Gadsden, AL
Across all occupations in the Gadsden, AL metropolitan area, the median wage is $36,660 a year ($17.63 an hour) and the mean $47,400, May 2025. That median is −28% against the US median of $50,980 and −20% against Alabama's $45,670. BLS counts 33,220 jobs in the area. The highest-paying occupation is family medicine physicians; the largest is registered nurses.
All occupations: Gadsden, AL vs Alabama and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Gadsden, AL | Hourly | $10.91 | $13.69 | $17.63 | $27.38 | $37.65 | $22.79 | 33,220 |
| Annual | $22,690 | $28,480 | $36,660 | $56,950 | $78,300 | $47,400 | ||
| Alabama | Hourly | $12.54 | $15.41 | $21.96 | $32.11 | $48.68 | $27.65 | 2,113,660 |
| Annual | $26,090 | $32,050 | $45,670 | $66,790 | $101,250 | $57,500 | ||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.07 | $24.51 | $38.71 | $61.81 | $33.54 | 155,495,730 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | $69,770 | ||
152 detailed occupations publish a median in this area. State profile: Alabama. Compare any occupation across every area in the wage explorer.
20 highest-paying occupations in Gadsden, AL
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Family Medicine Physicians | $226,450 | $108.87 | ** |
| 2 | Physicians, All Other | $207,450 | $99.74 | 60 |
| 3 | Pharmacists | $129,090 | $62.06 | 100 |
| 4 | Financial Managers in Alabama | $122,470 | $58.88 | 70 |
| 5 | Industrial Production Managers | $115,430 | $55.50 | 40 |
| 6 | Physical Therapists | $106,720 | $51.31 | 100 |
| 7 | Nurse Practitioners | $103,700 | $49.85 | 130 |
| 8 | Lawyers in Alabama | $94,220 | $45.30 | 70 |
| 9 | Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary | $92,140 | * | 60 |
| 10 | General and Operations Managers in Alabama | $91,470 | $43.98 | 400 |
| 11 | Occupational Therapists | $87,620 | $42.13 | 80 |
| 12 | Medical and Health Services Managers | $85,100 | $40.91 | 260 |
| 13 | Education Administrators, All Other | $81,480 | $39.17 | ** |
| 14 | Sales Managers in Alabama | $80,950 | $38.92 | 60 |
| 15 | Speech-Language Pathologists | $80,070 | $38.50 | 90 |
| 16 | Civil Engineers | $78,830 | $37.90 | 40 |
| 17 | Registered Nurses in Alabama | $77,810 | $37.41 | 1,210 |
| 18 | Occupational Health and Safety Specialists | $76,270 | $36.67 | 40 |
| 19 | Construction Managers | $75,210 | $36.16 | 70 |
| 20 | Education Administrators, Postsecondary | $74,990 | $36.06 | 30 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes in this area cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in Gadsden, AL
Most concentrated occupations in Gadsden, AL
The 10 occupations with the highest location quotient among those employing at least 100 people in the area. A quotient of 2.00 means the occupation's share of local jobs is twice its national share.
| Rank | Occupation | Location quotient | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Helpers--Production Workers | 7.61 | 270 | 8.11 | $34,720 |
| 2 | Physical Therapist Assistants | 6.78 | 160 | 4.90 | $65,060 |
| 3 | Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 6.70 | 240 | 7.37 | $38,420 |
| 4 | Cooks, Fast Food in Alabama | 4.59 | 630 | 18.94 | $25,900 |
| 5 | Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary | 4.28 | 100 | 3.14 | $57,380 |
| 6 | Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 4.14 | 140 | 4.23 | $37,360 |
| 7 | Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 3.63 | 120 | 3.51 | $38,420 |
| 8 | Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment | 3.17 | 260 | 7.75 | $36,100 |
| 9 | Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers | 2.79 | 100 | 2.96 | * |
| 9 | Recreation Workers | 2.79 | 200 | 5.96 | $25,370 |
Occupation groups in Gadsden, AL
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $86,280 | $98,950 | 1,420 | 42.76 | 0.60 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $72,360 | $79,560 | 190 | 5.77 | 0.17 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $71,890 | $86,990 | 3,250 | 97.71 | 1.55 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $67,580 | $80,530 | 260 | 7.75 | 0.46 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $65,720 | $72,170 | 110 | 3.44 | 0.36 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $60,550 | $69,230 | 990 | 29.86 | 0.44 |
| Legal | $49,800 | $66,780 | 160 | 4.91 | 0.58 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $49,140 | $52,370 | 1,400 | 42.11 | 1.08 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $48,350 | $47,390 | 1,900 | 57.28 | 0.98 |
| Community and Social Service | $45,220 | $48,920 | 530 | 15.95 | 0.93 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $43,440 | $42,780 | 240 | 7.10 | 0.54 |
| Construction and Extraction | $40,350 | $42,850 | 1,060 | 32.02 | 0.77 |
| Protective Service | $38,390 | $41,230 | 680 | 20.37 | 0.84 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $36,760 | $40,280 | 3,400 | 102.32 | 0.90 |
| Production | $36,520 | $39,700 | 3,570 | 107.57 | 1.95 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $35,150 | $36,240 | 120 | 3.63 | 1.30 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $34,850 | $37,490 | 3,520 | 106.12 | 1.21 |
| Healthcare Support | $32,130 | $36,080 | 1,920 | 57.66 | 1.13 |
| Sales and Related | $29,740 | $38,800 | 3,330 | 100.24 | 1.16 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $29,240 | $31,640 | 680 | 20.55 | 0.70 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $25,720 | $26,760 | 3,830 | 115.21 | 1.31 |
| Personal Care and Service | $23,120 | $26,410 | 650 | 19.68 | 0.94 |
Every occupation in Alabama, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profile. All 152 published occupations for this area are in the wage explorer; other metros are on the metros hub.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Gadsden, AL estimates (area 23460).
*- Wage estimate not available.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's employment per 1,000 jobs in the Gadsden, AL area; the location quotient is that share divided by the national share.
- The concentration table keeps only occupations with employment of 100 or more in the area, so a quotient built on a handful of rounded jobs cannot top it.