Mechanical Engineer.
Little Rock.
$81,000
median salary, 21% below the national average
$65,000 to $103,000. Last updated August 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
The median Mechanical Engineer salary in Little Rock is $81,000, 21% below the national average. Entry level starts near $65,000. Experienced professionals push past $103,000. Little Rock's economy is driven by Walmart's nearby headquarters ecosystem, state government, healthcare, and logistics. That spread is your negotiation window. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Mechanical Engineer in Little Rock, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $93,800 for Mechanical Engineers (SOC 17-2141) in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metropolitan area, based on 330 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$58,620
25th percentile
$73,920
Median
$93,800
75th percentile
$126,230
90th percentile
$135,030
Workers surveyed
330
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Mechanical Engineers (SOC 17-2141) rather than Mechanical Engineer specifically. The Little Rock range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 17-2141Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $73,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$53,000
to $65,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$69,000
to $85,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$89,000
to $105,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$101,000
to $126,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $18,000 to the total package.
Base
$81,000
Equity
$10,000
Bonus
$6,000
Signing
$2,000
Estimated total: $99,000
How Little Rock compares.
Little Rock, AR
$81,000
Cost of living: 18% below average
National Average
$102,000
Little Rock is $21,000 below
Mechanical Engineer salary by city.
Salary by role in Little Rock.
What you should know.
Before you negotiate a Mechanical Engineer offer in Little Rock, understand the terrain. Little Rock's economy is driven by Walmart's nearby headquarters ecosystem, state government, healthcare, and logistics. The metro's extremely low cost of living means even moderate salaries deliver strong purchasing power. Tech jobs are growing as companies seek affordable alternatives to major metros. Industry placement creates the widest pay gaps, with automotive, aerospace, and energy sector roles paying 15 to 30% more than HVAC or consumer products. CAD/CAE proficiency, FEA simulation skills, and experience with additive manufacturing or robotics integration command premiums in the current market.
Entry-level mechanical engineers start at $70,000 to $82,000. Senior engineers earn $90,000 to $118,000 after five to seven years. Engineering managers reach $120,000 to $155,000, with directors at large manufacturers earning $160,000 to $200,000. In Little Rock, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 18% below the national average, which means even a median salary buys a stronger lifestyle.
Base salary is not the full picture. Manufacturing firms offer bonuses of 5 to 12% tied to project milestones and cost savings. Automotive OEMs include profit-sharing of $3,000 to $12,000 annually. Many employers provide PE exam support and professional society membership fees. And on the tax side: arkansas has a top income tax rate of 4.4%. Little Rock has no city income tax. The combination of low taxes and very affordable housing creates one of the best net pay environments in the country. When someone quotes you $81,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Reference the Walmart and Tyson ecosystem when negotiating. Northwest Arkansas and Little Rock employers benchmark against national corporate pay scales. The range for Mechanical Engineers in Little Rock runs from $65,000 to $103,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- A Systems Administrator in Little Rock earns $82,000 (1% more)
- The highest-paying role in Little Rock is CTO at $253,000
Common questions.
Mechanical Engineer salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Little Rock.
Related salary pages
Jump to nearby roles and cities most relevant to Mechanical Engineers in Little Rock.
Related tools.
Do you work as a mechanical engineer in Little Rock?
Your individual figure is never published. Submissions appear only as aggregate percentiles, and nothing is shown for a role and city until at least five people have reported. It is stored against your account, which is what keeps the dataset clean.
Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Mechanical Engineer Salary in Little Rock, AR." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/mechanical-engineer/little-rock
Want this data on your site? Embed the salary widget. One script tag, free forever.
Related tools