Materials Engineers Salary
The median pay for a materials engineers in Mississippi is $78,700/year ($37.84/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $62K at the entry level to $151K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 88.9), which stretches that salary to about $88,526 in buying power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,077/month, or 20.8% of estimated take-home pay.
Statewide average. This is an aggregate across all of Mississippi. BLS does not publish metro-level data for this occupation in this state.
So what does $79K get you in Mississippi?
About materials engineers
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What this looks like in Mississippi
Pay for materials engineers in Mississippi runs about 30% below the U.S. median of $113K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,077/month, 21.5% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Regional Price Parity sits at 88.9 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 11% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Lower pay, lower costs, Mississippi can be a reasonable trade-off for materials engineerss who value affordability over top-dollar markets.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Mississippi
Entry-level materials engineers (10th percentile) start around $62K. Mid-career wages sit at $79K. Top earners bring in $151K or more, a $89K spread from bottom to top.
Compare to other states
Track materials engineers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Mississippi numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a materials engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Mississippi?
Yes — at the median salary of $79K, rent takes 21.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,077/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for materials engineers in Mississippi?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new materials engineers typically earn — is $62K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,720/month. At HUD’s $1,077/month FMR, rent would take 29% of that take-home — manageable on an entry-level income.
Is materials engineer a high-paying job in Mississippi?
Local pay runs 30% below the national median — $79K here vs. $113K nationally. Cost of living is 11% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Mississippi compare to the national average for materials engineers?
Mississippi pays $79K median vs. the U.S. average of $113K — that’s -30%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 88.9), the purchasing-power equivalent is $89K — below the national median.
How much do materials engineers make in Mississippi?
The median is $78,700 a year, that works out to about $38 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $62,000, and experienced materials engineers can clear $150,890. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $79K enough to live in Mississippi?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,004/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,077/month, which eats 21.5% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a materials engineers salary go in Mississippi?
Mississippi has a Regional Price Parity of 88.9 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median materials engineers salary is worth about $88,526 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do materials engineers get paid the most?
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.