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

Wisconsin ranks #13 of 51 states on the Gera US Real Pay Index, with a mean index of 102.7 across 370 occupations (100 = the average state). Its 2024 BEA cost of living is 94.1 (US = 100), and its 2025 state income tax schedule is applied to each occupation's median wage.

What is the cost of living in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin's Regional Price Parity (All Items) for 2024 is 94.1, 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 / Wisconsin

Where Your Salary Goes Furthest in Wisconsin

Wisconsin ranks #13 of 51 states on the Gera US Real Pay Index (mean 102.7, base = 100). Cost of living 94.1 (US = 100); top income tax 7.65%.

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

In Wisconsin, the cost of living is 94.1 on the BEA index (US = 100) and the Gera US Real Pay Index averages 102.7 across 370 occupations, ranking it #13 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

Wisconsin ranks #13 of 51 states. Mean across 370 occupations; 100 = the average state, 102.7 means pay goes 2.7% further after tax and cost of living.

How this is calculated

102.7

Real pay by occupation in Wisconsin (best first)

Occupation	BLS median	Real pay	Index
Physicians, All Other	$391,740	$394,130	139.8
Structural Iron and Steel Workers	$92,820	$94,641	135.8
Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars	$89,260	$91,058	135.3
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary	$82,620	$84,376	131.2
Ophthalmic Medical Technicians	$56,420	$58,007	129.5
Insurance Sales Agents	$79,450	$81,185	128.3
Brickmasons and Blockmasons	$80,120	$81,860	127.1
Pediatricians, General	$269,790	$272,749	127.1
Correctional Officers and Jailers	$73,470	$75,167	127.0
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other	$81,580	$83,329	124.9
Medical Transcriptionists	$49,150	$50,691	124.4
Personal Financial Advisors	$119,430	$121,422	124.2
Sheet Metal Workers	$77,760	$79,485	124.0
First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers	$96,260	$98,103	123.8
Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other	$61,940	$63,563	123.7
Insurance Underwriters	$97,370	$99,221	122.2
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators	$69,020	$70,688	122.0
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters	$81,210	$82,957	121.9
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors	$59,810	$61,419	121.8
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators	$75,280	$76,989	121.3
Food Batchmakers	$48,360	$49,895	121.3
Protective Service Workers, All Other	$57,620	$59,215	121.0
Education Administrators, Postsecondary	$124,960	$126,988	120.0
Construction Laborers	$56,100	$57,685	117.3
Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers	$77,730	$79,454	117.3
Substitute Teachers, Short-Term	$43,950	$45,457	117.0
Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians	$73,970	$75,670	116.7
Highway Maintenance Workers	$58,000	$59,597	116.6
Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$60,100	$61,711	116.6
Medical Records Specialists	$60,280	$61,892	116.5
Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners	$57,340	$58,933	115.8
Health Education Specialists	$74,040	$75,741	115.4
Family Medicine Physicians	$290,640	$293,733	115.0
Public Safety Telecommunicators	$60,000	$61,610	114.9
Labor Relations Specialists	$95,750	$97,590	114.9
Counter and Rental Clerks	$45,720	$47,239	114.6
Butchers and Meat Cutters	$45,980	$47,500	114.6
Surgical Technologists	$74,120	$75,821	114.5
Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors	$64,980	$66,622	114.1
Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers	$64,250	$65,888	113.9

Showing the 40 highest real-pay occupations of 370 BLS publishes for Wisconsin. Real pay = BLS median − 2025 state income tax, divided by the 2024 BEA cost of living (94.1, 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 Wisconsin, a $85,000 salary is worth about $83,424 in cost-of-living-and-tax-adjusted terms.

State income tax $6,503 (≈ top marginal 7.65% (upper bound)) · take-home $78,498 · BEA cost of living 94.1 (US = 100).

The same salary goes furthest in South Dakota — worth $95,952, a $12,528 gain over Wisconsin.

#	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

Browse US jobs with salaries

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).

Wisconsin real pay — FAQ

Is Wisconsin a good state for your salary to go far?: Wisconsin ranks #13 of 51 states on the Gera US Real Pay Index, with a mean index of 102.7 across 370 occupations (100 = the average state). Its 2024 BEA cost of living is 94.1 (US = 100), and its 2025 state income tax schedule is applied to each occupation's median wage.
What is the cost of living in Wisconsin?: Wisconsin's Regional Price Parity (All Items) for 2024 is 94.1, 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 Wisconsin is computed by GeraJobs from these figures; no figure is modelled or interpolated.