Natural Sciences Managers in District of Columbia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$108,037
after federal, FICA and District of Columbia tax
Tax takes
$48,693
31.1% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$97,503
District of Columbia costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in District of Columbia — 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
$156,730
Kept after tax
$108,037
Worth in national money
$97,503
State rank
9
of 48 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- District of Columbia is one of the better-paying states for natural sciences managers. The middle earner takes $156,730, which ranks 9 of 48 states with published figures. That is about 6.27% above the national middle.
- Within District of Columbia this is well-paid work. Of 390 occupations with published figures in the state, natural sciences managers ranks 19 — in the top quarter of everything people do there.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $156,730 the take-home is $108,037. But District of Columbia costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $97,503 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is lower, $153,450, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- District of Columbia ranks 9 of 48 states publishing a median for natural sciences managers, at $156,730 — about 6.27% 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 District of Columbia publishes a median for, natural sciences managers sits 19 of 390 — 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 after federal, FICA and District of Columbia income tax is $108,037 for natural sciences managers, from $156,730. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $97,503. ⚠️ 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 $153,450 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Natural Sciences Managers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $79,390 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $156,730 |
| Top tenth earn over | $195,190 |
| This salary | $156,730 |
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 District of Columbia | $108,037 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $118,391 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$24,330 |
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 | $141,582 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$34,590 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 111 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in District of Columbia earn less than $156,730. The published range is $79,390 up to $195,190, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- That $108,037 take-home in District of Columbia comes from $156,730. 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 19 of 390.
- Two cautions on $97,503, the adjusted value of that $156,730 median. It levels out prices with a single number for all of District of Columbia. No actual address matches that. The wage figures and price figures are also from different years. Each is published on its own timetable. This work sits at 19 of 390 locally.
- Reported values are medians; for natural sciences managers in District of Columbia the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $79,390 to $195,190. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Retained pay of $108,037, from $156,730, assumes a single District of Columbia 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 19 of 390 locally, and the state ranks 9 of 48 for it.
- This $97,503 adjusted figure, worked from $156,730, rests on a state-level price parity averaging over within-state dispersion larger than much of the between-state dispersion. Wage and price vintages differ by publication schedule. The result is directionally sound and not address-specific, for work at 19 of 390 in the state. The occupation ranks 19 of 390 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 $79,390 and the top tenth $195,190 — experience, employer and specialism separate them, and a single figure hides all three.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
Not on its own. Prices in District of Columbia run above the national level, so the same dollars buy less here. Adjusted for that, this pay is worth $97,503 — 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 District of Columbia adds its own income tax on top — which is why $108,037 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 48 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 ($79,390) and the ninetieth ($195,190) 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?
District of Columbia's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $97,503 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 $108,037 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and District of Columbia 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.