Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary in Virginia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$60,747
after federal, FICA and Virginia tax
Tax takes
$18,443
23.3% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$60,296
Virginia costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Virginia — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$79,190
Kept after tax
$60,747
Worth in national money
$60,296
State rank
36
of 49 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Virginia is among the lower-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $79,190, ranking 36 of 49 states — about 6.42% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 489 occupations Virginia reports figures for, this is number 137.
- Prices here sit close to the national average, so the adjustment changes little. From $79,190 the take-home is $60,747, which is worth about $60,296 in comparable money. Tax does most of the work here, not cost of living. The average is higher, $93,310, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Virginia ranks 36 of 49 for biological science teachers, postsecondary, with a median of $79,190 — about 6.42% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- In Virginia's occupational distribution, biological science teachers, postsecondary sits at 137 of 489 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Virginia's price level is near the national average, so price deflation is close to neutral for biological science teachers, postsecondary on its $79,190 median: $60,747 retained after tax becomes $60,296 in national-average terms. Where the price adjustment is small, the tax stack is the dominant determinant of the real outcome. The mean of $93,310 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $46,210 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $79,190 |
| Top tenth earn over | $154,320 |
| This salary | $79,190 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Virginia | $60,747 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $64,540 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$6,121 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $73,799 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$8,455 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 101 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $79,190 as a midpoint for Virginia, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $46,210 and the ninetieth is $154,320 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In Virginia the take-home figure of $60,747, from $79,190, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 137 of 489 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $60,296 uses one figure for the whole of Virginia. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 489 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 137.
- The Virginia median of $79,190 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $46,210 to $154,320. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Take-home for Virginia is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $60,747 from $79,190. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 137 of 489 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $60,296, worked from $79,190, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Virginia address, on work sitting at 137 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
No — it is the middle. Half of these workers earn more and half earn less. The average is $93,310, pulled upward by the top of the range, which is why the middle is the fairer number to plan against.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $46,210 at the bottom tenth to $154,320 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
Not on its own. Prices in Virginia run above the national level, so the same dollars buy less here. Adjusted for that, this pay is worth $60,296 — the wage did not change, only what it covers.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Virginia then takes its own share, leaving $60,747.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 49 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in Virginia is $93,310. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($46,210) and the ninetieth ($154,320) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Virginia's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $60,296 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $60,747 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Virginia income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 49 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.