Mechanical Engineers salary in Birmingham, AL

Median pay for mechanical engineers in Birmingham, AL: $85,690/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $63,950 – $127,920 · about 780 employed locally

Below the typical metro median ($95,605) by −$9,915 (-10%).

What it's really worth in Birmingham

With Birmingham's cost of living at 92 (US=100), that $85,690 has the buying power of about $93,380 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $68,329 · median home $262,556 · median rent $1,448/mo.

Full Birmingham cost of living & taxes →

How Birmingham ranks for this job

On raw pay, Birmingham, AL is 127th of the 180 metros we hold mechanical engineers wages for. Once Birmingham's cost of living is applied, it ranks 106th.

Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Birmingham is one of the places where mechanical engineers gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.

What that salary buys in Birmingham

A median home in Birmingham, AL costs $262,556 — about 3.1× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $1,448/mo works out at 20% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.

Where mechanical engineers earn more

Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Birmingham.

Metro	Median pay	vs Birmingham	Rent vs Birmingham
San Jose, CA	$153,520	+79%	2.5×
San Francisco, CA	$136,970	+60%	2.3×
Albuquerque, NM	$133,660	+56%	1×
Tyler, TX	$130,720	+53%	1×

Same job elsewhere in AL

Metro	Median pay	vs Birmingham	Rent vs Birmingham
Tuscaloosa, AL	$103,660	+21%	1×
Huntsville, AL	$102,500	+20%	1×
Mobile, AL	$101,830	+19%	0.9×
Daphne, AL	$92,450	+8%	1.1×

Staying in AL keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

Other jobs in Birmingham