Welders, Cutters & Solderers salary in Tuscaloosa, AL
Median pay for welders, cutters & solderers in Tuscaloosa, AL: $47,220/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $33,950 – $63,620 · about 380 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($48,615) by −$1,395 (-3%).
What it's really worth in Tuscaloosa
With Tuscaloosa's cost of living at 89 (US=100), that $47,220 has the buying power of about $52,992 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $58,132 · median home $223,201 · median rent $1,485/mo.
How Tuscaloosa ranks for this job
On raw pay, Tuscaloosa, AL is 125th of the 186 metros we hold welders, cutters & solderers wages for. Once Tuscaloosa's cost of living is applied, it ranks 60th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Tuscaloosa is one of the places where welders, cutters & solderers 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 4.7× 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 38% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.
Where welders, cutters & solderers 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honolulu, HI | $76,540 | +62% | 2× |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $70,010 | +48% | 0.9× |
| Bremerton, WA | $66,310 | +40% | 1.4× |
| Virginia Beach, VA | $63,630 | +35% | 1.3× |
Same job elsewhere in AL
| Metro | Median pay | vs Tuscaloosa | Rent vs Tuscaloosa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile, AL | $57,820 | +22% | 0.9× |
| Daphne, AL | $49,220 | +4% | 1.1× |
| Birmingham, AL | $46,330 | −2% | 1× |
| Montgomery, AL | $46,260 | −2% | 0.9× |
Staying in AL keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Tuscaloosa
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 186 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.