Mechanical Engineers salary in College Station, TX
Median pay for mechanical engineers in College Station, TX: $82,140/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $49,240 – $132,120 · about 90 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($95,605) by −$13,465 (-14%).
What it's really worth in College Station
With College Station's cost of living at 91 (US=100), that $82,140 has the buying power of about $90,007 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $58,659 · median home $310,961 · median rent $1,472/mo.
How College Station ranks for this job
On raw pay, College Station, TX is 155th of the 180 metros we hold mechanical engineers wages for. Once College Station's cost of living is applied, it ranks 137th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — College Station is one of the places where mechanical engineers gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.
What that salary buys in College Station
A median home in College Station, TX costs $310,961 — about 3.8× 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 $1,472/mo works out at 22% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where mechanical engineers earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to College Station.
| Metro | Median pay | vs College Station | Rent vs College Station |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $153,520 | +87% | 2.5× |
| San Francisco, CA | $136,970 | +67% | 2.2× |
| Albuquerque, NM | $133,660 | +63% | 1× |
| Tyler, TX | $130,720 | +59% | 0.9× |
Same job elsewhere in TX
| Metro | Median pay | vs College Station | Rent vs College Station |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler, TX | $130,720 | +59% | 0.9× |
| Beaumont, TX | $121,470 | +48% | 0.9× |
| Corpus Christi, TX | $119,770 | +46% | 1× |
| Houston, TX | $119,550 | +46% | 1.1× |
Staying in TX keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in College Station
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 180 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.