Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $78K, rent takes 21.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,085/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new political science teachers, postsecondaries typically earn — is $52K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,099/month. At HUD’s $1,085/month FMR, rent would take 35% 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 — $78K here vs. $98K nationally. Cost of living is 12% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.

Alabama pays $78K median vs. the U.S. average of $98K — that’s -21%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 88.36), the purchasing-power equivalent is $88K — below the national median.

The median is $77,860 a year. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $51,650, and experienced political science teachers, postsecondaries can clear $139,270. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,953/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,085/month, which eats 21.9% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Alabama has a Regional Price Parity of 88.36 (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 political science teachers, postsecondary salary is worth about $88,117 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.