Biological Scientists, All Other in Michigan
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$62,979
after federal, FICA and Michigan tax
Tax takes
$18,561
22.8% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$66,868
Michigan costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Michigan — 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
$81,540
Kept after tax
$62,979
Worth in national money
$66,868
State rank
37
of 50 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Michigan is among the lower-paying states for biological scientists, all other. The middle earner takes $81,540, ranking 37 of 50 states — about 17.57% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Locally, this pays well. Among 493 occupations Michigan reports, biological scientists, all other comes in at 112 — comfortably in the upper quarter.
- Michigan is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $81,540 the take-home is $62,979; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $66,868 would nationally. The average comes to $88,660, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Michigan ranks 37 of 50 for biological scientists, all other, with a median of $81,540 — about 17.57% 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.
- Biological scientists, all other ranks 112 of 493 occupations by median in Michigan, 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.
- Post-tax income for biological scientists, all other in Michigan, on $81,540, is $62,979 — equivalent to $66,868 once regional price parity is applied. ⚠️ The adjustment uses a statewide index that describes no particular address; within-state price variation, concentrated in housing, routinely exceeds the difference between two states. At $88,660 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Biological Scientists, All Other
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $50,200 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $81,540 |
| Top tenth earn over | $127,830 |
| This salary | $81,540 |
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 Michigan | $62,979 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $66,193 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$1,250 |
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 | $76,970 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$1,727 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 94 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Michigan earn less than $81,540. The published range is $50,200 up to $127,830, 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 Michigan's $62,979, worked from $81,540. 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 112 of 493.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $66,868 uses one figure for the whole of Michigan. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 493 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 112.
- Reported values are medians; for biological scientists, all other in Michigan the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $50,200 to $127,830. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The Michigan take-home of $62,979, on $81,540 for work ranking 112 of 493 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 112 of 493 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $66,868, worked from $81,540, 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 Michigan address, on work sitting at 112 of 493 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
Half earn more than this and half earn less. The average sits at $88,660 because a long tail of high pay lifts it, so the two answer different questions.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $50,200 at the bottom tenth to $127,830 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Michigan is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $66,868 in national terms.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Into four separate taxes, not one. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare apply everywhere, and Michigan adds its own income tax on top — which is why $62,979 of this wage survives to your account.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 50 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 Michigan is $88,660. 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 ($50,200) and the ninetieth ($127,830) 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.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Michigan's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $66,868 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $62,979 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Michigan 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.