Plumbers, Pipefitters & Steamfitters salary in Tuscaloosa, AL
Median pay for plumbers, pipefitters & steamfitters in Tuscaloosa, AL: $53,080/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $36,150 – $68,700 · about 500 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($59,690) by −$6,610 (-11%).
What it's really worth in Tuscaloosa
With Tuscaloosa's cost of living at 89 (US=100), that $53,080 has the buying power of about $59,569 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $58,132 · median home $223,201 · median rent $1,485/mo.
How Tuscaloosa ranks for this job
On raw pay, Tuscaloosa, AL is 128th of the 187 metros we hold plumbers, pipefitters & steamfitters wages for. Once Tuscaloosa's cost of living is applied, it ranks 98th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Tuscaloosa is one of the places where plumbers, pipefitters & steamfitters gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.
What that salary buys in Tuscaloosa
A median home in Tuscaloosa, AL costs $223,201 — about 4.2× 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 $1,485/mo works out at 34% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.
Where plumbers, pipefitters & steamfitters earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Tuscaloosa.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Tuscaloosa | Rent vs Tuscaloosa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | $101,560 | +91% | 1.5× |
| Kennewick, WA | $97,150 | +83% | 1.2× |
| Minneapolis, MN | $96,200 | +81% | 1.2× |
| Duluth, MN | $88,000 | +66% | 0.9× |
Same job elsewhere in AL
| Metro | Median pay | vs Tuscaloosa | Rent vs Tuscaloosa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile, AL | $58,280 | +10% | 0.9× |
| Birmingham, AL | $55,550 | +5% | 1× |
| Huntsville, AL | $51,150 | −4% | 0.9× |
| Montgomery, AL | $49,330 | −7% | 0.9× |
Staying in AL keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Tuscaloosa
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.