Graphic Designers salary in Tuscaloosa, AL

Median pay for graphic designers in Tuscaloosa, AL: $48,050/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $31,800 – $84,380 · about 80 employed locally

Below the typical metro median ($50,005) by −$1,955 (-4%).

What it's really worth in Tuscaloosa

With Tuscaloosa's cost of living at 89 (US=100), that $48,050 has the buying power of about $53,924 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $58,132 · median home $223,201 · median rent $1,485/mo.

Full Tuscaloosa cost of living & taxes →

How Tuscaloosa ranks for this job

On raw pay, Tuscaloosa, AL is 122nd of the 186 metros we hold graphic designers wages for. Once Tuscaloosa's cost of living is applied, it ranks 86th.

Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Tuscaloosa is one of the places where graphic designers gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.

What that salary buys in Tuscaloosa

A median home in Tuscaloosa, AL costs $223,201 — about 4.6× 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 $1,485/mo works out at 37% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.

Where graphic designers earn more

Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Tuscaloosa.

Metro	Median pay	vs Tuscaloosa	Rent vs Tuscaloosa
San Jose, CA	$96,260	+100%	2.4×
San Francisco, CA	$92,380	+92%	2.2×
Washington, DC	$80,100	+67%	1.6×
New York, NY	$75,900	+58%	2.4×

Same job elsewhere in AL

Metro	Median pay	vs Tuscaloosa	Rent vs Tuscaloosa
Huntsville, AL	$52,830	+10%	0.9×
Birmingham, AL	$47,950	+0%	1×
Montgomery, AL	$45,240	−6%	0.9×
Mobile, AL	$43,110	−10%	0.9×

Staying in AL keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

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