Civil Engineers salary in Mobile, AL
Median pay for civil engineers in Mobile, AL: $97,280/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $61,650 – $136,220 · about 670 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($88,630) by +$8,650 (+10%).
What it's really worth in Mobile
With Mobile's cost of living at 89 (US=100), that $97,280 has the buying power of about $109,626 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $55,247 · median home $197,857 · median rent $1,323/mo.
How Mobile ranks for this job
On raw pay, Mobile, AL is 47th of the 187 metros we hold civil engineers wages for. Once Mobile's cost of living is applied, it ranks 8th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Mobile is one of the places where civil engineers gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.
What that salary buys in Mobile
A median home in Mobile, AL costs $197,857 — about 2× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,323/mo works out at 16% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where civil engineers earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Mobile.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Mobile | Rent vs Mobile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento, CA | $125,760 | +29% | 1.7× |
| San Francisco, CA | $122,670 | +26% | 2.5× |
| San Jose, CA | $119,430 | +23% | 2.7× |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $110,110 | +13% | 1.1× |
Same job elsewhere in AL
| Metro | Median pay | vs Mobile | Rent vs Mobile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntsville, AL | $97,700 | +0% | 1× |
| Montgomery, AL | $93,910 | −3% | 1.1× |
| Tuscaloosa, AL | $89,460 | −8% | 1.1× |
| Birmingham, AL | $84,650 | −13% | 1.1× |
Staying in AL keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires civil engineers around Mobile
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Austal USA · Manufacturing
- City of Mobile · Government
Other jobs in Mobile
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.