Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $80K, rent takes 22.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,188/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new political science teachers, postsecondaries typically earn — is $47K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,815/month. At HUD’s $1,188/month FMR, rent would take 42% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay runs 18% below the national median — $80K here vs. $98K nationally. Cost of living is 9% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.

Ohio pays $80K median vs. the U.S. average of $98K — that’s -18%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 91.45), the purchasing-power equivalent is $88K — below the national median.

The median is $80,090 a year. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $46,910, and experienced political science teachers, postsecondaries can clear $126,940. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,268/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,188/month, which eats 22.6% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Ohio has a Regional Price Parity of 91.45 (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 $87,578 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.