Biological Scientists, All Other in New Mexico
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$65,217
after federal, FICA and New Mexico tax
Tax takes
$18,903
22.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$72,154
New Mexico costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in New Mexico — 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
$84,120
Kept after tax
$65,217
Worth in national money
$72,154
State rank
30
of 50 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- New Mexico sits in the middle of the pack for biological scientists, all other. The median is $84,120, ranking 30 of 50 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Within New Mexico this is well-paid work. Of 485 occupations with published figures in the state, biological scientists, all other ranks 99 — in the top quarter of everything people do there.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $84,120 you keep $65,217 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $72,154 at national prices. Averages run higher here, $84,640, since top earners drag the number up.
- New Mexico occupies the middle band for biological scientists, all other: a median of $84,120, ranking 30 of 50. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Ranked against every occupation New Mexico publishes a median for, biological scientists, all other sits 99 of 485 — the upper quartile of the state's wage distribution. National standing and within-state standing are separate questions, and a job can occupy very different positions on each.
- Retained pay in New Mexico is $65,217 after the full tax stack, from $84,120. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $72,154 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $84,640 exceeds the median, so the upper tail is doing the work.
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Pay band: Biological Scientists, All Other
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $50,960 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $84,120 |
| Top tenth earn over | $110,470 |
| This salary | $84,120 |
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 New Mexico | $65,217 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $68,008 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,169 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
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 | $80,153 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,996 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
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 New Mexico earn under $84,120 and half over. The published range runs $50,960 at the tenth percentile to $110,470 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 New Mexico's $65,217, worked from $84,120. 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 99 of 485.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $72,154 uses one figure for the whole of New Mexico. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 485 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 99.
- Figures are distribution medians for biological scientists, all other in New Mexico, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $50,960 to $110,470; 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 New Mexico take-home of $65,217, on $84,120 for work ranking 99 of 485 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 99 of 485 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $72,154, worked from $84,120, 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 New Mexico address, on work sitting at 99 of 485 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $50,960 at the tenth percentile, $110,470 at the ninetieth.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. New Mexico is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $72,154 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 New Mexico adds its own income tax on top — which is why $65,217 of this wage survives to your account.
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.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($50,960 to $110,470) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to New Mexico rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
New Mexico'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 $72,154 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 $65,217 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and New Mexico 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.