Biological Scientists, All Other Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $78K, rent takes 23.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,202/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new biological scientists, all others typically earn — is $62K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,706/month. At HUD’s $1,202/month FMR, rent would take 32% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay runs 21% below the national median — $78K here vs. $99K nationally. Cost of living is 6% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.

Wisconsin pays $78K median vs. the U.S. average of $99K — that’s -21%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.33), the purchasing-power equivalent is $83K — below the national median.

The median is $78,480 a year, that works out to about $38 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $61,760, and experienced biological scientists, all others can clear $108,120. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,040/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,202/month, which eats 23.8% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Wisconsin has a Regional Price Parity of 94.33 (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 $83,197 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.