Social Science Research Assistants Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $51K, rent takes 29.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,008/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new social science research assistants typically earn — is $30K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,820/month. At HUD’s $1,008/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 18% below the national median — $51K here vs. $62K nationally. Cost of living is 11% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.

West Virginia pays $51K median vs. the U.S. average of $62K — that’s -18%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 89.03), the purchasing-power equivalent is $57K — below the national median.

The median is $51,140 a year, that works out to about $25 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $30,330, and experienced social science research assistants can clear $145,770. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,447/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,008/month, which eats 29.2% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

West Virginia has a Regional Price Parity of 89.03 (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 social science research assistants salary is worth about $57,441 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.