Atmospheric and Space Scientists Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $87K, rent takes 24.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,426/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new atmospheric and space scientists typically earn — is $48K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,851/month. At HUD’s $1,426/month FMR, rent would take 50% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay runs 12% below the national median — $87K here vs. $99K nationally. Cost of living is 5% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.

San Antonio-New Braunfels pays $87K median vs. the U.S. average of $99K — that’s -12%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.72), the purchasing-power equivalent is $92K — below the national median.

The median is $87,110 a year, that works out to about $42 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $47,520, and experienced atmospheric and space scientists can clear $165,270. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,806/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,426/month, which eats 24.6% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

San Antonio-New Braunfels has a Regional Price Parity of 94.72 (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 $91,966 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.