Soil and Plant Scientists in Utah
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$47,644
after federal, FICA and Utah tax
Tax takes
$12,256
20.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$50,151
Utah costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Utah — 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
$59,900
Kept after tax
$47,644
Worth in national money
$50,151
State rank
43
of 46 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Utah is among the lower-paying states for soil and plant scientists. The middle earner takes $59,900, ranking 43 of 46 states — about 24.03% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 487 occupations Utah reports figures for, this is number 233.
- Here is where Utah does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $59,900 you keep $47,644, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $50,151 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $67,370, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Utah ranks 43 of 46 for soil and plant scientists, with a median of $59,900 — about 24.03% 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 Utah's occupational distribution, soil and plant scientists sits at 233 of 487 — 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.
- After federal, FICA and Utah income tax, retained pay for soil and plant scientists on $59,900 is $47,644. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $50,151 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $67,370 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
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Pay band: Soil and Plant Scientists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $39,480 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $59,900 |
| Top tenth earn over | $100,420 |
| This salary | $59,900 |
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 Utah | $47,644 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $50,310 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$1,622 |
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 | $56,583 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$1,961 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 95 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Utah earn less than $59,900. The published range is $39,480 up to $100,420, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- That $47,644 take-home in Utah comes from $59,900. 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 487.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $50,151 uses one figure for the whole of Utah. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 487 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 233.
- Reported values are medians; for soil and plant scientists in Utah the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $39,480 to $100,420. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Retained pay of $47,644, from $59,900, assumes a single Utah 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 487 locally, and the state ranks 43 of 46 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $50,151, worked from $59,900, 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 Utah address, on work sitting at 233 of 487 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 $67,370, 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?
The label is broader than the work. From $39,480 at the bottom tenth to $100,420 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Utah sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $50,151 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
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; Utah then takes its own share, leaving $47,644.
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 Utah is $67,370. 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 ($39,480) and the ninetieth ($100,420) 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.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Utah'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 $50,151 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 $47,644 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Utah 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.