Data Universe Explorer

How many scenarios exist — and how many do we cover?

Explore the full universe of possible employee scenarios, see how much of it our dataset covers, and understand why there is no single minimum base-pay threshold — the answer changes with every assumption.

Preset
Wage Brackets (none selected = all)
Max Dependents
9
0 – 9 = 10 options
Marital Status
Pre-Tax Dimensions
Theoretical Universe
783,360
All possible combinations
Covered Combinations
14,279
Unique combos in our dataset
Coverage
1.8%
Of theoretical universe
Favorable Combos
10,856
Where net allotment > $0
Favorable Rate
76.0%
Of covered combinations
Total Records
25,846
Individual employee rows

Key insight: There is no single base-pay answer because the outcome changes across many inputs. Our dataset covers 1.8% of the theoretical universe — and within that coverage, 76.0% of combinations produce a positive net allotment. Change the filters above to see how the numbers shift.

Universe Coverage

How much of the possible scenario space does our dataset currently model?

Covered: 14,279 combinationsTheoretical: 783,360
1.8% covered76.0% of covered combinations are favorable

Low coverage is expected — real census data only comes from certain states and wage profiles. On average there are ~12.7 employee rows per covered combination, giving meaningful variety within each slot.

What drives the universe size
DimensionTotal OptionsActive (current filters)Contribution
Work State5151
Marital Status33
Wage Bracket88
Dependents1010
Health Pre-Tax44
Other Pre-Tax44
401k Pre-Tax44

Favorable Outcome Threshold Explorer

Each cell shows the favorable rate for that wage bracket × dependent count combination. Hover any cell for full detail.

Wage Bracket0 deps1 dep2 deps3 deps4 deps5 deps6 deps7 deps8 deps9 deps
Under $25K
25%
1227 rows
9%
22 rows
4%
23 rows
12%
17 rows
0%
4 rows
0%
1 rows
0%
1 rows
0%
0 rows
0%
0 rows
0%
0 rows
$25K-$35K
43%
2163 rows
16%
37 rows
7%
30 rows
0%
19 rows
10%
10 rows
0%
1 rows
0%
3 rows
0%
2 rows
0%
1 rows
0%
0 rows
$35K-$45K
52%
3323 rows
27%
51 rows
5%
39 rows
5%
19 rows
0%
7 rows
0%
5 rows
25%
4 rows
0%
2 rows
33%
3 rows
0%
1 rows
$45K-$55K
62%
3433 rows
21%
53 rows
13%
39 rows
32%
19 rows
17%
6 rows
0%
7 rows
0%
4 rows
0%
4 rows
0%
3 rows
0%
0 rows
$55K-$70K
66%
3829 rows
14%
43 rows
6%
31 rows
14%
14 rows
25%
12 rows
0%
0 rows
33%
3 rows
50%
2 rows
0%
1 rows
100%
1 rows
$70K-$90K
70%
3856 rows
23%
39 rows
16%
31 rows
14%
21 rows
14%
7 rows
0%
2 rows
0%
2 rows
33%
3 rows
0%
2 rows
0%
2 rows
$90K-$120K
73%
3362 rows
16%
64 rows
13%
52 rows
13%
30 rows
17%
18 rows
10%
10 rows
25%
4 rows
0%
2 rows
0%
5 rows
0%
3 rows
$120K+
75%
3411 rows
8%
37 rows
10%
42 rows
9%
33 rows
8%
13 rows
0%
8 rows
17%
6 rows
0%
1 rows
67%
3 rows
17%
6 rows
Legend:
No data
< 20%
20–40%
40–60%
60–80%
80–100%

A cell showing 0% means records exist but none produce a positive net allotment at that combination. Cells with very few rows (1–5) are statistically thin — treat them as directional only.

Favorable outcome threshold by wage bracket

The range of gross wages that produce a positive allotment within each bracket. There is no single threshold — the answer depends on marital status, dependents, and pre-tax deductions.

Wage BracketFavorable RateMin Gross (favorable)Median GrossMax Gross
Under $25K24%$0$22,587$24,991
$25K-$35K42%$25,002$33,280$35,000
$35K-$45K50%$35,000$41,600$45,000
$45K-$55K60%$45,000$50,400$55,000
$55K-$70K64%$55,000$62,544$70,000
$70K-$90K69%$70,000$80,763$90,000
$90K-$120K70%$90,000$101,920$120,000
$120K+72%$120,000$165,000$500,000

What Variables Matter Most?

Ranked by how much each input shifts the favorable outcome rate across its possible values. A higher score means that variable creates a wider spread — it matters more to the outcome.

0%15%30%59%DependentsWork StateWage BracketHealth Pre-Tax401k Pre-TaxOther Pre-TaxMarital Status59%51%47%14%12%9%6%
Dependents59%

More dependents generally shifts the favorable outcome threshold.

Work State51%

State income tax rates directly affect whether the net allotment is positive.

Wage Bracket47%

Favorable outcome rate varies most across wage levels.

Health Pre-Tax14%

Pre-tax health deductions reduce taxable wages, affecting the net allotment.

401k Pre-Tax12%

401k contributions reduce taxable income, affecting the net allotment.

Other Pre-Tax9%

Other pre-tax deductions also reduce taxable wages, affecting the net allotment.

Marital Status6%

Filing status changes withholding and thus the net allotment.

Data Coverage by State

Total employee records per state, sorted in declining order. State is the single most impactful variable — this chart shows where the dataset is dense vs. sparse.

States with Data
52
Top State
CA
1,716 rows
Top 10 States Share
46%
of all records
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Showing top 30 of 52 states. States with fewer records produce less reliable favorable-rate estimates — treat them as directional only when building proposals.

Definitions & Methodology

Expand any section to see the exact logic behind the numbers on this page.