How much do Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators make in Auburn-Opelika, AL?

Percentile spread

For Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators, the published 10th percentile is $27,500 and the 90th percentile is $66,300. The difference is $38,800, which is 106.7% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $31,190 to the 75th at $49,030, covers $17,840.

The mean annual wage is $41,380, which sits above the median of $36,380. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Auburn-Opelika, AL median is 31.8% lower than the national median of $53,340 for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators. In 2024 national prices the local median is $41,372, which is 22.4% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 13.1% lower than the Alabama median of $41,880.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Auburn-Opelika, AL is 87.933, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $36,380 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators at $41,372 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

8 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators. Auburn-Opelika, AL ranks 8th of 9 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

• Montgomery, AL is 52 miles away, with a median of $40,000 and employment of 60. That median is 10% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $44,602, against $41,372 here.
• Birmingham, AL is 100 miles away, with a median of $48,030 and employment of 120. That median is 32% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $52,409, against $41,372 here.
• Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA is 108 miles away, with a median of $46,120 and employment of 770. That median is 26.8% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $46,093, against $41,372 here.

Employment share

Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators accounts for 0.06% of wage-and-salary employment in Auburn-Opelika, AL (40 of 72,710). Nationally the occupation is 0.03% of employment (41,820 of 155,495,730). The local share is 2.05 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.