StateRates

Fort Wayne salaries

The median worker in the Fort Wayne, IN metro area earned $46,630 a year in 2024, about $22.42 an hour. That ranks #198 of the 391 metro areas published here, 5.8% below the national median.

Indiana

Median pay $46,630 $22.42 per hour
Vs national -5.8% U.S. $49,500
Workers 224,020 wage and salary
Metro rank #198 of 391 by median pay

What this labour market looks like

Fort Wayne pays 0.6% less than Indiana as a whole. Metros usually run ahead of their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and the gap is a rough measure of how much of a state's economy sits in its cities.

Unusually concentrated here

Best paid occupations

Highest median pay in Fort Wayne
Occupation Median Hourly Employed
Pharmacists $140,880 $67.73 430
Physician Assistants $133,890 $64.37 290
Computer and Information Systems Managers $133,010 $63.95 470
Architectural and Engineering Managers $132,240 $63.58 330
Financial Managers $128,080 $61.58 780
Nurse Practitioners $124,380 $59.80 770
Lawyers $117,500 $56.49 490
Administrative Services Managers $108,600 $52.21 400
General and Operations Managers $106,950 $51.42 2,790
Facilities Managers $103,680 $49.84 280
Medical and Health Services Managers $102,920 $49.48 820
Software Developers $102,280 $49.17 910
Sales Managers $102,030 $49.05 750
Industrial Production Managers $100,880 $48.50 660
Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary $99,030 n/a 370
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $98,750 $47.48 280
Physical Therapists $98,620 $47.41 390
Electrical Engineers $97,720 $46.98 340
Management Analysts $92,750 $44.59 610
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products $90,990 $43.75 240
Project Management Specialists $89,220 $42.89 600
Occupational Therapists $87,590 $42.11 240
Construction Managers $86,420 $41.55 380
Industrial Engineers $86,100 $41.39 830
Mechanical Engineers $85,900 $41.30 650
Managers, All Other $84,670 $40.71 240
Civil Engineers $84,570 $40.66 240
Data Scientists $83,770 $40.27 300
Computer Systems Analysts $83,720 $40.25 650
Speech-Language Pathologists $83,450 $40.12 230
Dental Hygienists $82,510 $39.67 440
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters $80,150 $38.53 1,200
Education Administrators, Postsecondary $80,140 $38.53 210
Personal Financial Advisors $79,850 $38.39 530
Financial and Investment Analysts $78,500 $37.74 230
Network and Computer Systems Administrators $78,170 $37.58 280
Registered Nurses $77,690 $37.35 6,450
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $77,380 $37.20 1,160
First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $76,030 $36.55 850
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $75,780 $36.43 1,130
Firefighters $75,510 $36.30 620
Logisticians $75,400 $36.25 210
Accountants and Auditors $75,270 $36.19 1,720
Radiologic Technologists and Technicians $75,130 $36.12 370
Respiratory Therapists $74,610 $35.87 230
Healthcare Social Workers $73,450 $35.31 440
Computer Network Support Specialists $69,900 $33.61 520
Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents $68,880 $33.12 300
Business Operations Specialists, All Other $67,810 $32.60 340
Cost Estimators $66,750 $32.09 390
Electricians $66,510 $31.98 1,450
Compliance Officers $65,720 $31.60 320
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $65,310 $31.40 1,610
Human Resources Specialists $63,610 $30.58 1,160
Public Relations Specialists $62,830 $30.21 360
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $62,720 $30.16 2,580
Insurance Underwriters $62,680 $30.14 220
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators $62,340 $29.97 630
Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers $62,040 $29.83 240
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $62,020 $29.82 1,970

Where most people work

Largest occupations in Fort Wayne by employment
Occupation Employed Median Hourly
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators 8,370 $45,100 $21.69
Fast Food and Counter Workers 6,960 $27,770 $13.35
Registered Nurses 6,450 $77,690 $37.35
Retail Salespersons 5,740 $29,580 $14.22
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 4,970 $37,540 $18.05
Stockers and Order Fillers 4,610 $34,870 $16.77
Office Clerks, General 4,350 $43,110 $20.72
Cashiers 4,290 $28,590 $13.75
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 4,120 $59,910 $28.80
Home Health and Personal Care Aides 4,110 $30,580 $14.70
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 3,360 $34,810 $16.74
Waiters and Waitresses 3,290 $28,170 $13.54
Nursing Assistants 3,190 $36,090 $17.35
Customer Service Representatives 3,100 $42,790 $20.57
General and Operations Managers 2,790 $106,950 $51.42
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products 2,580 $62,720 $30.16
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 2,330 $49,990 $24.03
Cooks, Restaurant 2,130 $34,550 $16.61
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education 1,970 $56,780 n/a
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers 1,970 $62,020 $29.82

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 state estimates. Wage and salary workers only, excluding the self-employed.

Other Indiana metro areas

Fort Wayne pay: common questions

What is the average salary in Fort Wayne?

The median across all occupations is $46,630, or $22.42 an hour, covering 224,020 wage and salary workers. The mean is $57,760, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.

Does Fort Wayne pay more than the rest of Indiana?

No. The metro median of $46,630 is 0.6% below the Indiana median of $46,930. Metropolitan areas usually pay more than their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and usually cost more to live in for the same reason.

Which jobs pay best in Fort Wayne?

Pharmacists ($140,880), Physician Assistants ($133,890), Computer and Information Systems Managers ($133,010). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.

What is Fort Wayne unusually full of?

Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic, at 7.34× the national concentration. Location quotient is a better description of a local economy than its biggest employers, which are retail and food service almost everywhere.