Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists in Alabama
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$57,919
after federal, FICA and Alabama tax
Tax takes
$16,371
22.0% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$64,376
Alabama costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Alabama — 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
$74,290
Kept after tax
$57,919
Worth in national money
$64,376
State rank
26
of 47 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Alabama sits in the middle of the pack for zoologists and wildlife biologists. The median is $74,290, ranking 26 of 47 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Within Alabama this is well-paid work. Of 482 occupations with published figures in the state, zoologists and wildlife biologists ranks 116 — in the top quarter of everything people do there.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $74,290 you keep $57,919 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $64,376 at national prices. Here the average runs under the middle, at $74,110.
- Alabama occupies the middle band for zoologists and wildlife biologists: a median of $74,290, ranking 26 of 47. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Ranked against every occupation Alabama publishes a median for, zoologists and wildlife biologists sits 116 of 482 — 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 in Alabama is $57,919 after the full tax stack, from $74,290. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $64,376 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $74,110 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
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Pay band: Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $47,120 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $74,290 |
| Top tenth earn over | $99,600 |
| This salary | $74,290 |
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 Alabama | $57,919 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $61,093 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,507 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
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 | $69,779 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,082 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
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 zoologists and wildlife biologists in Alabama earn under $74,290 and half over. The published range runs $47,120 at the tenth percentile to $99,600 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Alabama the take-home figure of $57,919, from $74,290, 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 116 of 482 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Alabama, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $64,376, the adjusted value of that $74,290 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 116 of 482 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for zoologists and wildlife biologists in Alabama, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $47,120 to $99,600; 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 Alabama is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $57,919 from $74,290. 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 116 of 482 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Alabama, so $64,376 — the adjusted value of that $74,290 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 116 of 482 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $47,120 and the top tenth $99,600, so most people doing this work in Alabama sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Alabama sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $64,376 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
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 Alabama adds its own income tax on top — which is why $57,919 of this wage survives to your account.
Why is this job missing from some states?
A blank is a suppression, not a zero. 47 states have a published figure for this work; the others had too few responses to release one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($47,120 to $99,600) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Alabama rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Alabama'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 $64,376 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 $57,919 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Alabama 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 47 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.