Physical Scientists, All Other Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $109K, rent takes 21.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,407/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new physical scientists, all others typically earn — is $53K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,188/month. At HUD’s $1,407/month FMR, rent would take 44% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay runs 11% below the national median — $109K here vs. $123K nationally. Cost of living is 6% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.

Illinois pays $109K median vs. the U.S. average of $123K — that’s -11%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.85), the purchasing-power equivalent is $116K — below the national median.

The median is $108,970 a year, that works out to about $52 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $53,140, and experienced physical scientists, all others can clear $169,480. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,638/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,407/month, which eats 21.2% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Illinois has a Regional Price Parity of 93.85 (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 $116,111 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.