Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers in Pennsylvania
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$65,466
after federal, FICA and Pennsylvania tax
Tax takes
$18,714
22.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$67,145
Pennsylvania costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Pennsylvania — 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
$84,180
Kept after tax
$65,466
Worth in national money
$67,145
State rank
32
of 50 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Pennsylvania is 32 of 50 states for this job, with a middle wage of $84,180. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Within Pennsylvania this is well-paid work. Of 492 occupations with published figures in the state, this job ranks 101 — in the top quarter of everything people do there.
- No great distortion either way. Pennsylvania costs about what the country costs, so from $84,180, take-home of $65,466 is worth roughly $67,145 in national money. The average comes to $92,830, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Pennsylvania ranks 32 of 50 for geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers at $84,180. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Ranked against every occupation Pennsylvania publishes a median for, geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers sits 101 of 492 — 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.
- Price parity in Pennsylvania is near the national base, so for geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers, whose median is $84,180, the adjusted figure of $67,145 differs little from $65,466 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $92,830 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
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Pay band: Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $61,250 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $84,180 |
| Top tenth earn over | $129,000 |
| This salary | $84,180 |
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 Pennsylvania | $65,466 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $68,051 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$2,884 |
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 | $80,506 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$3,984 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 98 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Pennsylvania earn less than $84,180. The published range is $61,250 up to $129,000, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- That $65,466 take-home in Pennsylvania comes from $84,180. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 101 of 492.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $67,145 uses one figure for the whole of Pennsylvania. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 492 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 101.
- Reported values are medians; for geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers in Pennsylvania the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $61,250 to $129,000. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Retained pay of $65,466, from $84,180, assumes a single Pennsylvania filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 101 of 492 locally, and the state ranks 32 of 50 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $67,145, worked from $84,180, 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 Pennsylvania address, on work sitting at 101 of 492 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 $92,830 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 $61,250 at the bottom tenth to $129,000 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. Pennsylvania is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $67,145 in national terms.
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 Pennsylvania's own levy, $65,466 remains.
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 Pennsylvania is $92,830. 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 ($61,250) and the ninetieth ($129,000) 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?
Pennsylvania'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 $67,145 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 $65,466 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Pennsylvania 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.