Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists in Arizona
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$88,495
after federal, FICA and Arizona tax
Tax takes
$28,325
24.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$87,528
Arizona costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Arizona — 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
$116,820
Kept after tax
$88,495
Worth in national money
$87,528
State rank
5
of 46 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Arizona is one of the better-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $116,820, which ranks 5 of 46 states with published figures. That is about 12.97% above the national middle.
- Within Arizona this is well-paid work. Of 491 occupations with published figures in the state, this job ranks 32 — in the top quarter of everything people do there.
- Cost of living is unremarkable here. From $116,820, tax leaves $88,495, and adjusting for local prices barely moves it — about $87,528 in comparable terms. Here the average runs under the middle, at $115,730.
- Arizona ranks 5 of 46 states publishing a median for medical scientists, except epidemiologists, at $116,820 — about 12.97% above the national median. A state's position on nominal pay is the figure wage tables report and the least informative of the three on this page, because it survives neither the tax adjustment nor the price adjustment intact for most occupations.
- Ranked against every occupation Arizona publishes a median for, medical scientists, except epidemiologists sits 32 of 491 — 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.
- Because Arizona sits close to the national price level, the real-terms figure for medical scientists, except epidemiologists — median $116,820 — tracks the post-tax figure closely: $88,495 retained, $87,528 adjusted. ⚠️ Neither is a wage; the second describes what the first buys. Mean pay of $115,730 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $70,430 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $116,820 |
| Top tenth earn over | $154,550 |
| This salary | $116,820 |
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 Arizona | $88,495 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $91,013 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$6,131 |
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 | $113,241 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$8,469 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 101 |
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 medical scientists, except epidemiologists in Arizona earn under $116,820 and half over. The published range runs $70,430 at the tenth percentile to $154,550 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 Arizona's $88,495, worked from $116,820. 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 32 of 491.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $87,528 uses one figure for the whole of Arizona. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 491 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 32.
- Figures are distribution medians for medical scientists, except epidemiologists in Arizona, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $70,430 to $154,550; 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 Arizona take-home of $88,495, on $116,820 for work ranking 32 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 32 of 491 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $87,528, worked from $116,820, 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 Arizona address, on work sitting at 32 of 491 locally.
Questions people ask
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
Because one job title covers very different work. The bottom tenth here earn $70,430 and the top tenth $154,550 — experience, employer and specialism separate them, and a single figure hides all three.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
A larger wage in a dearer place is not automatically more. Adjusted for local prices, this pay behaves like $87,528 of national purchasing power.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Arizona then takes its own share, leaving $88,495.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 46 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($70,430) and the ninetieth ($154,550) 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?
Arizona's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $87,528 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 $88,495 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Arizona 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 46 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.