Physical Scientists, All Other Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $97K, rent takes 22.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,331/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new physical scientists, all others typically earn — is $40K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,402/month. At HUD’s $1,331/month FMR, rent would take 55% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay runs 21% below the national median — $97K here vs. $123K nationally. Cost of living is 7% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.

Athens-Clarke County pays $97K median vs. the U.S. average of $123K — that’s -21%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.34), the purchasing-power equivalent is $104K — below the national median.

The median is $96,820 a year, that works out to about $47 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $40,030, and experienced physical scientists, all others can clear $170,370. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,970/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,331/month, which eats 22.3% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Athens-Clarke County has a Regional Price Parity of 93.34 (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 physical scientists, all other salary is worth about $103,728 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.