Social Science Research Assistants in Maryland
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$52,099
after federal, FICA and Maryland tax
Tax takes
$13,451
20.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$50,112
Maryland costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Maryland — 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
$65,550
Kept after tax
$52,099
Worth in national money
$50,112
State rank
8
of 45 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Maryland is one of the better-paying states for social science research assistants. The middle earner takes $65,550, which ranks 8 of 45 states with published figures. That is about 5.74% above the national middle.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 489 occupations Maryland reports figures for, this is number 221.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $65,550 the take-home is $52,099. But Maryland costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $50,112 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $73,310, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Maryland ranks 8 of 45 states publishing a median for social science research assistants, at $65,550 — about 5.74% 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.
- In Maryland's occupational distribution, social science research assistants sits at 221 of 489 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and Maryland income tax is $52,099 for social science research assistants, from $65,550. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $50,112. ⚠️ 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 $73,310 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Social Science Research Assistants
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $47,260 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $65,550 |
| Top tenth earn over | $113,020 |
| This salary | $65,550 |
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 Maryland | $52,099 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $54,849 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$6,332 |
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 | $62,127 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$7,657 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 104 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Maryland earn less than $65,550. The published range is $47,260 up to $113,020, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Maryland's $52,099, worked from $65,550. 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 221 of 489.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $50,112 uses one figure for the whole of Maryland. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 489 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 221.
- Reported values are medians; for social science research assistants in Maryland the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $47,260 to $113,020. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The Maryland take-home of $52,099, on $65,550 for work ranking 221 of 489 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 221 of 489 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $50,112, worked from $65,550, 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 Maryland address, on work sitting at 221 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
No — it is the middle. Half of these workers earn more and half earn less. The average is $73,310, pulled upward by the top of the range, which is why the middle is the fairer number to plan against.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
One title, many jobs. The lowest tenth take $47,260, the highest tenth $113,020, and what separates them is experience, employer and what exactly the role does.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
The number and the value are different things. Maryland costs more than the national average, so this take-home stretches like $50,112 rather than its face figure.
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; Maryland then takes its own share, leaving $52,099.
Why is this job missing from some states?
A blank is a suppression, not a zero. 45 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 Maryland is $73,310. 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 ($47,260) and the ninetieth ($113,020) 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?
Maryland's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $50,112 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 $52,099 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Maryland 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 45 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.