What Natural Sciences Managers earn in Marin County, CA
The median pay for Natural Sciences Managers in Marin County, CA is $225,230 per year, which works out to $108.28 per hour. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey for the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metropolitan area, the labor market that Marin County, CA belongs to. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than the median and half earn less, which makes it a sturdier yardstick than an average that a few very high earners can pull upward.
The mean wage is $249,930, which is 11.0% above the median, a sign that a group of high earners lifts the average. The survey counts about 5,530 people working in this occupation across the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. Marin County, CA has roughly 257,969 residents, according to the population figures used by the rent data.
The salary range, from entry level to top earners
Pay for Natural Sciences Managers in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $158,270 a year ($76.09 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $338,660 or more ($162.82 an hour). That is a gap of $180,390 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $184,110 at the 25th percentile and $322,670 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 2.1 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: $108.28 an hour or $225,230 a year at the median for Marin County, CA. Before any deductions, that is $18,769 a month, $8,663 every two weeks and $4,331 each week. After taxes the same job pays $72.07 per hour of take-home income, which is the number that actually has to cover rent and groceries.
About this occupation: Natural Sciences Managers
The U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET database describes the work of Natural Sciences Managers this way: "Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, and research and development in these fields."
Core tasks recorded by O*NET include: "Confer with scientists, engineers, regulators, or others to plan or review projects or to provide technical assistance"; "Develop client relationships and communicate with clients to explain proposals, present research findings, establish specifications, or discuss project status"; "Plan or direct research, development, or production activities"; "Prepare project proposals".
Job outlook for Natural Sciences Managers
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects national employment in this occupation to grow from 112,200 jobs in 2025 to 121,500 in 2035, a change of +8.2%, faster than the 3.5% projected for all occupations. The projection counts 9,200 openings a year on average, including positions created by growth and positions left by workers who retire or move to another occupation; that equals 8.2% of current employment each year.
Typical entry-level education: bachelor's degree. Work experience in a related occupation: 5 years or more. BLS lists a national median annual wage of $167,220 for this occupation; the Marin County, CA median of $225,230 is 34.7% above it.
How pay in Marin County, CA compares
Compared with the California average
A worker in this occupation in Marin County, CA earns $14,274 more than the California average of $210,956, a premium of 6.8%. Over a year that premium is worth $14,274 before tax and roughly $9,500 after tax. Within California, Marin County, CA already has the highest median we track for this job.
Compared with the national average
The national employment-weighted average for Natural Sciences Managers is $177,429 across the contiguous United States. At $225,230, Marin County, CA pays $47,801 more, which is 26.9% 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 Marin County, CA
Among the 600 occupations with published wages in Marin County, CA, Natural Sciences Managers ranks number 8 by median pay, ahead of about 99% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is Chief Executives at $288,690 a year, which is $63,460 more than the median for Natural Sciences Managers.
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 Natural Sciences Managers earning the Marin County, CA median of $225,230, they add up to $75,332. The result is $149,898 of take-home pay a year ($12,491 a month), based on a single filer using the standard deduction.
Put another way, of every $100 earned, about $33 goes to taxes and $67 reaches the paycheck. The overall effective tax rate is 33.5%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $209,480. 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 32% bracket. The resulting federal income tax is $44,097, an effective 19.6% of gross pay, well below the 32% 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 $10,918 on this salary, the maximum for the year because pay exceeds the cap. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $3,493, plus an additional 0.9% on wages above $200,000. FICA totals $14,411, which is 6.4% of gross pay.
State income tax in California
California income tax on this salary is $16,825 a year, or 7.5% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 38% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $1,402 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 Marin County, CA
IRS Statistics of Income data for Marin County, CA show an average adjusted gross income of $236,962 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 22.4% across all filers. Filers in the $200,000 or more bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 25.0%, compared with the 19.6% 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 Marin County, CA
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in Marin County, CA: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $149,898 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For Marin County, CA, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $3,003 a month ($36,036 a year), and at $3,697 for two bedrooms. For Natural Sciences Managers, a one-bedroom absorbs 24.0% of take-home pay and 16.0% 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 1.5% of gross pay for Natural Sciences Managers in Marin County, CA. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using California residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $3,378 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $751, for $4,129 in total. Gasoline in California averages $4.42 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $2,047.
What is left over
Rent, food, energy and gasoline cost $45,647 a year in Marin County, CA. Subtract that from $149,898 of take-home pay and $104,250 remains, which is $8,688 a month of breathing room. That margin equals 46.3% of gross pay, a comfortable cushion by common budgeting rules.
Local housing and commute data for Marin County, CA
The budget above covers rent, food, energy and gasoline. Three more local facts shape what a paycheck buys in Marin County, CA: 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 Marin County, CA, set beside the California and national medians.
Property taxes in Marin County, CA
Homeowners in Marin County, CA pay a median of $10,001 a year in real estate taxes, 95% above the California median of $5,124 and 221% above the U.S. median of $3,119. Against a median home value of $1,507,300, the median tax bill is 0.66% of that value (the ratio of the two county medians). For a worker paid the local Natural Sciences Managers median of $225,230, a tax bill of that size would equal 4.4% of gross pay, which matters for anyone planning to buy rather than rent.
Rents, home prices and household income in Marin County, CA
Renters in Marin County, CA pay a median gross rent of $2,668 a month in the Census survey, 31% above the California median of $2,036. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom apartment, which this site uses in the budget, is $3,003 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 $1,507,300, 105% above the California median of $734,700. Median household income is $149,091, 50% above the California median of $99,122, so a year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent equals 24.2% of that income.
Commuting in Marin County, CA
Workers in Marin County, CA who travel to a workplace spend an average of 27.4 minutes each way, 5% below the California average of 28.7. For someone who commutes five days a week, that is 4.6 hours of round-trip travel every week, a cost the budget does not price. 31.5% of workers in Marin County, CA work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally, which removes the commute for them.
Can Natural Sciences Managers afford to live in Marin County, CA?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $225,230 that ceiling is $5,631 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $3,003 is $2,628 under it, so rent fits the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $57.75 an hour; the median for Natural Sciences Managers is $108.28, which is 87% above that mark. Another way to see it: at $72.07 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 9.6 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $3,697 a month means $1,849 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $13,854 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $118,104.
How fast you can save
At $8,688 a month of margin, building a $10,000 emergency fund would take about 2 months. Setting aside half of the margin stretches the same goal to about 4 months. These figures ignore interest, raises and any spending beyond the four basics.
Frequently asked questions about Natural Sciences Managers pay in Marin County, CA
How much do Natural Sciences Managers make per hour in Marin County, CA?
The median is $108.28 per hour, based on $225,230 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $76.09 at the 10th percentile to $162.82 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Natural Sciences Managers take home after taxes in Marin County, CA?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $225,230 becomes $149,898 a year. That is $12,491 a month, $5,765 every two weeks or $2,883 a week.
How much tax do Natural Sciences Managers pay in Marin County, CA?
Total taxes are $75,332 a year, an effective rate of 33.5%: $44,097 federal income tax, $14,411 FICA and $16,825 California income tax.
Do Natural Sciences Managers earn more in Marin County, CA than elsewhere in California?
Yes. The local median of $225,230 is +6.8% versus the California average of $210,956, a difference of $14,274 a year.
Can Natural Sciences Managers afford a one-bedroom apartment in Marin County, CA?
A one-bedroom costs $3,003 a month against take-home pay of $12,491, which is 24.0% of take-home pay. That meets the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $5,631 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Natural Sciences Managers in Marin County, CA?
About $8,688 a month ($104,250 a year) remains after a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline, which together cost $45,647 a year.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in Marin County, CA at the 30% guideline?
$57.75 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $36,036 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Natural Sciences Managers is $108.28.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 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 California 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.