Soil and Plant Scientists in Connecticut
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$53,438
after federal, FICA and Connecticut tax
Tax takes
$14,192
21.0% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$51,537
Connecticut costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Connecticut — 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
$67,630
Kept after tax
$53,438
Worth in national money
$51,537
State rank
31
of 46 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Connecticut is among the lower-paying states for soil and plant scientists. The middle earner takes $67,630, ranking 31 of 46 states — about 14.23% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 482 occupations Connecticut reports figures for, this is number 229.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $67,630 the take-home is $53,438. But Connecticut costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $51,537 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $85,750, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Connecticut ranks 31 of 46 for soil and plant scientists, with a median of $67,630 — about 14.23% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- In Connecticut's occupational distribution, soil and plant scientists sits at 229 of 482 — 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 Connecticut income tax is $53,438 for soil and plant scientists, from $67,630. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $51,537. ⚠️ 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 $85,750 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
Choose your filing status and local taxes, compare pay, and keep a shortlist.Compare wage and personal-pay outcomes by state, with selected resident local taxes and saved career choices.
Pay band: Soil and Plant Scientists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $56,970 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $67,630 |
| Top tenth earn over | $130,820 |
| This salary | $67,630 |
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 Connecticut | $53,438 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $56,408 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$6,511 |
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 | $63,793 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$8,015 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 104 |
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 soil and plant scientists in Connecticut earn under $67,630 and half over. The published range runs $56,970 at the tenth percentile to $130,820 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Connecticut the take-home figure of $53,438, from $67,630, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 229 of 482 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $51,537 uses one figure for the whole of Connecticut. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 482 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 229.
- Figures are distribution medians for soil and plant scientists in Connecticut, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $56,970 to $130,820; 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.
- Take-home for Connecticut is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $53,438 from $67,630. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 229 of 482 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $51,537, worked from $67,630, 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 Connecticut address, on work sitting at 229 of 482 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $85,750, 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 $56,970 at the bottom tenth to $130,820 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
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 $51,537 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; Connecticut then takes its own share, leaving $53,438.
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.
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 Connecticut is $85,750. 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 ($56,970) and the ninetieth ($130,820) 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?
Connecticut's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $51,537 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 $53,438 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Connecticut 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.