Median pay · District of Columbia
$65,330A year, or $31 an hour.| Percentile | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile1 in 10 earn less | $50,810 | $24 |
| 25th percentile | $56,830 | $27 |
| MedianHalf earn more, half less | $65,330 | $31 |
| 75th percentile | $81,420 | $39 |
| 90th percentile1 in 10 earn more | $112,030 | $54 |
| MeanAll pay divided by all jobs | $72,920 | $35 |
Wage survey · BLS May 2025
How we got this
- Median wage in District of ColumbiaBLS OEWS May 2025. Half of the people in this job were paid more than this, half less.$65,330
- Median hourly wagePublished separately by BLS, not divided out of the annual figure.$31.41
- Take-home after federal, state and FICA tax$4,317 a month at an effective rate of 20.7%.$51,801 a year
- Worth at national average pricesPrices in District of Columbia sit at 109.9 against a national 100 (BEA, 2024).$59,444
- Against the national medianThe national median is $61,990.5.4% above
- Jobs countedA concentration of 11.25 against the nation's 1.00.1,560
What we assumed
- Wages are BLS OEWS survey estimates for May 2025, not job postings or offers.
- OEWS surveys wage and salary workers. The self-employed and business owners are outside it.
- Take-home assumes one 2026 filer, filing single, taking the standard deduction, with no dependents, pre-tax retirement contributions or local income tax.
- Regional price parities compare price levels between places in one year. They are not inflation, and they do not adjust for what a household actually buys.
Technical details
Method occupation-wage-v1Data bls-oews-2025-05-v1, us-tax-2026-v1, bea-rpp-2024-v1, census-acs5-2024-v1
What lands in the bank
Tax year 2026 · InteractiveEstimated on the median salary of $65,330 in District of Columbia, for a single filer taking the standard deduction in 2026. Explore other wage levels and filing statuses below.
Run the numbers on your own pay
Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.
What $65,330 is worth in District of Columbia
Prices in District of Columbia sit at 109.9 against a national average of 100, so $65,330 earned here buys what $59,444 buys at national average prices.
- Rents. 155 against 100, the component that moves most between states.
- Against local households. The median household in District of Columbia takes in $109,870, so this occupation's median is 0.6 times that, on one income.
- How common the job is here. 1,025% more concentrated in District of Columbia than in the country as a whole.
Reading the numbers
What stands out for social science research assistants in District of Columbia
Social science research assistants hold 11 times the share of jobs in District of Columbia that they hold nationally, with 1,560 counted.
Rents in District of Columbia index at 155 (U.S. = 100) while prices overall index at 109.9, a gap of +45.1 pts. For a renter, housing moves the local cost of living more than anything else.
Prices in District of Columbia index at 109.9 (U.S. = 100), so the $65,330 median buys roughly what $59,444 would at national prices, $5,886 less.
The top of the pay range is stretched out. Going from the 75th to the 90th percentile adds $30,610, against $16,090 from the median to the 75th. The best-paid 10% of social science research assistants in District of Columbia make $112,030 or more.
Common questions
Social Science Research Assistants pay in District of Columbia, answered
How much do social science research assistants make in District of Columbia?
The median wage for social science research assistants in District of Columbia is $65,330 a year, or $31.41 an hour.
Half earn more than that and half earn less. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage survey for May 2025.
What is the average Social Science Research Assistants salary in District of Columbia?
BLS’s mean (average) wage for social science research assistants in District of Columbia is $72,920 a year. The median is $65,330.
The mean sits higher when a smaller group of high earners pulls the average up. For a typical paycheck, the median is the better middle.
What is the hourly pay for social science research assistants in District of Columbia?
The median hourly wage is $31.41. At a full-time year that lines up with about $65,330 a year.
BLS May 2025; hourly and annual figures come from the same survey.
What is the starting salary for social science research assistants in District of Columbia?
BLS does not publish starting pay. The closest figure it does publish is the low end of the range: in District of Columbia, the lowest-paid 10% of social science research assistants earn under $50,810 a year and a quarter earn under $56,830 ($24.43 and $27.32 an hour).
New hires often start somewhere in that band, but the May 2025 survey does not record experience, so read it as a floor to compare an offer against rather than a typical first salary.
What is the salary range for social science research assistants in District of Columbia?
The overall salary range for social science research assistants in District of Columbia spans from $50,810 for the bottom 10% to $112,030 for top earners.
The middle 50% earn between $56,830 and $81,420 a year, with the overall median at $65,330.
What is the take-home pay for social science research assistants in District of Columbia?
On the median wage of $65,330, a single filer taking the 2026 standard deduction keeps an estimated $51,801 a year, or roughly $4,317 a month.
That is after federal, state and FICA tax, an effective rate of 20.7%.
District of Columbia takes $2,871 of it in state income tax.
How much does social science research assistants make a month in District of Columbia?
On the median annual salary of $65,330, estimated take-home pay is roughly $4,317 a month after federal, state, and FICA taxes.
For workers paid on a standard biweekly schedule (26 pay periods per year), each paycheck is approximately $1,992 net.
Do social science research assistants earn more in District of Columbia than in the rest of the country?
Yes. The median in District of Columbia is 5.4% above the national median of $61,990.
Nominal pay is only half the comparison: prices in District of Columbia sit at 109.9 against a national 100, so the gap in what the money buys is different from the gap in the salary.
Is $65,330 a good salary in District of Columbia?
It is 0.6 times the median household income of $109,870. A household often has more than one earner, so a single salary at this level goes further than the ratio alone suggests.
Prices in District of Columbia run at 109.9 against a national average of 100, with rents at 155, so $65,330 here buys about what $59,444 buys at national average prices.
What do the highest-paid social science research assistants earn in District of Columbia?
The top tenth earn $112,030 a year or more. The 10th-percentile wage is $50,810.
Experience, specialty, employer and the part of District of Columbia someone works in all move a wage inside that range; the survey reports the spread, not the reason for it.
How many social science research assistants are there in District of Columbia?
The survey counted 1,560 of these jobs in District of Columbia for May 2025.
That makes the occupation 1,025% more concentrated here than in the country as a whole. It counts wage and salary jobs, so the self-employed are outside it.