Alabama
Across all occupations in Alabama, the median wage is $45,670 a year ($21.96 an hour) and the mean $57,500, May 2025. That median is −10% against the US median of $50,980. BLS counts 2,113,660 jobs in the state. The highest-paying occupation is cardiologists; the largest is retail salespersons.
All occupations: Alabama vs the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| 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 | ||
Minimum wage in Alabama
The wage floor is a separate question from these survey figures. See the Alabama minimum wage page for the current rate, scheduled increases and tipped rules, verified against the U.S. Department of Labor.
20 highest-paying occupations in Alabama
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiologists | $519,480 | $249.75 | 130 |
| 2 | Dermatologists | $394,550 | $189.69 | ** |
| 3 | Anesthesiologists | $392,350 | $188.63 | ** |
| 4 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $324,570 | $156.04 | 380 |
| 5 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $311,180 | $149.61 | 310 |
| 6 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $305,200 | $146.73 | ** |
| 7 | Physicians, All Other | $272,610 | $131.06 | 3,980 |
| 8 | Orthodontists | $253,670 | $121.96 | ** |
| 9 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $210,380 | $101.15 | 120 |
| 10 | Pediatricians, General | $209,490 | $100.72 | ** |
| 11 | Nurse Anesthetists | $190,300 | $91.49 | 1,810 |
| 12 | Chief Executives | $166,420 | $80.01 | 810 |
| 13 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $162,350 | $78.06 | 3,790 |
| 14 | Podiatrists | $161,820 | $77.80 | 90 |
| 15 | Engineers, All Other | $152,550 | $73.34 | 3,460 |
| 16 | Optometrists | $145,090 | $69.75 | 460 |
| 17 | Financial Managers | $140,500 | $67.55 | 7,200 |
| 18 | Physicists | $139,330 | $66.98 | 280 |
| 19 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $138,670 | $66.67 | 7,670 |
| 20 | Computer Hardware Engineers | $136,990 | $65.86 | 680 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in Alabama
Occupation groups in Alabama
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $103,980 | $122,590 | 112,960 | 53.44 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $100,030 | $103,940 | 57,370 | 27.14 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $99,990 | $107,520 | 49,580 | 23.46 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $76,390 | $84,620 | 108,150 | 51.17 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $74,070 | $81,380 | 14,570 | 6.89 |
| Legal | $73,480 | $99,500 | 14,110 | 6.67 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $67,360 | $85,700 | 145,300 | 68.75 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $56,690 | $54,920 | 113,630 | 53.76 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $56,530 | $59,410 | 108,070 | 51.13 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $49,140 | $58,230 | 18,140 | 8.58 |
| Community and Social Service | $49,020 | $53,770 | 24,610 | 11.64 |
| Construction and Extraction | $47,810 | $51,630 | 89,430 | 42.31 |
| Protective Service | $44,450 | $49,220 | 48,670 | 23.03 |
| Production | $44,250 | $48,580 | 215,430 | 101.93 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $40,460 | $44,410 | 226,670 | 107.24 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $38,220 | $43,180 | 208,000 | 98.41 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $37,750 | $42,890 | 6,260 | 2.96 |
| Sales and Related | $35,000 | $45,980 | 202,240 | 95.68 |
| Healthcare Support | $33,790 | $34,970 | 75,330 | 35.64 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $32,240 | $34,620 | 53,490 | 25.31 |
| Personal Care and Service | $28,560 | $31,880 | 36,990 | 17.50 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $27,780 | $29,280 | 184,640 | 87.36 |
Metropolitan areas in Alabama
13 metropolitan areas touch Alabama, plus 4 nonmetropolitan areas, with the all-occupations median of each. A linked metropolitan area has its own profile; nonmetropolitan areas appear here only.
| Area | Type | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anniston-Oxford, AL | Metropolitan | $42,680 | $20.52 | 43,570 |
| Auburn-Opelika, AL | Metropolitan | $39,070 | $18.78 | 72,710 |
| Birmingham, AL | Metropolitan | $47,770 | $22.97 | 520,290 |
| Columbus, GA-AL | Metropolitan | $43,540 | $20.93 | 116,380 |
| Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL | Metropolitan | $38,520 | $18.52 | 87,120 |
| Decatur, AL | Metropolitan | $46,280 | $22.25 | 61,240 |
| Dothan, AL | Metropolitan | $38,170 | $18.35 | 60,720 |
| Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL | Metropolitan | $39,740 | $19.10 | 56,100 |
| Gadsden, AL | Metropolitan | $36,660 | $17.63 | 33,220 |
| Huntsville, AL | Metropolitan | $51,740 | $24.88 | 266,650 |
| Mobile, AL | Metropolitan | $47,000 | $22.59 | 172,550 |
| Montgomery, AL | Metropolitan | $44,950 | $21.61 | 165,550 |
| Tuscaloosa, AL | Metropolitan | $45,220 | $21.74 | 108,460 |
| Northwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $41,000 | $19.71 | 67,570 |
| Northeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $38,960 | $18.73 | 152,620 |
| Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $42,800 | $20.58 | 64,550 |
| Southeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $40,210 | $19.33 | 83,750 |
Occupation pages for Alabama
63 occupations have a dedicated Alabama page with the state's percentiles, its metro table and a comparison with neighbouring states.
- Accountants and Auditors $74,880
- Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics $45,640
- Bartenders $27,980
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks $44,640
- Business Operations Specialists, All Other $100,240
- Carpenters $48,220
- Cashiers $28,250
- Computer and Information Systems Managers $138,670
- Computer User Support Specialists $49,630
- Construction Laborers $36,900
- Cooks, Fast Food $27,870
- Cooks, Restaurant $32,180
- Customer Service Representatives $38,400
- Electricians $55,690
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education $61,380
- Fast Food and Counter Workers $23,700
- Financial Managers $140,500
- First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $64,120
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $37,110
- First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $74,830
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $60,360
- First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $73,060
- First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers $44,860
- First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors $59,780
- Food Preparation Workers $27,930
- General and Operations Managers $111,790
- Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $52,120
- Home Health and Personal Care Aides $27,840
- Human Resources Specialists $64,940
- Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators $44,880
- Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $30,620
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand $36,670
- Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers $35,630
- Lawyers $131,970
- Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses $57,030
- Light Truck Drivers $38,490
- Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $27,480
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General $43,630
- Management Analysts $108,040
- Managers, All Other $135,890
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $59,530
- Medical Assistants $36,100
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants $36,930
- Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $61,770
- Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators $42,700
- Nursing Assistants $34,140
- Office Clerks, General $31,200
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $51,270
- Project Management Specialists $100,820
- Receptionists and Information Clerks $32,590
- Registered Nurses $77,080
- Retail Salespersons $30,040
- Sales Managers $124,040
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel $58,840
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $64,140
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $61,990
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive $41,630
- Security Guards $33,720
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks $38,940
- Software Developers $122,540
- Stockers and Order Fillers $34,290
- Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary $24,070
- Waiters and Waitresses $26,840
Take-home pay and benefits calculators for Alabama
FastCalc, a sister site, has these calculators for Alabama. Each takes your own figures; this site computes nothing.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Alabama estimates.
*- 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 Alabama.