Social Science Research Assistants in Michigan
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$48,251
after federal, FICA and Michigan tax
Tax takes
$11,959
19.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$51,230
Michigan costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Michigan — 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
$60,210
Kept after tax
$48,251
Worth in national money
$51,230
State rank
20
of 45 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Michigan is 20 of 45 states for social science research assistants, with a middle wage of $60,210. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 493 occupations Michigan reports figures for, this is number 233.
- Michigan is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $60,210 the take-home is $48,251; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $51,230 would nationally. The average comes to $60,480, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Michigan ranks 20 of 45 for social science research assistants at $60,210. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- In Michigan's occupational distribution, social science research assistants sits at 233 of 493 — 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.
- Post-tax income for social science research assistants in Michigan, on $60,210, is $48,251 — equivalent to $51,230 once regional price parity is applied. ⚠️ The adjustment uses a statewide index that describes no particular address; within-state price variation, concentrated in housing, routinely exceeds the difference between two states. At $60,480 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
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 | $41,970 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $60,210 |
| Top tenth earn over | $82,870 |
| This salary | $60,210 |
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 Michigan | $48,251 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $50,559 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$798 |
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 | $57,337 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$966 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 94 |
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 social science research assistants in Michigan earn under $60,210 and half over. The published range runs $41,970 at the tenth percentile to $82,870 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- That $48,251 take-home in Michigan comes from $60,210. 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 233 of 493.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $51,230 uses one figure for the whole of Michigan. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 493 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 233.
- Figures are distribution medians for social science research assistants in Michigan, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $41,970 to $82,870; 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.
- Retained pay of $48,251, from $60,210, assumes a single Michigan 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 233 of 493 locally, and the state ranks 20 of 45 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $51,230, worked from $60,210, 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 Michigan address, on work sitting at 233 of 493 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $41,970 at the bottom tenth to $82,870 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Michigan is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $51,230 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 Michigan's own levy, $48,251 remains.
Why is this job missing from some states?
Because the survey suppresses a figure when too few employers report it. This occupation has published pay in 45 states — the rest are withheld to protect confidentiality, which is not the same as nobody doing the work there.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($41,970 to $82,870) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Michigan rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Michigan'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 $51,230 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 $48,251 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Michigan 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.