Biological Scientists, All Other Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $81K, rent takes 22.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,215/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new biological scientists, all others typically earn — is $44K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,644/month. At HUD’s $1,215/month FMR, rent would take 46% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay runs 19% below the national median — $81K here vs. $99K nationally. Cost of living is 10% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.

Tennessee pays $81K median vs. the U.S. average of $99K — that’s -19%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 89.78), the purchasing-power equivalent is $90K — below the national median.

The median is $80,500 a year, that works out to about $39 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $44,070, and experienced biological scientists, all others can clear $109,300. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,418/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,215/month, which eats 22.4% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Tennessee has a Regional Price Parity of 89.78 (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 biological scientists, all other salary is worth about $89,664 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.