Life Scientists, All Other Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $76K, rent takes 24% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,191/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new life scientists, all others typically earn — is $54K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,251/month. At HUD’s $1,191/month FMR, rent would take 37% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay runs 18% below the national median — $76K here vs. $94K nationally. Cost of living is 13% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.

Louisiana pays $76K median vs. the U.S. average of $94K — that’s -18%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 87.28), the purchasing-power equivalent is $88K — below the national median.

The median is $76,480 a year, that works out to about $37 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $54,190, and experienced life scientists, all others can clear $169,430. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,960/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,191/month, which eats 24% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Louisiana has a Regional Price Parity of 87.28 (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 life scientists, all other salary is worth about $87,626 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.