How much does a Mechanical Engineer make in Georgia?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $96,820 for Mechanical Engineers in Georgia as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $78,670 and the 75th-percentile is $123,060.

How are Georgia Mechanical Engineer salaries calculated on this page?

Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.

Where does Georgia rank for Mechanical Engineer pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Georgia ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

How wide is the wage spread in Georgia?

P10 to P90 spans $66,940 to $150,100. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Is Georgia a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Mechanical Engineers?

No — Georgia's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.

What are the limits of these Mechanical Engineer salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

Does PE license raise mechanical engineer pay in Georgia?

PE (Professional Engineer) license through Georgia's engineering board typically adds 5-15% to the BLS-reported median for mechanical engineers, concentrated in industries that require sealed drawings — civil-mechanical (HVAC for buildings), pressure-vessel, oil/gas, and government contracts. In R&D, defense (where security clearance dominates), and consumer-product design, PE has limited wage premium. Georgia follows the NCEES path: BS-ABET + FE exam + 4 years of progressive experience + PE exam.

Georgia Mechanical Engineer Salary: BLS $97K Median, Real $100K (2026)

TL;DR

Mechanical Engineers in Georgia earn a BLS median of $96,820, with real take-home of $100,338 after BEA RPP adjustment.
Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
Wage envelope: $66,940 (P10) to $150,100 (P90), with quartiles at $78,670 and $123,060.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #39 of 51; nominal rank is #40.

Wage breakdown — Georgia

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$66,940	$69,372
P25 (lower quartile)	$78,670	$81,528
P50 (median)	$96,820	$100,338
P75 (upper quartile)	$123,060	$127,531
P90 (top tier)	$150,100	$155,554
Mean	$108,100	$112,028
Employment	5,180 Mechanical Engineers in Georgia

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Georgia index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	96.5
Goods	97.7
Services	92.3
Rents	88.3

Georgia's overall RPP (96.5) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Georgia (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Mechanical Engineer)	$96,820	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$12,547	13.0% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$4,402	5.19% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,407	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$72,464	74.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$75,097	÷ (96.5 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Georgia state-tax burden means for Mechanical Engineer take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.5% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $72,464 (74.8% of gross). After the 96.5 RPP, real take-home is $75,097.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $102,320 for Mechanical Engineers with mean pay of $110,080 and total employment of 286,760. Georgia sits at #40 on nominal pay and #39 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Georgia climbs 1 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Mechanical Engineer make in Georgia?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $96,820 for Mechanical Engineers in Georgia as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $78,670 and the 75th-percentile is $123,060.
How are Georgia Mechanical Engineer salaries calculated on this page?: Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
Where does Georgia rank for Mechanical Engineer pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Georgia ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
How wide is the wage spread in Georgia?: P10 to P90 spans $66,940 to $150,100. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is Georgia a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Mechanical Engineers?: No — Georgia's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
What are the limits of these Mechanical Engineer salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
Does PE license raise mechanical engineer pay in Georgia?: PE (Professional Engineer) license through Georgia's engineering board typically adds 5-15% to the BLS-reported median for mechanical engineers, concentrated in industries that require sealed drawings — civil-mechanical (HVAC for buildings), pressure-vessel, oil/gas, and government contracts. In R&D, defense (where security clearance dominates), and consumer-product design, PE has limited wage premium. Georgia follows the NCEES path: BS-ABET + FE exam + 4 years of progressive experience + PE exam.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 17-2141, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Georgia Mechanical Engineer pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.