Atmospheric and Space Scientists Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $81K, rent takes 21.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,085/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new atmospheric and space scientists typically earn — is $47K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,840/month. At HUD’s $1,085/month FMR, rent would take 38% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay runs 18% below the national median — $81K here vs. $99K nationally. Cost of living is 12% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.

Alabama pays $81K median vs. the U.S. average of $99K — that’s -18%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 88.36), the purchasing-power equivalent is $92K — below the national median.

The median is $81,080 a year, that works out to about $39 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $47,330, and experienced atmospheric and space scientists can clear $151,300. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,128/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,085/month, which eats 21.2% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Alabama has a Regional Price Parity of 88.36 (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 atmospheric and space scientists salary is worth about $91,761 in national-average purchasing power.

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.