Pay and jobs by occupation in the Gadsden, AL metropolitan area (BLS, May 2025). BLS counts about 33,220 jobs across all occupations here, with a median annual wage of $36,660 for all occupations combined. 152 occupations have a published median wage in this area.
Education and earnings of residents
Who lives in the Gadsden, AL area and what they earn, by education, from federal survey data (not a measure of any one employer or college).
18.1% of adults 25 and over in this area have a bachelor’s degree or higher (±1.4), compared with 35.7% nationally.
Prices of goods and services here run at 85.7 when the whole U.S. is 100 (housing 53.7; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024; estimates are revised). A higher number means prices are higher on average, not that the area is better or worse.
About 4,341 residents (4.4% of those 3 and older; U.S. 6.6%) are enrolled in college or graduate school, at any school (±484; ACS 2020-2024, Table B14001).
The unemployment rate in this area averaged 3.0% in 2025, with a labor force of about 42,635 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted annual average; estimates are model-based and revised).
18.2% of adults 25 to 34 have a bachelor’s degree or higher (±3.0), compared with 39.6% nationally (Table B15001).
Median yearly earnings by education, adults 25 and over who have earnings
| Education | This area | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Less than high school | $25,450 | $32,485 |
| High school graduate | $35,179 | $40,153 |
| Some college or associate's degree | $41,661 | $47,260 |
| Bachelor's degree | $52,361 | $70,044 |
| Graduate or professional degree | $65,411 | $90,720 |
Poverty rate by education, adults 25 and over
| Education | This area | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Less than high school | 28.5% (±3.7) | 24.2% |
| High school graduate | 16.1% (±1.8) | 14.4% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 12.1% (±1.6) | 9.8% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 5.6% (±1.5) | 4.5% |
What residents with a bachelor’s degree studied
| Field of first major | This area | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Science and engineering | 23.2% | 36.1% |
| Science and engineering related fields | 12.4% | 10.0% |
| Business | 20.3% | 20.1% |
| Education | 29.1% | 10.9% |
| Arts, humanities and other | 15.0% | 23.0% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, Tables B15003, B20004 (earnings shown only when the margin of error is at most 20% of the value), B23006 (unemployment shown only when every margin is at most 3 points), B17003 (margins of error at the 90% level; poverty shown only when every margin is at most 8 points) and C15010 (the Census Bureau’s own field groups, in a fixed order, not ranked). Describes residents of the area, not a prediction for any person; the Census Bureau has not endorsed this presentation. MajorPays does not provide advice.
Wages by occupation
Colleges in this area
1 college in the federal directory have a campus in this area, listed alphabetically; MajorPays does not rank colleges. Each name links to the college’s profile.
| College | Type | Level | Students, fall 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gadsden State Community College | Public | 2-year | 5,071 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS directory (HD 2024, core-based statistical area of the campus) and Fall Enrollment 2024 (total headcount). A count of students is the size of the college, not its quality; the Department has not endorsed this presentation.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, metropolitan area estimates (cross-industry, all ownerships). Wages are pay for all workers in an occupation in this area, not any one person or employer; a dash means BLS does not publish the figure (often to protect privacy or because the estimate is unreliable), and “or more” marks a wage at or above BLS’s top reporting limit. Concentration is the BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of jobs in this area divided by its share nationally (1.00 = the same share as the U.S.; above 1.00 = a larger share); it says nothing about pay or openings. Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's jobs per 1,000 jobs of all kinds in this area. Occupations that BLS reports only as hourly wages are not listed, and BLS shows some wages above its top limit as plain numbers while others read “or more”. Occupations are listed alphabetically; click a heading to sort. MajorPays does not rank places or occupations. MajorPays selected and reorganized these figures; the Bureau of Labor Statistics has not approved or endorsed this presentation. MajorPays does not provide advice. See Data sources.
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