Average Salaries in Auburn-Opelika, AL
Explore salaries across 254 occupations in Auburn-Opelika, AL. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $55.1K, -10.5% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2024 estimates. Coverage: 254 occupations and 61,670 total jobs in Auburn-Opelika, AL.
How the metro compares
Auburn-Opelika, AL pays modestly below the national average. That can be partly offset by a lower cost of living compared with higher-paying markets.
Auburn-Opelika, AL is a smaller metro labor market. Some occupations may have limited local demand.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Dentists, General. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in Auburn-Opelika, AL
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Top wages
Highest-paid occupations in Auburn-Opelika, AL
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Dentists, General | $155.1K | 40 |
| Pharmacists | $133.2K | 230 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $133.0K | 40 |
| Computer Network Architects | $127.6K | 40 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $124.5K | 150 |
| Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary | $123.3K | 40 |
| Financial Managers | $122.8K | 150 |
| Electrical Engineers | $110.2K | 30 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $107.8K | 120 |
| Information Security Analysts | $107.2K | 50 |
Most jobs
Largest occupations in Auburn-Opelika, AL
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 2,170 | $29.0K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 2,130 | $23.8K |
| Cashiers | 2,040 | $26.9K |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers And Fabricators | 1,700 | $34.8K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 1,690 | $32.8K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 1,370 | $22.1K |
| Registered Nurses | 1,350 | $77.7K |
| Secretaries And Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, And Executive | 1,330 | $39.6K |
| Cooks, Fast Food | 1,200 | $23.8K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 1,200 | $33.4K |
What Auburn-Opelika, AL specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in Auburn-Opelika, AL than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Location quotient
Most concentrated occupations in Auburn-Opelika, AL
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 9.40 | $78.4K |
| Physics Teachers, Postsecondary | 8.45 | $79.7K |
| Social Work Teachers, Postsecondary | 7.42 | $56.1K |
| Education Administrators, Postsecondary | 5.58 | N/A |
| Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary | 5.15 | $80.3K |
| Molding, Coremaking, And Casting Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic | 4.76 | $35.2K |
| Soil And Plant Scientists | 4.73 | $59.2K |
| Extruding And Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic | 4.21 | $30.6K |
| Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary | 4.12 | $94.6K |
| Business Teachers, Postsecondary | 4.06 | $94.5K |
Peer markets
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $90.4K | Training And Development Managers |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $89.2K | Natural Sciences Managers |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $81.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $80.1K | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $78.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| Vallejo, CA | $77.4K | Lawyers |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $77.2K | Podiatrists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $77.1K | Neurologists |
Common salary questions for Auburn-Opelika, AL
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.