 100).

The same salary goes furthest in South Dakota — worth $95,952, a $7,609 gain over Indiana.

#	State	Real value	Cost (RPP)
1	South Dakota	$95,952	88.6
2	Arkansas	$93,959	86.9
3	Louisiana	$93,473	88.2
4	Mississippi	$93,453	87.0
5	Iowa	$93,172	87.8
6	North Dakota	$93,161	89.0
7	Tennessee	$92,522	91.9
8	Oklahoma	$92,167	87.8
9	Wyoming	$91,703	92.7
10	Alabama	$90,911	88.8
11	Kentucky	$90,507	90.2
12	West Virginia	$90,397	89.5

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Estimate only. State income tax is approximated from each state's 2025 flat rate (or top marginal rate as an upper bound for graduated states) and ignores federal tax, deductions and credits. The pre-published occupation and state pages use exact 2025 bracket math. Cost of living is the 2024 BEA Regional Price Parity (All Items).

Indiana real pay — FAQ

Is Indiana a good state for your salary to go far?: Indiana ranks #31 of 51 states on the Gera US Real Pay Index, with a mean index of 98.3 across 371 occupations (100 = the average state). Its 2024 BEA cost of living is 93.3 (US = 100), and its 2025 state income tax schedule is applied to each occupation's median wage.
What is the cost of living in Indiana?: Indiana's Regional Price Parity (All Items) for 2024 is 93.3, where the US average is 100. That is at or below the national average, so a dollar buys as much as or more than it does nationally. The Gera US Real Pay Index divides take-home pay by this figure to express salaries in purchasing-power-equivalent dollars.

Compare other states

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Related on GeraJobs

Gera US Real Pay Index — all states ranked
Methodology — the exact BLS + BEA + tax computation.
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Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) (May 2025 state estimates); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (All Items), by state (2024 (US = 100)); Tax Foundation — 2025 State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets. The Gera US Real Pay Index for Indiana is computed by GeraJobs from these figures; no figure is modelled or interpolated.