Jobs, pay and daily life in Auburn, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Auburn is a city in Alabama with 80,594 residents. The median household earns $63,668 a year and the median rent is $1,098 a month, which is 20.7% of the median household income. It is part of the Auburn-Opelika, AL metropolitan area, where BLS counts 72,710 jobs.
How Auburn compares. Among the 80 largest places in Alabama, Auburn is #7 by population, #6 for college degrees (#1 = most), #72 for homeownership (#1 = highest), #27 for remote work (#1 = most). Its county, Lee County, is #21 of 67 counties for average pay ($53,394).
Auburn has 80,594 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 1.6% of the population of Alabama. It covers 63 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 1,280 people per square mile. The median age is 25.9, 34% younger than the state median (25.9 against 39.3).
The median gross rent is $1,098 a month (rent plus utilities), 9% above the state median ($1,098 against $1,007). Over a year that is 20.7% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $364,800, which is 5.7 times the median household income ($63,668); a ratio above 5 usually means buying is out of reach without savings or a second income. 53.1% of households own their home, 24% below the state average (53.1% against 70.2%). A low ownership share points to a rental-heavy market with more apartments and shorter stays.
The Auburn-Opelika, AL metropolitan area has 72,710 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $39,070 a year, 23% below the national median ($39,070 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are food preparation and serving related (8,900 jobs, median $27,260); educational instruction and library (8,350 jobs, median $48,340); office and administrative support (7,110 jobs, median $39,430). The area is most specialised in educational instruction and library (2.0 times) and production (1.7 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are educational instruction and library ($48,340) and office and administrative support ($39,430). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Lee County was 3.4%. 59.3% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Lee County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 75.7% drive alone, 1.0% use public transit, 4.3% walk, 10.9% work from home. 9.9% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 32% below the state average (9.9% against 14.7%).
64.1% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 126% above the state share (64.1% against 28.4%). 10.7% of residents were born outside the United States, 168% above the state share (10.7% against 4.0%). The poverty rate is 25.4%, 63% above the state rate (25.4% against 15.6%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 82°F (27.6°C), and the coolest is Jan at 44°F (6.9°C). About 1,306 mm (51 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Dec is the wettest month (138 mm) and Oct the driest (72 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Opelika (8 miles, rent 13% lower); Tuskegee (17 miles, rent 31% lower); Valley (22 miles, rent 7% lower); Phenix City (29 miles, rent 12% lower). Rent differences are against Auburn; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Alabama (395) →State guide: AlabamaCountry guideLee CountyAlabama rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 395 federal postings open in Alabama (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in Alabama →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 2,370 | 1.31 | $24,600 | $20,770 | $34,220 | -21% |
| Retail Salespersons | 2,300 | 1.26 | $29,140 | $22,250 | $42,850 | -18% |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 2,000 | 3.05 | $34,530 | $28,490 | $43,450 | -23% |
| Cashiers | 1,820 | 1.26 | $27,940 | $20,580 | $33,850 | -15% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 1,660 | 1.25 | $34,900 | $26,940 | $62,240 | -7% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 1,570 | 1.96 | $40,460 | $28,610 | $56,690 | -15% |
| Registered Nurses | 1,430 | 0.91 | $78,040 | $60,530 | $101,980 | -20% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 1,310 | 1.24 | $26,470 | $16,630 | $35,040 | -25% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 1,250 | 0.91 | $33,090 | $22,820 | $43,410 | -18% |
| Cooks, Fast Food | 1,220 | 4.06 | $27,120 | $22,600 | $33,140 | -12% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 1,090 | 1.13 | $49,210 | $38,830 | $78,020 | -16% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 970 | 0.94 | $30,470 | $23,970 | $43,070 | -17% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 960 | 0.79 | $35,810 | $29,620 | $52,320 | -20% |
| General and Operations Managers | 920 | 0.56 | $103,380 | $50,050 | $228,160 | -2% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | 920 | 1.62 | $36,470 | $28,600 | $58,390 | -17% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | 880 | 1.67 | $44,630 | $28,080 | $74,240 | -8% |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | 840 | 1.69 | $61,250 | $48,760 | $77,810 | -15% |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 760 | 1.15 | $30,580 | $23,480 | $37,450 | -18% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 740 | 1.03 | $39,710 | $27,310 | $60,310 | -20% |
| Food Preparation Workers | 730 | 1.75 | $28,770 | $20,710 | $36,290 | -19% |
These figures are for the whole Auburn-Opelika, AL metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $39,070 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.6% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 36.7% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 11.9% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 10.6% |
| Manufacturing | 10.1% |
| Retail trade | 8.8% |
| Other services | 4.2% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 4.2% |
| Construction | 4.1% |
| Public administration | 3.6% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 3.4% |
| Wholesale trade | 0.9% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.8% |
| Information | 0.6% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Auburn lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee County | 181,134 | $9,275 million | $51,205 | 66,643 | 4,362 | $53,394 | +2.0% | 3.4% | 92,160 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 8,966 | 18.2% | $22,545 | 1.48 |
| Retail trade | 8,018 | 16.3% | $35,451 | 1.20 |
| Manufacturing | 7,100 | 14.4% | $64,703 | 1.30 |
| Administrative and waste services | 4,844 | 9.8% | $31,448 | 1.23 |
| Health care and social assistance | 4,669 | 9.5% | $48,517 | 0.49 |
| Construction | 3,261 | 6.6% | $69,651 | 0.93 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 3,144 | 6.4% | $55,205 | 1.11 |
| Professional and technical services | 2,172 | 4.4% | $65,138 | 0.47 |
| Wholesale trade | 1,301 | 2.6% | $80,271 | 0.50 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 1,232 | 2.5% | $43,078 | 0.61 |
| Finance and insurance | 1,223 | 2.5% | $79,374 | 0.45 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 876 | 1.8% | $20,045 | 0.78 |
| Real estate and rental | 820 | 1.7% | $52,741 | 0.79 |
| Information | 633 | 1.3% | $105,241 | 0.51 |
| Educational services | 620 | 1.3% | $44,422 | 0.45 |
| Utilities | 215 | 0.4% | $170,493 | 0.85 |
| Management of companies | 179 | 0.4% | $114,084 | 0.16 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 75.7% |
| Public transit | 1.0% |
| Walk | 4.3% |
| Work from home | 10.9% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 9.9% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $63,668 |
| Income per person | $37,018 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,098 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 20.7% |
| Median home value | $364,800 |
| Homeowners | 53.1% |
| Poverty rate | 25.4% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 87.9 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $39,070 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set; graduated states show 0 until you enter your own estimate. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Graduated, top rate 5.00%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 25.9 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 96.3% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 64.1% |
| Born abroad | 10.7% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 59.3% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6.9 | 44 | 105 |
| Feb | 9.2 | 49 | 121 |
| Mar | 13.3 | 56 | 124 |
| Apr | 17.5 | 64 | 115 |
| May | 22.2 | 72 | 103 |
| Jun | 26.2 | 79 | 108 |
| Jul | 27.6 | 82 | 122 |
| Aug | 27.2 | 81 | 116 |
| Sep | 24.4 | 76 | 86 |
| Oct | 18.8 | 66 | 72 |
| Nov | 12.6 | 55 | 96 |
| Dec | 8.7 | 48 | 138 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opelika | AL | 8 mi | 32,820 | $65,004 | $950 |
| Tuskegee | AL | 17 mi | 8,938 | $38,000 | $757 |
| Valley | AL | 22 mi | 10,277 | $51,661 | $1,016 |
| Phenix City | AL | 29 mi | 38,499 | $50,053 | $967 |
| Alexander City | AL | 34 mi | 14,606 | $47,022 | $721 |
| Columbus | GA | 37 mi | 203,711 | $58,073 | $1,106 |
| LaGrange | GA | 39 mi | 32,078 | $43,708 | $1,073 |
| Pike Road | AL | 43 mi | 10,574 | $117,091 | $1,653 |
| Montgomery | AL | 48 mi | 197,494 | $56,811 | $1,089 |
| Millbrook | AL | 52 mi | 17,189 | $70,313 | $1,111 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
80,594 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,098 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 20.7% of the median household income.
$63,668 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
3.4% (BLS county, Lee County (latest month 2026M09)).
Alabama. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.