Materials Scientists Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $232K, rent takes 27.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $3,483/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new materials scientists typically earn — is $145K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $8,720/month. At HUD’s $3,483/month FMR, rent would take 40% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay is 97% above the national median — $232K here vs. $118K nationally. Keep in mind cost of living here is 10% above the national average, which offsets some of that premium.

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara pays $232K median vs. the U.S. average of $118K — that’s +97%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 110.42), the purchasing-power equivalent is $210K — still ahead of the national median.

The median is $231,920 a year, that works out to about $112 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $145,330, and experienced materials scientists can clear $308,680. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $12,764/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $3,483/month, which eats 27.3% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara has a Regional Price Parity of 110.42 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median materials scientists salary is worth about $210,034 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.