What Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists earn in Plymouth County, MA
If you are weighing a move or a job offer, start with $129,500: the median annual pay for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists in Plymouth County, MA. Spread over a standard 2,080-hour work year, that is $62.26 an hour. Because the wage survey covers the whole Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metropolitan area, the number reflects employers across the region rather than a single town or a single company.
The mean wage is $133,740, which is 3.3% above the median, a sign that a group of high earners lifts the average. The survey counts about 16,060 people working in this occupation across the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. Plymouth County, MA has roughly 535,075 residents, according to the population figures used by the rent data.
The salary range, from entry level to top earners
Pay for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $77,770 a year ($37.39 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $209,520 or more ($100.73 an hour). That is a gap of $131,750 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $97,520 at the 25th percentile and $168,020 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 2.7 times what someone at the bottom makes, so experience, certification and employer all matter.
What the hourly rate looks like
Employers quote this occupation by the hour or by the year, so here are both: $62.26 an hour or $129,500 a year at the median for Plymouth County, MA. Before any deductions, that is $10,792 a month, $4,981 every two weeks and $2,490 each week. After taxes the same job pays $44.80 per hour of take-home income, which is the number that actually has to cover rent and groceries.
About this occupation: Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists
The U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET database describes the work of Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists this way: "Conduct research dealing with the understanding of human diseases and the improvement of human health. Engage in clinical investigation, research and development, or other related activities."
Core tasks recorded by O*NET include: "Plan and direct studies to investigate human or animal disease, preventive methods, and treatments for disease"; "Follow strict safety procedures when handling toxic materials to avoid contamination"; "Evaluate effects of drugs, gases, pesticides, parasites, and microorganisms at various levels"; "Teach principles of medicine and medical and laboratory procedures to physicians, residents, students, and technicians".
Job outlook for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects national employment in this occupation to grow from 181,000 jobs in 2025 to 203,700 in 2035, a change of +12.6%, faster than the 3.5% projected for all occupations. The projection counts 10,500 openings a year on average, including positions created by growth and positions left by workers who retire or move to another occupation; that equals 5.8% of current employment each year.
Typical entry-level education: doctoral or professional degree. BLS lists a national median annual wage of $103,410 for this occupation; the Plymouth County, MA median of $129,500 is 25.2% above it.
How pay in Plymouth County, MA compares
Compared with the Massachusetts average
A worker in this occupation in Plymouth County, MA earns $1,968 more than the Massachusetts average of $127,532, a premium of 1.5%. Over a year that premium is worth $1,968 before tax and roughly $1,416 after tax. Within Massachusetts, Plymouth County, MA already has the highest median we track for this job.
Compared with the national average
The national employment-weighted average for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists is $108,099 across the contiguous United States. At $129,500, Plymouth County, MA pays $21,401 more, which is 19.8% above that benchmark. Keep in mind that a higher salary only helps if living costs do not rise faster, which is why the cost sections below matter as much as the headline number.
Where this job ranks in Plymouth County, MA
Among the 581 occupations with published wages in Plymouth County, MA, Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists ranks number 62 by median pay, ahead of about 89% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is Natural Sciences Managers at $291,000 a year, which is $161,500 more than the median for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists.
From gross pay to take-home pay
Three separate tax bills sit between the gross salary and the bank account: federal income tax, FICA, and state income tax. For Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists earning the Plymouth County, MA median of $129,500, they add up to $36,309. The result is $93,191 of take-home pay a year ($7,766 a month), based on a single filer using the standard deduction.
Put another way, of every $100 earned, about $28 goes to taxes and $72 reaches the paycheck. The overall effective tax rate is 28.0%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $113,750. Federal brackets are marginal, so only the slice of income above each threshold is taxed at the higher rate; the last dollars of this salary fall in the 24% bracket. The resulting federal income tax is $20,147, an effective 15.6% of gross pay, well below the 24% marginal rate because the lower brackets are cheaper.
Social Security and Medicare (FICA)
Payroll taxes are a flat percentage of wages. Social Security takes 6.2% up to a wage base of $176,100, which costs $8,029 on this salary. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $1,878. FICA totals $9,907, which is 7.6% of gross pay.
State income tax in Massachusetts
Massachusetts income tax on this salary is $6,255 a year, or 4.8% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 31% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $521 a month. Local taxes such as county or city income taxes are not included, so a few jurisdictions may withhold slightly more.
A cross-check with IRS data for Plymouth County, MA
IRS Statistics of Income data for Plymouth County, MA show an average adjusted gross income of $114,703 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 15.9% across all filers. Filers in the $100,000 to under $200,000 bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 11.7%, compared with the 15.6% estimated here for a single filer taking the standard deduction. Gaps between the two reflect filing status, dependents, credits and other income, none of which a single-person wage estimate includes.
Cost of living in Plymouth County, MA
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in Plymouth County, MA: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $93,191 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For Plymouth County, MA, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $2,185 a month ($26,220 a year), and at $2,713 for two bedrooms. For Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists, a one-bedroom absorbs 28.1% of take-home pay and 20.3% of gross pay.
Food
The USDA Thrifty Food Plan (August 2026) puts the cost of a nutritious home-cooked diet for an adult at about $3,436 a year, which is $286 a month or $66.07 a week. That equals 2.7% of gross pay for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists in Plymouth County, MA. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using Massachusetts residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $3,101 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $867, for $3,968 in total. Gasoline in Massachusetts averages $3.33 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $1,542.
What is left over
Rent, food, energy and gasoline cost $35,165 a year in Plymouth County, MA. Subtract that from $93,191 of take-home pay and $58,026 remains, which is $4,836 a month of breathing room. That margin equals 44.8% of gross pay, a comfortable cushion by common budgeting rules.
Local housing and commute data for Plymouth County, MA
The budget above covers rent, food, energy and gasoline. Three more local facts shape what a paycheck buys in Plymouth County, MA: property taxes, housing prices and the daily commute. The figures below are exact U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for Plymouth County, MA, set beside the Massachusetts and national medians.
Property taxes in Plymouth County, MA
Homeowners in Plymouth County, MA pay a median of $6,502 a year in real estate taxes, 9% above the Massachusetts median of $5,992 and 108% above the U.S. median of $3,119. Against a median home value of $556,000, the median tax bill is 1.17% of that value (the ratio of the two county medians). For a worker paid the local Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists median of $129,500, a tax bill of that size would equal 5.0% of gross pay, which matters for anyone planning to buy rather than rent.
Rents, home prices and household income in Plymouth County, MA
Renters in Plymouth County, MA pay a median gross rent of $1,747 a month in the Census survey, in line with the Massachusetts median of $1,762. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom apartment, which this site uses in the budget, is $2,185 a month; the two measures differ because the Census figure covers units of every size that renters already occupy, while the HUD figure is a one-bedroom benchmark. The median value of an owner-occupied home is $556,000, 1% below the Massachusetts median of $562,100. Median household income is $114,201, 10% above the Massachusetts median of $103,960, so a year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent equals 23.0% of that income.
Commuting in Plymouth County, MA
Workers in Plymouth County, MA who travel to a workplace spend an average of 32.5 minutes each way, 12% above the Massachusetts average of 29.1. For someone who commutes five days a week, that is 5.4 hours of round-trip travel every week, a cost the budget does not price. 16.2% of workers in Plymouth County, MA work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally, which removes the commute for them.
Can Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists afford to live in Plymouth County, MA?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $129,500 that ceiling is $3,237 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $2,185 is $1,052 under it, so rent fits the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $42.02 an hour; the median for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists is $62.26, which is 48% above that mark. Another way to see it: at $44.80 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 11.3 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $2,713 a month means $1,357 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $9,942 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $67,968.
How fast you can save
At $4,836 a month of margin, building a $10,000 emergency fund would take about 3 months. Setting aside half of the margin stretches the same goal to about 6 months. These figures ignore interest, raises and any spending beyond the four basics.
Frequently asked questions about Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists pay in Plymouth County, MA
How much do Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists make per hour in Plymouth County, MA?
The median is $62.26 per hour, based on $129,500 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $37.39 at the 10th percentile to $100.73 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists take home after taxes in Plymouth County, MA?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $129,500 becomes $93,191 a year. That is $7,766 a month, $3,584 every two weeks or $1,792 a week.
How much tax do Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists pay in Plymouth County, MA?
Total taxes are $36,309 a year, an effective rate of 28.0%: $20,147 federal income tax, $9,907 FICA and $6,255 Massachusetts income tax.
Do Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists earn more in Plymouth County, MA than elsewhere in Massachusetts?
Yes. The local median of $129,500 is +1.5% versus the Massachusetts average of $127,532, a difference of $1,968 a year.
Can Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists afford a one-bedroom apartment in Plymouth County, MA?
A one-bedroom costs $2,185 a month against take-home pay of $7,766, which is 28.1% of take-home pay. That meets the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $3,237 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists in Plymouth County, MA?
About $4,836 a month ($58,026 a year) remains after a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline, which together cost $35,165 a year.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in Plymouth County, MA at the 30% guideline?
$42.02 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $26,220 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists is $62.26.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metropolitan area; hourly-only values are annualized at 2,080 hours. Rents are HUD Fair Market Rents, food costs come from the USDA Thrifty Food Plan, and energy prices come from the Energy Information Administration. County-level tax statistics come from the IRS Statistics of Income.
Taxes use tax-year 2025 federal brackets, FICA rates and the Massachusetts rules for a single filer with wage income only. Figures are estimates for planning and comparison, not tax or financial advice, and they exclude local income taxes, benefits, retirement contributions and individual circumstances.