Tuscaloosa, AL
Across all occupations in the Tuscaloosa, AL metropolitan area, the median wage is $45,220 a year ($21.74 an hour) and the mean $54,150, May 2025. That median is −11% against the US median of $50,980 and −1% against Alabama's $45,670. BLS counts 108,460 jobs in the area. The highest-paying occupation is physicians, all other; the largest is miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators.
All occupations: Tuscaloosa, AL vs Alabama and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Tuscaloosa, AL | Hourly | $12.18 | $15.16 | $21.74 | $30.56 | $43.78 | $26.04 | 108,460 |
| Annual | $25,340 | $31,530 | $45,220 | $63,550 | $91,050 | $54,150 | ||
| 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 | ||
294 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 Tuscaloosa, AL
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physicians, All Other | $243,530 | $117.08 | 170 |
| 2 | Nurse Anesthetists | $195,660 | $94.07 | 90 |
| 3 | Chief Executives | $164,810 | $79.23 | 40 |
| 4 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $140,070 | $67.34 | 100 |
| 5 | Pharmacists | $132,430 | $63.67 | 320 |
| 6 | Financial Managers in Alabama | $130,000 | $62.50 | 240 |
| 7 | Facilities Managers | $129,880 | $62.44 | 50 |
| 8 | Computer and Information Systems Managers in Alabama | $126,270 | $60.71 | 210 |
| 9 | Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $125,100 | $60.15 | 50 |
| 10 | Computer Network Architects | $124,860 | $60.03 | 80 |
| 11 | Industrial Production Managers | $123,390 | $59.32 | 240 |
| 12 | Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | $116,660 | $56.09 | 60 |
| 13 | Computer Occupations, All Other | $115,750 | $55.65 | 60 |
| 14 | Electrical Engineers | $114,980 | $55.28 | 70 |
| 15 | Purchasing Managers | $114,960 | $55.27 | 60 |
| 16 | Lawyers in Alabama | $114,100 | $54.86 | 190 |
| 17 | Mechanical Engineers | $110,520 | $53.14 | 90 |
| 18 | Nurse Practitioners | $110,460 | $53.10 | 300 |
| 19 | Sales Managers in Alabama | $108,750 | $52.29 | 120 |
| 20 | Physical Therapists | $106,450 | $51.18 | 120 |
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 Tuscaloosa, AL
Most concentrated occupations in Tuscaloosa, 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 | Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining | 28.69 | 120 | 1.09 | $57,730 |
| 2 | Logging Equipment Operators | 10.77 | 160 | 1.46 | $46,510 |
| 3 | Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood | 9.93 | 280 | 2.61 | $37,440 |
| 4 | Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders | 9.84 | 100 | 0.90 | $48,110 |
| 5 | Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators in Alabama | 7.47 | 7,320 | 67.52 | $53,050 |
| 6 | Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing | 5.99 | 260 | 2.37 | $35,150 |
| 7 | Helpers--Production Workers | 5.52 | 640 | 5.88 | $35,080 |
| 8 | Industrial Machinery Mechanics | 5.19 | 1,590 | 14.67 | $62,990 |
| 9 | Machine Feeders and Offbearers | 5.08 | 150 | 1.38 | $32,830 |
| 10 | Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 4.49 | 160 | 1.45 | $80,860 |
Occupation groups in Tuscaloosa, AL
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $98,040 | $110,590 | 5,240 | 48.34 | 0.68 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $95,070 | $95,380 | 1,810 | 16.66 | 0.99 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $80,970 | $92,220 | 1,540 | 14.21 | 0.42 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $70,930 | $76,990 | 3,710 | 34.23 | 0.51 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $68,710 | $76,550 | 860 | 7.92 | 0.84 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $66,310 | $83,100 | 7,270 | 67.06 | 1.06 |
| Legal | $59,150 | $82,730 | 460 | 4.24 | 0.50 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $57,020 | $58,240 | 8,000 | 73.76 | 1.26 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $56,810 | $58,840 | 5,610 | 51.69 | 1.32 |
| Protective Service | $54,160 | $55,300 | 2,150 | 19.80 | 0.82 |
| Production | $52,600 | $52,980 | 15,750 | 145.25 | 2.64 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $49,300 | $58,760 | 820 | 7.60 | 0.58 |
| Construction and Extraction | $49,070 | $53,440 | 5,450 | 50.24 | 1.22 |
| Community and Social Service | $48,600 | $54,320 | 1,440 | 13.27 | 0.77 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $44,060 | $45,910 | 320 | 2.94 | 1.05 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $39,640 | $43,580 | 9,930 | 91.60 | 0.80 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $36,860 | $40,340 | 9,580 | 88.33 | 1.00 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $32,280 | $34,810 | 2,510 | 23.15 | 0.79 |
| Healthcare Support | $32,150 | $34,030 | 4,790 | 44.20 | 0.87 |
| Sales and Related | $31,570 | $40,500 | 9,250 | 85.29 | 0.99 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $27,800 | $29,720 | 10,420 | 96.08 | 1.09 |
| Personal Care and Service | $27,650 | $32,070 | 1,540 | 14.16 | 0.68 |
Every occupation in Alabama, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profile. All 294 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 Tuscaloosa, AL estimates (area 46220).
*- Wage 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 Tuscaloosa, 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.