Furniture Finishers Salary
Furniture Finishers in Reading, PA make a median of $49,760 a year, or about $23.92 an hour. The range runs from $38K at the entry level to $64K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.06), that's roughly $51,267 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,575/month, about 45.6% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $50K get you in Reading?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Reading’s Regional Price Parity (97.06). 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 furniture finishers
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What this looks like in Reading
Reading sits well above the national pay line for furniture finishers, local pay runs about 12% higher than the U.S. median of $45K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,575/month, which is 46.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 97.06) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for furniture finishers in metros near Reading, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $51K | $49K |
| Lancaster | $48K | $48K |
| Pittsburgh | $47K | $50K |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton | $48K | $48K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Reading, PA
Entry-level furniture finishers (10th percentile) start around $38K. Mid-career wages sit at $50K. Top earners bring in $64K or more, a $26K spread from bottom to top.
Furniture Finishers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Furniture Finishers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | $60K | +34% | 90 |
| Massachusetts | $56K | +26% | 340 |
| New Hampshire | $56K | +26% | 30 |
| Colorado | $50K | +12% | 170 |
| California | $49K | +10% | 1,010 |
| Minnesota | $49K | +9% | 340 |
| New York | $48K | +9% | 1,000 |
| Illinois | $48K | +7% | 170 |
| Pennsylvania | $47K | +7% | 790 |
| Vermont | $47K | +6% | 30 |
| Nevada | $47K | +5% | 190 |
| Iowa | $47K | +4% | 70 |
| Ohio | $46K | +4% | 190 |
| Missouri | $46K | +4% | 410 |
| Florida | $46K | +2% | 1,470 |
| Maine | $46K | +2% | 80 |
| Nebraska | $46K | +2% | 80 |
| Michigan | $45K | +2% | 570 |
| Utah | $45K | +1% | 250 |
| Maryland | $44K | -1% | 60 |
| South Carolina | $43K | -3% | 120 |
| Indiana | $43K | -3% | 1,280 |
| Wisconsin | $43K | -3% | 260 |
| Washington | $43K | -3% | 360 |
| Kentucky | $43K | -4% | 50 |
| Oregon | $43K | -4% | 190 |
| West Virginia | $42K | -7% | 100 |
| New Mexico | $41K | -7% | 50 |
| North Carolina | $40K | -10% | 950 |
| Arizona | $40K | -11% | 410 |
| Idaho | $40K | -11% | 160 |
| Kansas | $39K | -11% | 200 |
| South Dakota | $39K | -12% | 110 |
| Arkansas | $39K | -12% | 30 |
| Louisiana | $39K | -13% | 50 |
| Georgia | $39K | -13% | 290 |
| Mississippi | $38K | -14% | 130 |
| Virginia | $38K | -15% | 230 |
| New Jersey | $38K | -15% | 260 |
| Oklahoma | $37K | -17% | 30 |
| Texas | $36K | -18% | 980 |
| Alabama | $35K | -22% | 190 |
| Tennessee | $32K | -28% | 620 |
Showing 1–10 of 43 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track furniture finishers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Reading numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a furniture finisher afford a 2BR apartment alone in Reading?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $50K, rent takes 46.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,575/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for furniture finishers in Reading?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new furniture finishers typically earn — is $38K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,290/month. At HUD’s $1,575/month FMR, rent would take 69% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is furniture finisher a high-paying job in Reading?
Local pay is 12% above the national median — $50K here vs. $45K nationally.
How does Reading compare to the national average for furniture finishers?
Reading pays $50K median vs. the U.S. average of $45K — that’s +12%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.06), the purchasing-power equivalent is $51K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do furniture finishers make in Reading, PA?
The median is $49,760 a year, that works out to about $24 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $38,170, and experienced furniture finishers can clear $63,680. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $50K enough to live in Reading?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,374/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,575/month, which eats 46.7% 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 furniture finishers salary go in Reading?
Reading has a Regional Price Parity of 97.06 (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 furniture finishers salary is worth about $51,267 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do furniture finishers 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.