Life Scientists, All Other Salary
Life Scientists, All Others in St. Louis, MO-IL make a median of $75,300 a year, or about $36.2 an hour. The range runs from $68K at the entry level to $140K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.09), that's roughly $79,188 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,218/month, or 24.6% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $75K get you in St. Louis?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by St. Louis’s Regional Price Parity (95.09). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About life scientists, all others
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What this looks like in St. Louis
Pay for life scientists, all other in St. Louis runs about 20% below the U.S. median of $94K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,218/month, 25% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 95.09) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Lower pay, lower costs, St. Louis can be a reasonable trade-off for life scientists, all others who value affordability over top-dollar markets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for life scientists, all others in metros near St. Louis, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $71K | $68K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, St. Louis, MO-IL
Entry-level life scientists, all others (10th percentile) start around $68K. Mid-career wages sit at $75K. Top earners bring in $140K or more, a $72K spread from bottom to top.
Life Scientists, All Other pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Life Scientists, All Other salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | $169K | +81% | N/A |
| District of Columbia | $168K | +79% | 50 |
| Massachusetts | $125K | +34% | 100 |
| Arizona | $123K | +31% | N/A |
| Oregon | $113K | +21% | 160 |
| Alabama | $111K | +18% | 50 |
| Maryland | $110K | +17% | 420 |
| Tennessee | $109K | +16% | 40 |
| New Jersey | $104K | +11% | 110 |
| California | $103K | +10% | 860 |
| Washington | $100K | +7% | 240 |
| Florida | $92K | -2% | 80 |
| New York | $87K | -7% | 250 |
| Wisconsin | $85K | -9% | N/A |
| Georgia | $84K | -10% | 170 |
| Pennsylvania | $84K | -11% | 290 |
| Alaska | $82K | -12% | 40 |
| New Hampshire | $82K | -13% | 90 |
| Virginia | $82K | -13% | 350 |
| Texas | $81K | -13% | 510 |
| Missouri | $80K | -15% | 190 |
| Louisiana | $76K | -18% | 430 |
| Kentucky | $76K | -19% | 100 |
| Hawaii | $72K | -23% | 50 |
| Indiana | $69K | -26% | 30 |
| Idaho | $69K | -26% | 80 |
| Colorado | $66K | -29% | 40 |
| Illinois | $66K | -29% | 160 |
| Minnesota | $65K | -31% | N/A |
| Iowa | $64K | -31% | 110 |
| Michigan | $64K | -32% | 90 |
| Ohio | $63K | -33% | 50 |
Showing 1–10 of 32 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track life scientists, all other salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when St. Louis numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a life scientists, all other afford a 2BR apartment alone in St. Louis?
Yes — at the median salary of $75K, rent takes 25% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,218/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for life scientists, all others in St. Louis?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new life scientists, all others typically earn — is $68K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,052/month. At HUD’s $1,218/month FMR, rent would take 30% of that take-home — manageable on an entry-level income.
Is life scientists, all other a high-paying job in St. Louis?
Local pay runs 20% below the national median — $75K here vs. $94K nationally.
How does St. Louis compare to the national average for life scientists, all others?
St. Louis pays $75K median vs. the U.S. average of $94K — that’s -20%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.09), the purchasing-power equivalent is $79K — below the national median.
How much do life scientists, all others make in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The median is $75,300 a year, that works out to about $36 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $67,540, and experienced life scientists, all others can clear $139,640. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $75K enough to live in St. Louis?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,880/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,218/month, which eats 25% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a life scientists, all other salary go in St. Louis?
St. Louis has a Regional Price Parity of 95.09 (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 $79,188 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do life scientists, all others get paid the most?
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.