Occupation · SOC 53-7064

Packers and Packagers, Hand: pay and where the jobs are

What packers and packagers, hand earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.

BLS May 2025 data · methodology

National pay, May 2025

$36,280 median annual wage

Mean (average) annual wage
$37,540
Median hourly wage
$17.44
Mean hourly wage
$18.05
Employment
559,820

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 53-7064.

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How much do packers and packagers, hand make?

The median annual wage for packers and packagers, hand was $36,280 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $27,890 and the highest-paid 10% more than $47,100. As an hourly rate, the median is $17.44. About 559,820 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Kansas ($44,460), New Jersey ($43,840) and Alaska ($41,670). Kansas also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.

Pay ladder

What each step of the pay range for packers and packagers, hand looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.

Packers and Packagers, Hand: pay at each percentile
StepAnnualHourlyMonthly grossMonthly after federal tax & FICA
10th percentile$27,890$13.41$2,324$2,048
25th percentile$32,220$15.49$2,685$2,339
Median$36,280$17.44$3,023$2,611
75th percentile$43,060$20.70$3,588$3,065
90th percentile$47,100$22.65$3,925$3,335

Packers and Packagers, Hand: pay by state

54 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.

1

Kansas

$40,217 take-home in national prices

2

Nebraska

$36,104 take-home in national prices

3

Iowa

$35,910 take-home in national prices

Where a median packers and packagers, hand paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.

Annual wages by state, May 2025, with after-tax and price-adjusted estimates
StateEmploymentMedian10th pct.90th pct.Median after tax*In national prices†
Kansas9,900$44,460$30,060$45,380$36,222$40,217
New Jersey71,260$43,840$32,220$47,310$36,161$33,234
Alaska560$41,670$25,620$60,440$35,453$34,636
District of Columbia170$40,910$36,910$49,510$33,763$30,721
Colorado4,120$40,730$35,510$50,310$33,644$32,647
Minnesota5,460$40,310$29,590$50,930$33,054$33,516
Vermont810$39,440$32,830$46,270$32,983$33,670
Washington11,940$39,220$34,740$53,510$33,149$30,977
Nebraska3,010$38,880$28,870$49,500$32,531$36,104
Missouri5,910$37,670$29,890$46,800$31,615$34,811
Iowa4,090$37,470$29,870$48,000$31,515$35,910
Indiana9,690$37,420$30,180$48,960$31,173$33,401
Nevada3,750$37,400$28,520$47,520$32,231$32,238
Delaware2,030$37,290$32,830$57,250$30,601$30,660
California79,730$37,260$34,360$48,330$31,161$28,144
New York14,830$37,260$32,830$47,720$30,511$28,272
Arizona7,380$37,060$30,580$47,950$31,425$31,214
Ohio20,700$37,000$29,780$47,360$31,342$33,784
Pennsylvania22,990$36,960$28,870$48,190$30,717$31,481
Idaho2,020$36,920$23,000$48,150$30,997$32,459
Kentucky5,900$36,850$29,430$50,310$30,617$33,959
Rhode Island1,830$36,730$31,200$48,310$30,528$29,848
Maine1,460$36,330$30,470$45,860$30,300$31,221
Oregon6,370$36,190$31,100$45,400$28,901$27,961
Illinois23,270$36,090$31,240$46,570$29,537$29,549
Utah5,740$36,060$22,880$46,240$30,284$30,632
Wisconsin13,130$36,010$28,080$47,700$30,227$32,124
Tennessee14,030$35,980$26,940$46,990$31,090$33,841
Hawaii2,010$35,930$29,120$50,030$29,821$27,122
Connecticut4,280$35,890$34,010$46,620$29,878$28,837
Maryland4,230$35,860$31,390$47,340$29,656$28,255
Michigan15,590$35,340$29,400$43,860$29,324$30,477
Virginia7,790$35,000$27,240$46,880$29,104$28,786
Montana1,490$34,960$22,980$45,950$29,384$31,046
Oklahoma3,900$34,520$22,660$44,030$28,909$32,910
North Carolina19,600$34,360$24,500$45,350$28,926$30,666
Massachusetts15,330$34,200$31,270$44,010$28,012$26,487
Arkansas3,050$33,930$27,900$46,080$28,675$32,984
Georgia17,380$33,260$26,430$45,510$27,993$29,071
Mississippi3,490$33,240$20,570$44,530$28,291$32,536
Texas46,510$33,090$23,550$44,220$28,768$29,640
South Carolina7,610$32,180$25,870$44,050$27,695$29,541
Wyoming340$32,110$23,310$42,180$27,980$30,187
Alabama7,050$31,770$23,390$43,410$26,450$29,779
North Dakota470$31,440$22,240$42,480$27,442$30,848
New Hampshire3,300$30,700$29,210$40,100$26,847$25,774
South Dakota1,040$28,760$24,110$43,560$25,289$28,547
West Virginia1,140$28,740$21,970$44,480$24,585$27,470
Florida38,860$28,280$27,080$42,990$24,899$24,077
New Mexico1,050$28,070$25,670$45,220$24,436$26,500
Louisiana2,280$27,710$19,700$46,580$23,984$27,191
Virgin Islands100$22,880$21,890$35,510——
Puerto Rico3,840$21,840$21,840$23,120——
Guam240$21,030$20,460$24,150——

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 53-7064. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).

Sources

  1. OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  2. OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.