Estimate what the same workforce would cost in wages in different states. Enter a headcount and a wage, pick a BLS wage benchmark, and compare estimated annual payroll side by side.
Wages only. Benefits, payroll taxes, overtime, turnover, incentives, and other costs are not included, so this is not a total labor cost or a site-selection ranking.
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Model your own pay plans, such as a premium to recruit in a tight market. Each adjustment multiplies that state’s wage (e.g. 5 = 5% higher, −10 = 10% lower). Allowed: -75% to +200%.
Estimated payroll ranges from $4,175,692 to $5,200,000 a year.
01Estimate
Wages only, in nominal dollars. Benchmark: median wage: Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Not a total labor cost: see what is excluded.
| State | BenchmarkMedian wage: Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators. BLS OEWS, May 2025, nominal dollars. Published by BLS; covers miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators at employers in all industries in each state (official estimates). | Benchmark vs. California† (our calculation) | Adjustment | Wage per employee† (our calculation) | Est. annual payroll† (our calculation) | vs. California† (our calculation) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CaliforniaBaseline | $47,720$22.94/hrAll mfg. avg.: $132,063 | Baseline | None | $52,000$25.00/hr+9.0% vs. benchmark† (our calculation) | $5,200,000 | Baseline |
| Texas | $38,320$18.42/hrAll mfg. avg.: $97,490 | −19.7% | None | $41,757$20.08/hr+9.0% vs. benchmark† (our calculation) | $4,175,692 | −$1,024,308−19.7% |
| Ohio | $45,720$21.98/hrAll mfg. avg.: $79,276 | −4.2% | None | $49,821$23.95/hr+9.0% vs. benchmark† (our calculation) | $4,982,062 | −$217,938−4.2% |
| Michigan | $44,690$21.49/hrAll mfg. avg.: $85,789 | −6.3% | None | $48,698$23.41/hr+9.0% vs. benchmark† (our calculation) | $4,869,824 | −$330,176−6.3% |
| United StatesBenchmark for context | $44,650$21.47/hr | Not part of the payroll comparison. | ||||
CaliforniaBaseline
$5,200,000
$4,175,692
$4,982,062
$4,869,824
Our calculation from your inputs and the published benchmark; formulas are under “Assumptions and sources.” Benchmarks are published by BLS. “Not disclosed,” “Not available,” and “No BLS data” are never treated as zero or replaced.
02Differences
Each cell is the row state’s estimated annual payroll minus the column state’s, with the percent difference relative to the column state. Under these assumptions only.
| Row minus column | California | Texas | Ohio | Michigan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | · | +$1,024,308+24.5% | +$217,938+4.4% | +$330,176+6.8% |
| Texas | −$1,024,308−19.7% | · | −$806,370−16.2% | −$694,132−14.3% |
| Ohio | −$217,938−4.2% | +$806,370+19.3% | · | +$112,238+2.3% |
| Michigan | −$330,176−6.3% | +$694,132+16.6% | −$112,238−2.3% | · |
03Assumptions
04Limits
A wage estimate, not a ranking. The result is employees × an assumed wage. A lower estimate under these assumptions does not mean a state is cheaper to operate in; total cost, labor availability, and skills matter as much as wages.
Benchmarks are averages. BLS figures describe all workers in a state, not what any employer pays or must pay. Small state samples can be imprecise.
Industry pay reflects job mix. QCEW average pay is total wages per job, so a state with more engineers in an industry shows higher average pay even if each job pays the same. For one job, an occupation benchmark is the closer comparison.
Nominal dollars. No adjustment for inflation or cost of living, and OEWS (May 2025) and QCEW (annual averages) measure wages differently, so they are never mixed in one calculation.