Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $71K, rent takes 29.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,364/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new environmental scientists and specialists, including healths typically earn — is $45K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,704/month.

Local pay runs 14% below the national median — $71K here vs. $82K nationally.

West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area pays $71K median vs. the U.S. average of $82K — that’s -14%.

The median is $71,040 a year, that works out to about $34 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $45,060, and experienced environmental scientists and specialists, including healths can clear $114,330. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,627/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,364/month, which eats 29.5% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median environmental scientists and specialists, including health salary is worth about $71,040 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.