Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $97K, rent takes 23.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,407/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers typically earn — is $65K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,917/month. At HUD’s $1,407/month FMR, rent would take 36% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $97K locally vs. $102K nationally, a 5% difference.

Illinois pays $97K median vs. the U.S. average of $102K — that’s -5%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.85), the purchasing-power equivalent is $103K — still ahead of the national median.

The median is $96,950 a year, that works out to about $47 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $65,290, and experienced geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers can clear $177,670. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,983/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,407/month, which eats 23.5% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Illinois has a Regional Price Parity of 93.85 (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 geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers salary is worth about $103,303 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.