Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $83K, rent takes 21.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,110/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new chemistry teachers, postsecondaries typically earn — is $59K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,539/month. At HUD’s $1,110/month FMR, rent would take 31% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay runs 11% below the national median — $83K here vs. $93K nationally. Cost of living is 10% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.

Kentucky pays $83K median vs. the U.S. average of $93K — that’s -11%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 90.23), the purchasing-power equivalent is $91K — below the national median.

The median is $82,550 a year. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $58,980, and experienced chemistry teachers, postsecondaries can clear $164,170. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,263/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,110/month, which eats 21.1% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Kentucky has a Regional Price Parity of 90.23 (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 chemistry teachers, postsecondary salary is worth about $91,488 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.