Mechanical Engineers Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $84K, rent takes 31.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,672/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,600/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new mechanical engineers typically earn — is $64K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,865/month.

Local pay runs 19% below the national median — $84K here vs. $104K nationally.

South Arkansas nonmetropolitan area pays $84K median vs. the U.S. average of $104K — that’s -19%.

The median is $84,010 a year, that works out to about $40 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $64,420, and experienced mechanical engineers can clear $132,080. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,365/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,672/month, which eats 31.2% 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.

South Arkansas 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 mechanical engineers salary is worth about $84,010 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.