Mechanical Engineers salary in Rochester, NY

Median pay for mechanical engineers in Rochester, NY: $86,440/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $63,780 – $128,650 · about 1,110 employed locally

Below the typical metro median ($95,605) by −$9,165 (-10%).

What it's really worth in Rochester

With Rochester's cost of living at 98 (US=100), that $86,440 has the buying power of about $87,855 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $71,349 · median home $285,034 · median rent $1,597/mo.

Full Rochester cost of living & taxes →

How Rochester ranks for this job

On raw pay, Rochester, NY is 123rd of the 180 metros we hold mechanical engineers wages for. Once Rochester's cost of living is applied, it ranks 151st.

The headline number flatters Rochester. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, mechanical engineers here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.

What that salary buys in Rochester

A median home in Rochester, NY costs $285,034 — about 3.3× 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 $1,597/mo works out at 22% 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 Rochester.

Metro	Median pay	vs Rochester	Rent vs Rochester
San Jose, CA	$153,520	+78%	2.3×
San Francisco, CA	$136,970	+58%	2×
Albuquerque, NM	$133,660	+55%	0.9×
Tyler, TX	$130,720	+51%	0.9×

Same job elsewhere in NY

Metro	Median pay	vs Rochester	Rent vs Rochester
Albany, NY	$106,720	+23%	1.1×
New York, NY	$104,100	+20%	2.2×
Syracuse, NY	$98,510	+14%	1×
Binghamton, NY	$84,990	−2%	0.8×

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

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