Mathematicians Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $131K, rent takes 22.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,781/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new mathematicians typically earn — is $49K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,951/month. At HUD’s $1,781/month FMR, rent would take 60% 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 — $131K locally vs. $127K nationally, a 3% difference.

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin pays $131K median vs. the U.S. average of $127K — that’s +3%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 103.59), the purchasing-power equivalent is $126K — below the national median.

The median is $130,970 a year, that works out to about $63 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $49,190, and experienced mathematicians can clear $170,010. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $7,816/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,781/month, which eats 22.8% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin has a Regional Price Parity of 103.59 (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 mathematicians salary is worth about $126,431 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.