Biological Scientists, All Other in Arizona
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$70,494
after federal, FICA and Arizona tax
Tax takes
$19,796
21.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$69,724
Arizona costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Arizona — 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
$90,290
Kept after tax
$70,494
Worth in national money
$69,724
State rank
24
of 50 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Arizona is 24 of 50 states for biological scientists, all other, with a middle wage of $90,290. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- This is one of the better-paid jobs in Arizona. It ranks 88 out of 491 occupations the state publishes figures for, which puts it in the top quarter locally.
- No great distortion either way. Arizona costs about what the country costs, so from $90,290, take-home of $70,494 is worth roughly $69,724 in national money. The average comes to $97,370, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Arizona ranks 24 of 50 for biological scientists, all other at $90,290. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Within Arizona, biological scientists, all other ranks 88 of 491 occupations by median pay, placing it in the top quartile of the local distribution. This is the comparison a resident actually makes — against neighbors rather than against the same job elsewhere.
- Price parity in Arizona is near the national base, so for biological scientists, all other, whose median is $90,290, the adjusted figure of $69,724 differs little from $70,494 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $97,370 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
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Pay band: Biological Scientists, All Other
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $62,420 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $90,290 |
| Top tenth earn over | $114,580 |
| This salary | $90,290 |
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 Arizona | $70,494 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $72,349 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$4,728 |
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 | $87,654 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$6,531 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 101 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of biological scientists, all other in Arizona earn under $90,290 and half over. The published range runs $62,420 at the tenth percentile to $114,580 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Arizona's $70,494, worked from $90,290. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 88 of 491.
- One number stands for prices across all of Arizona, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $69,724, the adjusted value of that $90,290 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 88 of 491 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for biological scientists, all other in Arizona, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $62,420 to $114,580; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- The Arizona take-home of $70,494, on $90,290 for work ranking 88 of 491 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 88 of 491 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Arizona, so $69,724 — the adjusted value of that $90,290 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 88 of 491 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 $97,370, pulled upward by the top of the range, which is why the middle is the fairer number to plan against.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $62,420 at the tenth percentile, $114,580 at the ninetieth.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
Not on its own. Prices in Arizona run above the national level, so the same dollars buy less here. Adjusted for that, this pay is worth $69,724 — the wage did not change, only what it covers.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Arizona's own levy, $70,494 remains.
Why is this job missing from some states?
A blank is a suppression, not a zero. 50 states have a published figure for this work; the others had too few responses to release one.
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 Arizona is $97,370. 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 is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($62,420 to $114,580) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Arizona rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Arizona's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $69,724 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 $70,494 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Arizona 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 50 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.