Soil and Plant Scientists Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $100K, rent takes 33.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,044/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new soil and plant scientists typically earn — is $62K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,730/month.

Local pay is 27% above the national median — $100K here vs. $79K nationally.

Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area pays $100K median vs. the U.S. average of $79K — that’s +27%.

The median is $100,490 a year, that works out to about $48 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $62,170, and experienced soil and plant scientists can clear $155,020. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,176/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,044/month, which eats 33.1% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median soil and plant scientists salary is worth about $100,490 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.