Mechanical engineer · Birmingham, AL

Mechanical engineer in Birmingham: $3,035/mo left

BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median mechanical engineer wage in Birmingham at $98,810 a year. About 780 mechanical engineer jobs are in the metro. The job is a smaller share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 0.78). The 10th percentile is $61,470 and the 90th is $157,890. Pay ranks 188th-highest of 345 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 7.4× a year of one-bedroom rent ($1,106/mo). Alabama taxes wage income on a bracket schedule, plus a 1.00% city wage tax. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $3,035 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Decatur, about 73 miles away, at $4,194 left over a month.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.

Left over each month

$3,035

1 adult, 1 bd

Pay

$98,810

$61,470 to $157,890

Rent (1 bd)

$1,106

$1,317 (2 bd)

Employment

780

Location quotient 0.78

Pay rank

188th of 345

Metros with a published median

Pay vs rent

7.4×

Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent

Where the money goes

1 adult, 1 bd, mechanical engineer pay of $98,810.

Taxes$2,221
Rent$1,106
Other living costs$1,872
Left over$3,035

Pay and tax, per year

Gross household pay: $98,810
Federal income tax: −$13,352
Social Security and Medicare: −$7,559
State income tax (AL): −$4,751
City / county wage tax: −$988
Take-home pay: $72,160
Effective tax rate: 27.0%

Living costs, per month

Rent, 1br: $1,106
Groceries: $364
Getting around: $553
Healthcare: $410
Utilities and internet: $228
Everything else: $319
Total spending: $2,978

Left over each month

$8,234 gross, minus $2,221 in tax and $2,978 in living costs.

$3,035

Rank every metro for a mechanical engineer

Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Decatur, $4,194/mo.

Mechanical engineer leftover by city →Best cities for mechanical engineers to move to →

Mechanical engineer nearby

Questions

What does a mechanical engineer make in Birmingham?

$98,810 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 780 mechanical engineer jobs are in the metro.

What is left after tax and rent for a mechanical engineer in Birmingham?

$3,035 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. Alabama taxes wage income on a bracket schedule, plus a 1.00% city wage tax Rent is $1,106, and pay covers 7.4× a year of it.

Where nearby would a mechanical engineer keep more?

Decatur, about 73 miles away, leaves $4,194 a month, more than Birmingham.