Engineers, All Other Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $82K, rent takes 51.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,812/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,700/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new engineers, all others typically earn — is $54K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,211/month.

Local pay runs 33% below the national median — $82K here vs. $123K nationally.

East Tennessee nonmetropolitan area pays $82K median vs. the U.S. average of $123K — that’s -33%.

The median is $81,900 a year, that works out to about $39 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $53,510, and experienced engineers, all others can clear $129,330. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,500/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,812/month, which eats 51.1% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

East Tennessee nonmetropolitan area has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median engineers, all other salary is worth about $81,900 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.