Biological Scientists, All Other in Colorado
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$71,512
after federal, FICA and Colorado tax
Tax takes
$22,458
23.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$70,537
Colorado costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Colorado — 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
$93,970
Kept after tax
$71,512
Worth in national money
$70,537
State rank
18
of 50 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Colorado is 18 of 50 states for biological scientists, all other, with a middle wage of $93,970. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Locally, this pays well. Among 491 occupations Colorado reports, biological scientists, all other comes in at 110 — comfortably in the upper quarter.
- No great distortion either way. Colorado costs about what the country costs, so from $93,970, take-home of $71,512 is worth roughly $70,537 in national money. The average comes to $96,660, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Colorado ranks 18 of 50 for biological scientists, all other at $93,970. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Biological scientists, all other ranks 110 of 491 occupations by median in Colorado, in the top quartile. Within-state position is largely independent of national position, so this holds regardless of how the state compares to others for the same work.
- Price parity in Colorado is near the national base, so for biological scientists, all other, whose median is $93,970, the adjusted figure of $70,537 differs little from $71,512 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $96,660 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
Choose your filing status and local taxes, compare pay, and keep a shortlist.Compare wage and personal-pay outcomes by state, with selected resident local taxes and saved career choices.
Pay band: Biological Scientists, All Other
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $63,930 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $93,970 |
| Top tenth earn over | $128,440 |
| This salary | $93,970 |
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 Colorado | $71,512 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $74,938 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$6,580 |
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 | $89,100 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$9,089 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 101 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Colorado earn less than $93,970. The published range is $63,930 up to $128,440, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Colorado's $71,512, worked from $93,970. 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 110 of 491.
- One number stands for prices across all of Colorado, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $70,537, the adjusted value of that $93,970 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 110 of 491 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for biological scientists, all other in Colorado the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $63,930 to $128,440. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The Colorado take-home of $71,512, on $93,970 for work ranking 110 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 110 of 491 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Colorado, so $70,537 — the adjusted value of that $93,970 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 110 of 491 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $63,930 and the top tenth $128,440, so most people doing this work in Colorado sit within a fairly tight band.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
The number and the value are different things. Colorado costs more than the national average, so this take-home stretches like $70,537 rather than its face figure.
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 Colorado's own levy, $71,512 remains.
Why is this job missing from some states?
Because the survey suppresses a figure when too few employers report it. This occupation has published pay in 50 states — the rest are withheld to protect confidentiality, which is not the same as nobody doing the work there.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($63,930 to $128,440) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Colorado rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Colorado's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $70,537 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 $71,512 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Colorado 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.