Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary in California
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$92,525
after federal, FICA and California tax
Tax takes
$38,155
29.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$82,185
California costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in California — 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
$130,680
Kept after tax
$92,525
Worth in national money
$82,185
State rank
1
of 48 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- This is a good state for the work. California pays this job a middle wage of $130,680, ranking 1 of 48 states and sitting about 63.47% above the national middle.
- Locally, this pays well. Among 492 occupations California reports, this job comes in at 56 — comfortably in the upper quarter.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $130,680 the take-home is $92,525. But California costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $82,185 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $141,340, because the best-paid pull it up.
- California's median for mathematical science teachers, postsecondary is $130,680, about 63.47% above the national figure and 1 of 48 states reporting. Whether that premium reaches the worker depends on the two adjustments below, which is the part a wage table cannot tell you.
- Mathematical science teachers, postsecondary ranks 56 of 492 occupations by median in California, 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.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and California income tax is $92,525 for mathematical science teachers, postsecondary, from $130,680. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $82,185. ⚠️ This is purchasing power and not a wage; cross-state offer comparisons that stop at the nominal figure systematically overvalue high-cost states. The mean of $141,340 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $77,570 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $130,680 |
| Top tenth earn over | $226,560 |
| This salary | $130,680 |
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 California | $92,525 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $100,586 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$21,325 |
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 | $118,969 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$29,709 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 113 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $130,680 as a midpoint for California, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $77,570 and the ninetieth is $226,560 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- That $92,525 take-home in California comes from $130,680. 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 56 of 492.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $82,185 uses one figure for the whole of California. 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 56.
- The California median of $130,680 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $77,570 to $226,560. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Retained pay of $92,525, from $130,680, assumes a single California 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 56 of 492 locally, and the state ranks 1 of 48 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $82,185, worked from $130,680, 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 California address, on work sitting at 56 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $141,340, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $77,570 at the bottom tenth to $226,560 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
Not on its own. Prices in California run above the national level, so the same dollars buy less here. Adjusted for that, this pay is worth $82,185 — the wage did not change, only what it covers.
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 California adds its own income tax on top — which is why $92,525 of this wage survives to your account.
Why is this job missing from some states?
A blank is a suppression, not a zero. 48 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 California is $141,340. 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 ($77,570) and the ninetieth ($226,560) 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.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
California's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $82,185 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 $92,525 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and California 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 48 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.