Atmospheric and Space Scientists Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $76K, rent takes 27.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,351/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new atmospheric and space scientists typically earn — is $50K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,985/month. At HUD’s $1,351/month FMR, rent would take 45% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay runs 23% below the national median — $76K here vs. $99K nationally. Cost of living is 5% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.

Pennsylvania pays $76K median vs. the U.S. average of $99K — that’s -23%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.97), the purchasing-power equivalent is $80K — below the national median.

The median is $75,890 a year, that works out to about $36 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $49,750, and experienced atmospheric and space scientists can clear $156,750. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,954/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,351/month, which eats 27.3% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Pennsylvania has a Regional Price Parity of 94.97 (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 $79,909 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.