Average Salary in Alabama
What workers in Alabama earn: mean and median wages, monthly and hourly pay, the full wage distribution, household income and cost-of-living context. Wage data: BLS OEWS May 2025.
- Mean annual wage$57,500Rank #46 of 51 · US $69,770
- Median annual wage$45,670Rank #46 of 51 · US $50,980
- Mean hourly wage$27.65Median $21.96/hour
- Median monthly pay$3,806Mean $4,792/month
- Median household income$66,659ACS 2024 · rank #45
- Price level (RPP)88.8US = 100 · BEA 2024
What is the average salary in Alabama?
The average (mean) annual wage across all occupations in Alabama is $57,500, and the median annual wage is $45,670, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2025 OEWS estimates. The mean is 17.6% below the national mean of $69,770; the median is 10.4% below the national median of $50,980. Alabama ranks #46 of the 50 states and DC for mean wage and #46 for median wage.
The mean is $11,830 (26%) higher than the median. That gap is normal: a minority of very high earners pulls the average up, so the median is the better guide to what a typical worker in Alabama earns. Why mean and median differ →
The estimates cover 2,113,660 wage and salary jobs in Alabama (self-employed workers are not included).
Monthly, weekly and hourly pay in Alabama
Gross pay before taxes. Monthly = annual ÷ 12, bi-weekly = annual ÷ 26, weekly = annual ÷ 52. Hourly figures are published by BLS.
| Pay period | Mean (average) | Median (typical) |
|---|---|---|
| Annual | $57,500 | $45,670 |
| Monthly | $4,792 | $3,806 |
| Bi-weekly paycheck | $2,212 | $1,757 |
| Weekly | $1,106 | $878 |
| Hourly | $27.65 | $21.96 |
Estimate take-home pay on the Alabama median wage (2026 tax year) →
What is a good salary in Alabama?
“Good” depends on your household and where in the state you live, but the wage distribution shows where a salary stands relative to other workers in Alabama:
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $26,090 | $2,174 | 90% of workers earn more |
| 25th | $32,050 | $2,671 | 75% earn more |
| 50th (median) | $45,670 | $3,806 | half earn more, half less |
| 75th | $66,790 | $5,566 | top 25% earn more than this |
| 90th | $101,250 | $8,438 | top 10% earn more than this |
In practice, a salary above $45,670 beats more than half of Alabama workers, about $66,790 puts you in the top quarter, and $101,250 or more puts you in the top 10%. These are individual wages, not household income. Compare percentiles across states →
Household income and earnings in Alabama
| Measure (ACS 2024) | Alabama | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $66,659 | $81,604 |
| Median family income | $84,851 | $101,265 |
| Per-capita income | $36,940 | $45,256 |
| Median earnings, all workers with earnings | $41,871 | $46,949 |
| Median earnings, men working full-time year-round | $61,286 | $66,965 |
| Median earnings, women working full-time year-round | $46,985 | $55,678 |
Household income adds up the income of everyone in a household — often two earners, plus Social Security, investment and self-employment income — so it is higher than any per-worker wage figure. Women working full-time year-round in Alabama have median earnings equal to 77% of men’s. Household income in every state →
Salary vs. cost of living in Alabama
Prices in Alabama are about 11.2% below the national average (BEA regional price parity 88.8; housing 61.8). Adjusted for that, the median wage of $45,670 is worth $51,430 at national-average prices (rank #34), and the mean wage is worth $64,752 (rank #41). Cost-of-living adjusted ranking →
Alabama taxes wage income, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures above by federal tax, FICA and state income tax.
Alabama vs. neighboring states
| State | Mean wage | Median wage | RPP | Adjusted median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $57,500 | $45,670 | 88.8 | $51,430 |
| Florida | $64,670 | $47,880 | 103.4 | $46,306 |
| Georgia | $65,920 | $48,170 | 96.3 | $50,021 |
| Mississippi | $50,810 | $40,120 | 87.0 | $46,115 |
| Tennessee | $60,800 | $47,380 | 91.9 | $51,556 |
Highest-paying occupations in Alabama
Detailed occupations with at least 300 jobs in the state, ranked by mean annual wage. “$239,200+” means BLS reports only that the wage is at or above that level.
| Occupation | Mean wage | Median wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surgeons, All Other | $239,200+ | $239,200+ | 340 |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $294,500 | $311,180 | 310 |
| Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $287,150 | $324,570 | 380 |
| Physicians, All Other | $264,580 | $272,610 | 3,980 |
| Chief Executives | $201,200 | $166,420 | 810 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $189,120 | $190,300 | 1,810 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $167,150 | $162,350 | 3,790 |
| Financial Managers | $160,120 | $140,500 | 7,200 |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $155,520 | $136,990 | 360 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $149,190 | $133,470 | 370 |
Most common jobs in Alabama and what they pay
| Occupation | Employment | Median wage | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 60,880 | $30,040 | $14.44 |
| Registered Nurses | 54,340 | $77,080 | $37.06 |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 53,280 | $42,700 | $20.53 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 46,580 | $34,290 | $16.48 |
| Cashiers | 46,420 | $28,250 | $13.58 |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 45,050 | $41,630 | $20.01 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 41,460 | $23,700 | $11.40 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 36,650 | $52,120 | $25.06 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 36,140 | $36,670 | $17.63 |
| Customer Service Representatives | 33,290 | $38,400 | $18.46 |
The largest occupation in Alabama is retail salespersons, with 60,880 jobs and a median wage of $30,040. Many of the most common jobs pay well below the state median, which is one reason the overall median sits far below the mean.
Salaries for 54 common occupations in Alabama
Frequently asked questions
What is the average salary in Alabama?
The average (mean) annual wage in Alabama is $57,500, or $27.65 per hour, based on BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The median wage — what a typical worker earns — is $45,670 a year ($21.96 per hour).
What is the average monthly salary in Alabama?
Dividing the annual figures by 12, the mean wage in Alabama works out to about $4,792 per month and the median wage to about $3,806 per month, before taxes.
What is considered a good salary in Alabama?
Earning more than the median of $45,670 puts you above half of all workers in Alabama. A salary of $66,790 or more is in the top 25%, and $101,250 or more is in the top 10% of wage earners in the state.
What is the median household income in Alabama?
Median household income in Alabama was $66,659 in the Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey, compared with $81,604 nationally. Household income combines all earners and income sources in a home.
Does Alabama have a state income tax on wages?
Yes. Alabama taxes wage income, so state income tax is deducted from paychecks in addition to federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare.