The Salary Index
Salary data is based on the Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ metropolitan area and applied to Hackensack using local cost-of-living adjustments.

Physicists Salaries in Hackensack, NJ

Average Base Pay

$181,176/yr

13% above national average

Monthly

$15,098

Hourly

$87

Cost Index

112

Physicists in Hackensack, NJ earn an average of $181,176 per year, with most salaries falling between $144,941 and $217,411 depending on experience, employer, and specialization. At 13% above the national average, Hackensack ranks among the higher-paying markets for this role, in part reflecting a local cost of living index of 112. For professionals evaluating a move or negotiating an offer, the headline salary is only part of the picture—what matters most is how far that income actually goes once taxes, rent, and daily expenses are factored in. The sections below break that down in full for Hackensack.

Salary Range

The chart below shows the full compensation spectrum for this role, from entry-level to senior positions. The highlighted center bars represent the 25th–75th percentile band where most professionals are paid.

$136K
Low
$181K
Median
$226K
High
25th percentile: $154K75th percentile: $208K

About Physicists

Research Scientists conduct original scientific investigation to advance knowledge or develop practical applications in fields ranging from biology and chemistry to materials science, physics, and computer science. In academic settings, they design experiments, collect and analyze data, develop and test hypotheses, and publish findings in peer-reviewed journals. In corporate or government research settings, the work is often more applied—translating scientific knowledge into new products, processes, or technologies with commercial or policy value. The research process demands rigorous experimental design, statistical analysis, and critical interpretation of results. Research scientists must command the existing literature in their field, position their work relative to prior knowledge, and communicate findings to both scientific and lay audiences. Collaboration with other scientists, technicians, and sometimes clinicians or engineers is standard, as is mentorship of graduate students or junior researchers. Securing research funding through competitive grant applications is a critical skill in academic research careers. A doctoral degree (PhD) is the standard entry-level credential for independent research positions.

What Physicists Do

  • Design and conduct original experiments to test hypotheses
  • Analyze experimental data using statistical methods and domain-specific tools
  • Review and synthesize scientific literature relevant to the research area
  • Write research papers, grant proposals, and technical reports
  • Present findings at scientific conferences and institutional seminars
  • Mentor and supervise graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, or technicians
  • Collaborate with other scientists and engineers on interdisciplinary projects
  • Maintain laboratory notebooks and ensure research reproducibility

Key Skills & Qualifications

  • Deep domain expertise in relevant scientific field
  • Experimental design including controls, replication, and statistical power
  • Statistical analysis using R, Python, or specialized domain software
  • Scientific writing for journal submission and grant applications
  • Laboratory techniques specific to discipline
  • Literature review and critical analysis of scientific evidence
  • PhD in relevant scientific discipline
  • Grant writing and funding acquisition

Career Path

  1. Research Associate / Lab Technician
  2. Postdoctoral Researcher
  3. Research Scientist
  4. Senior Research Scientist / Principal Investigator
  5. Department Director / Chief Scientific Officer

Physicists Market in Hackensack, NJ

Salary Competitiveness

Hackensack is one of the stronger-paying markets for Physicists, with local salaries running approximately 13% above the national median. This premium typically reflects a combination of higher employer competition, concentrated industry presence, and elevated cost expectations built into local compensation norms.

Cost of Living Impact

Hackensack sits close to the national cost average. Monthly essential expenses represent about 26% of take-home pay for this role—a midrange ratio that allows for modest savings and discretionary spending, provided housing costs remain stable.

Effective Purchasing Power

After adjusting for local taxes and cost of living, a Physicists earning $181,176 in Hackensack reaches a strong purchasing-power position. The effective standard of living this income supports is materially higher than the gross number alone implies—a useful data point for professionals comparing offers across metro areas.

vs. National Avg

+13%

Cost Pressure

26%

Purchasing Power

Strong

Take-Home Pay Calculator

Enter any gross salary to see how federal and state taxes affect your actual take-home pay, broken down by year, month, and week. Results use an estimated effective tax rate of 27% based on this location and income level.

$
Take-home (73%)Taxes (27%)

Annual Net

$132,258

Monthly

$11,022

Weekly

$2,543

Eff. Tax Rate

27%

A gross salary of $181,176 for a Physicists in Hackensack translates to roughly $11,022 in monthly take-home pay after estimated federal and state taxes. Set against monthly living costs of $2,901—covering housing, food, transportation, utilities, and healthcare—that leaves approximately $8,121 per month in disposable income. That margin, not the gross number, is what determines whether you can comfortably cover rent, build savings, and afford discretionary spending in Hackensack's current market.

How far does this salary go in Hackensack?

Cost of Living in Hackensack

Estimated monthly expenses for a single person in Hackensack, benchmarked against US regional price indices for housing, food, transportation, utilities, and healthcare.

Cost Index

112

Above Avg — US average is 100. Based on a single person (1-bed apartment).

🏠Housing / Rent$1,669/mo
🍔Food & Groceries$556/mo
🚗Transportation$150/mo
💡Utilities$195/mo
🏥Healthcare$331/mo
Monthly$2,901
Annual$34,812
Disposable Income$8,121

Financial Reality Check

This section compares estimated monthly take-home pay against typical living costs in Hackensack to show your real disposable income—the amount remaining after essential bills are paid each month.

Monthly Take-Home

$11,022

Living Costs

$2,901

Disposable

$8,121

Cost Index

112

Lifestyle

Comfortable

With a monthly take-home of $11,022, your estimated living costs in Hackensack are $2,901 ($34,812/yr). This leaves $8,121 per month in disposable income, indicating a comfortable standard of living. Hackensack's cost of living is 12% above the national average.

Overall, a Physicists earning $181,176 in Hackensack falls into a comfortable lifestyle tier and has meaningful room to save, invest, and absorb unexpected expenses without financial stress. With a cost index of 112, Hackensack is 12% more expensive than the national average, which compresses real purchasing power. Regardless of tier, prioritizing retirement contributions, an emergency fund of three to six months' expenses, and incremental debt reduction will yield the greatest long-term financial stability—especially as living costs in Hackensack continue to evolve.

Frequently Asked Questions

Compare Instantly

See how Physicists salary in Hackensack stacks up against other cities.

Full breakdown: cost of living, net pay, lifestyle score

Share this salary

Physicists · Hackensack, NJ13% above avg

Gross Salary

$181,176/yr

Take-home

$11,022/mo

Disposable

$8,121/mo

Lifestyle

Comfortable

Source: thesalaryindex.com · BLS data

Hackensack City Overview

COL index, rent benchmarks, top jobs, and affordability score.

Explore Hackensack

Explore More Salary Data

Related pages — all links are live salary pages

Highest-Paying Markets

Cities where Physicists pays most

Most Affordable Markets

Cities with lowest cost of living

Salary estimates are based on BLS metro data and adjusted using cost-of-living indices.