Last updated: 2025 BLS data · Page refreshed:
How much does a Lighting Technicians actually take home in California?
Progressive (up to 13.3%) — 26.7% effective total tax rateData: BLS OEWS 2025 + IRS/State Tax Brackets 2024 • Updated 2026-05-19
Detailed line-by-line tax calculation for a Lighting Technicians earning $94,070 in California (single filer, standard deduction).
| Tax Component | Annual Amount | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Gross Salary (Median) | $94,070 | — |
| Federal Income Tax | -$12,536 | 13.3% |
| California State Income Tax | -$5,401 | 5.7% |
| Social Security (OASDI) | -$5,832 | 6.2% |
| Medicare | -$1,364 | 1.5% |
| Total Taxes | -$25,134 | 26.7% |
| Take-Home Pay | $68,935 | 73.3% |
Take-home pay varies significantly across experience levels. Here is the after-tax breakdown for each salary percentile of Lighting Technicians in California.
| Percentile | Gross Salary | Total Taxes | Take-Home Pay | Tax Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (P10) | $50,910 | -$9,697 | $41,212 | 19.0% |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $61,040 | -$12,434 | $48,605 | 20.4% |
| Median (P50) | $94,070 | -$25,134 | $68,935 | 26.7% |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $109,560 | -$31,167 | $78,392 | 28.4% |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $159,610 | -$51,551 | $108,058 | 32.3% |
After federal income tax ($12,536), state tax ($5,401), and FICA ($7,196), a Lighting Technicians in California takes home $68,935 per year — or $5,744 per month. The effective tax rate of 26.7% is moderate compared to the national range.
A Lighting Technicians in California loses 26.7% of gross pay to taxes — higher than the ~25% national midpoint. Of the $94,070 gross, $68,936 lands in the paycheck after federal ($12,536), state ($5,401), and FICA ($7,196) withholding.
California uses a progressive state income tax, so brackets escalate as wages rise. For this Lighting Technicians salary the state tax works out to $5,401 (5.7% effective) — on top of federal and FICA.
Federal tax on this Lighting Technicians salary is $12,536 (50%), but combined state ($5,401, 21%) + FICA ($7,196, 29%) make up the other 50% of the bill.
Moving this same Lighting Technicians salary to a zero-state-tax state would yield around $74,337 net — a gain of $5,401 (7.8%) per year versus California.
For Lighting Technicians after-tax pay, California ranks #2 of 27 states — top quartile. High gross wages or low state-tax burden (or both) drive the strong ranking.
Translated into paycheck cadences, $68,936 net/year works out to $5,745/month or $2,651/bi-weekly for this Lighting Technicians in California — the numbers that actually hit a checking account after every deduction.
Where does a Lighting Technicians keep the most of their paycheck? Top 10 states ranked by after-tax take-home pay.
California ranks #2 out of 27 states for Lighting Technicians after-tax take-home pay.
A Lighting Technicians in California earning a median salary of $94,070 will take home approximately $68,935 per year after federal income tax ($12,536), state income tax ($5,401), and FICA ($7,196). That is $5,744 per month or $2,651 per bi-weekly paycheck.
The effective total tax rate for a Lighting Technicians in California is 26.7%, broken down as: federal income tax 13.3%, California state tax 5.7%, and FICA (Social Security + Medicare) 7.7%. This assumes a single filer with the standard deduction for 2024.
California has a progressive (up to 13.3%). On a Lighting Technicians's median salary of $94,070, the state income tax amounts to $5,401 per year, which is an effective state rate of 5.7%.
After all taxes, a Lighting Technicians in California takes home approximately $5,744 per month, or about $33.14 per hour (based on a standard 2,080-hour work year). These figures assume a single filer, standard deduction, and no additional pre-tax deductions.
We start with the 2025 BLS median salary of $94,070 for Lighting Technicians in California, then subtract: federal income tax using 2024 IRS brackets ($14,600 standard deduction), California state income tax (progressive (up to 13.3%)), Social Security (6.2% up to $168,600), and Medicare (1.45%). The result — $68,935/yr — does not include local taxes, pre-tax deductions (401k, HSA), or tax credits.
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This estimate assumes a single filer using the 2024 standard deduction ($14,600), with W-2 employment income only. It does not account for: itemized deductions, tax credits (e.g. earned income credit, child tax credit), local/city taxes, pre-tax contributions (401k, HSA, FSA), self-employment tax, or additional income sources. Actual take-home pay may differ. Consult a tax professional for personalized advice.
Our Methodology · Data Sources · Salary: BLS OEWS · Tax: IRS + State DOR