StateRates

Gadsden salaries

The median worker in the Gadsden, AL metro area earned $35,220 a year in 2024, about $16.93 an hour. That ranks #384 of the 391 metro areas published here, 28.8% below the national median.

Alabama

Median pay $35,220 $16.93 per hour
Vs national -28.8% U.S. $49,500
Workers 33,060 wage and salary
Metro rank #384 of 391 by median pay

What this labour market looks like

Gadsden pays 19.6% less than Alabama 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

Occupations against their national share, 2024
Occupation Concentration Employed Median
Cooks, Fast Food 4.1× 590 $22,410
Nursing Assistants 1.93× 580 $29,570
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 1.76× 660 $36,850
Registered Nurses 1.73× 1,210 $74,020
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators 1.69× 530 $31,580
Cashiers 1.43× 960 $23,300
Retail Salespersons 1.36× 1,100 $27,250
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 1.32× 590 $47,750
Stockers and Order Fillers 1.24× 740 $31,480
Waiters and Waitresses 1.14× 560 $21,460
Fast Food and Counter Workers 0.79× 640 $22,420
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 0.77× 500 $30,490

Best paid occupations

Highest median pay in Gadsden
Occupation Median Hourly Employed
General and Operations Managers $87,680 $42.16 440
Medical and Health Services Managers $79,260 $38.11 260
Registered Nurses $74,020 $35.59 1,210
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $61,230 $29.44 240
Accountants and Auditors $59,930 $28.81 270
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $58,610 $28.18 330
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $57,620 n/a 370
Industrial Machinery Mechanics $51,660 $24.84 240
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $51,490 $24.76 280
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $47,750 $22.96 590
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses $47,730 $22.95 250
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $41,500 $19.95 300
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics $40,570 $19.51 210
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General $39,030 $18.77 250
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks $38,900 $18.70 260
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers $38,220 $18.38 460
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic $37,220 $17.89 250
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive $36,850 $17.72 660
Customer Service Representatives $36,360 $17.48 350
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators $35,380 $17.01 210
Construction Laborers $34,730 $16.70 270
Light Truck Drivers $33,580 $16.14 260
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers $33,090 $15.91 260
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $32,010 $15.39 450
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators $31,580 $15.18 530
Stockers and Order Fillers $31,480 $15.14 740
Medical Assistants $31,200 $15.00 430
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand $30,490 $14.66 500
Nursing Assistants $29,570 $14.21 580
Office Clerks, General $29,060 $13.97 250
Cooks, Restaurant $28,230 $13.57 360
Helpers--Production Workers $28,030 $13.47 260
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $27,310 $13.13 340
Retail Salespersons $27,250 $13.10 1,100
Home Health and Personal Care Aides $24,350 $11.71 420
Substitute Teachers, Short-Term $24,320 $11.69 290
Recreation Workers $24,240 $11.65 200
Packers and Packagers, Hand $24,170 $11.62 270
Cashiers $23,300 $11.20 960
Food Preparation Workers $22,610 $10.87 330
Fast Food and Counter Workers $22,420 $10.78 640
Cooks, Fast Food $22,410 $10.78 590
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria $21,860 $10.51 210
Waiters and Waitresses $21,460 $10.32 560

Where most people work

Largest occupations in Gadsden by employment
Occupation Employed Median Hourly
Registered Nurses 1,210 $74,020 $35.59
Retail Salespersons 1,100 $27,250 $13.10
Cashiers 960 $23,300 $11.20
Stockers and Order Fillers 740 $31,480 $15.14
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 660 $36,850 $17.72
Fast Food and Counter Workers 640 $22,420 $10.78
Cooks, Fast Food 590 $22,410 $10.78
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 590 $47,750 $22.96
Nursing Assistants 580 $29,570 $14.21
Waiters and Waitresses 560 $21,460 $10.32
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators 530 $31,580 $15.18
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 500 $30,490 $14.66
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers 460 $38,220 $18.38
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers 450 $32,010 $15.39
General and Operations Managers 440 $87,680 $42.16
Medical Assistants 430 $31,200 $15.00
Home Health and Personal Care Aides 420 $24,350 $11.71
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education 370 $57,620 n/a
Cooks, Restaurant 360 $28,230 $13.57
Customer Service Representatives 350 $36,360 $17.48

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 Alabama metro areas

Gadsden pay: common questions

What is the average salary in Gadsden?

The median across all occupations is $35,220, or $16.93 an hour, covering 33,060 wage and salary workers. The mean is $44,340, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.

Does Gadsden pay more than the rest of Alabama?

No. The metro median of $35,220 is 19.6% below the Alabama median of $43,830. 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 Gadsden?

General and Operations Managers ($87,680), Medical and Health Services Managers ($79,260), Registered Nurses ($74,020). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.

What is Gadsden unusually full of?

Cooks, Fast Food, at 4.1× 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.