Biological Scientists, All Other Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $85K, rent takes 18.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,008/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new biological scientists, all others typically earn — is $59K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,518/month. At HUD’s $1,008/month FMR, rent would take 29% of that take-home — manageable on an entry-level income.

Local pay runs 14% below the national median — $85K here vs. $99K nationally. Cost of living is 11% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.

West Virginia pays $85K median vs. the U.S. average of $99K — that’s -14%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 89.03), the purchasing-power equivalent is $95K — below the national median.

The median is $84,590 a year, that works out to about $41 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $58,640, and experienced biological scientists, all others can clear $112,260. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,371/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,008/month, which eats 18.8% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

West Virginia has a Regional Price Parity of 89.03 (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 $95,013 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.