Costume Attendants Salary
Costume Attendants in Madison, WI make a median of $39,190 a year, or about $18.84 an hour. The range runs from $31K at the entry level to $57K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.29), that's roughly $40,282 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,168/month, about 43.7% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $39K get you in Madison?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Madison’s Regional Price Parity (97.29). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About costume attendants
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What this looks like in Madison
Pay for costume attendants in Madison runs about 22% below the U.S. median of $50K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,168/month, which is 43.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 97.29) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for costume attendantss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for costume attendants in metros near Madison, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee-Waukesha | $40K | $42K |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $49K | $47K |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | $52K | $50K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Madison, WI
Entry-level costume attendants (10th percentile) start around $31K. Mid-career wages sit at $39K. Top earners bring in $57K or more, a $25K spread from bottom to top.
Costume Attendants pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Costume Attendants salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $95K | +89% | 950 |
| Georgia | $95K | +88% | 100 |
| California | $72K | +43% | 1,620 |
| Washington | $65K | +28% | 120 |
| Colorado | $58K | +15% | 40 |
| Hawaii | $58K | +14% | 30 |
| Nevada | $56K | +10% | 390 |
| Massachusetts | $55K | +10% | 90 |
| District of Columbia | $53K | +6% | 60 |
| Minnesota | $52K | +3% | 80 |
| Oregon | $52K | +3% | 60 |
| Pennsylvania | $50K | -0% | 260 |
| Illinois | $49K | -2% | 140 |
| Utah | $48K | -5% | 140 |
| Virginia | $47K | -7% | 40 |
| Ohio | $46K | -8% | 160 |
| Tennessee | $45K | -10% | 50 |
| New Jersey | $45K | -11% | 100 |
| Connecticut | $45K | -12% | 60 |
| Missouri | $41K | -19% | 110 |
| Florida | $41K | -19% | 670 |
| Wisconsin | $38K | -24% | 160 |
| Arizona | $37K | -26% | 60 |
| Kentucky | $37K | -26% | 40 |
| Alabama | $36K | -29% | 50 |
| Indiana | $34K | -32% | 40 |
| North Carolina | $34K | -33% | 50 |
| South Carolina | $34K | -34% | 50 |
| Michigan | $32K | -37% | 80 |
| Texas | $28K | -44% | 550 |
Showing 1–10 of 30 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track costume attendants salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Madison numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a costume attendant afford a 2BR apartment alone in Madison?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $39K, rent takes 43.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,168/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for costume attendants in Madison?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new costume attendants typically earn — is $31K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,877/month. At HUD’s $1,168/month FMR, rent would take 62% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is costume attendant a high-paying job in Madison?
Local pay runs 22% below the national median — $39K here vs. $50K nationally.
How does Madison compare to the national average for costume attendants?
Madison pays $39K median vs. the U.S. average of $50K — that’s -22%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.29), the purchasing-power equivalent is $40K — below the national median.
How much do costume attendants make in Madison, WI?
The median is $39,190 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $31,280, and experienced costume attendants can clear $56,560. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $39K enough to live in Madison?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,707/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,168/month, which eats 43.1% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a costume attendants salary go in Madison?
Madison has a Regional Price Parity of 97.29 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median costume attendants salary is worth about $40,282 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do costume attendants get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.