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What does a Mechanical Engineers salary really buy you in Vermont?
Vermont is near the US average cost of livingData: BLS OEWS 2025 + BEA Regional Price Parities 2022 • Updated 2026-05-19
Vermont's Regional Price Parity (RPP) is 101.1, meaning prices are 1.1% higher the national average. A Mechanical Engineers earning $107,330 in Vermont has the equivalent purchasing power of $106,162 in an average-cost US state.
Every dollar goes further in low-cost states. Here is how each salary percentile compares after adjusting for Vermont's cost of living.
| Percentile | Nominal Salary | COL-Adjusted | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (P10) | $83,820 | $82,908 | $-911 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $87,360 | $86,409 | $-950 |
| Median (P50) | $107,330 | $106,162 | $-1,167 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $127,100 | $125,717 | $-1,382 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $150,380 | $148,743 | $-1,636 |
Vermont's cost of living is close to the national average, so $107,330 keeps most of its value at $106,162 in real terms. Location choice here is more about career opportunities than cost arbitrage.
With an RPP of 101.1, Vermont is within a few percent of the national cost-of-living baseline. Salary adjustment for Mechanical Engineers is therefore minor — what you earn is close to what you'd keep in real purchasing power.
After adjusting for Vermont's cost of living, $107,330 nominal nets out to $106,162 in real purchasing power — a small 1.1% loss. The state's cost profile is close enough to average that COL alone shouldn't drive location decisions for this Mechanical Engineers.
Vermont's rank of #28 of 51 states means real purchasing power for Mechanical Engineers trails the national half-way line.
Where does Mechanical Engineers salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Vermont ranks #28 out of 51 states for Mechanical Engineers after cost-of-living adjustment.
How much do you actually take home? See Mechanical Engineers take-home pay in Vermont after taxes →
A Mechanical Engineers in Vermont earns a median salary of $107,330 per year. After adjusting for Vermont's cost of living (RPP=101.1), the real purchasing power is $106,162 — a -1.1% difference.
Vermont's cost of living is 1.1% higher than the national average according to the BEA Regional Price Parities (2022). The RPP index for Vermont is 101.1 (US average = 100).
Regional Price Parities (RPPs) are price indexes published by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) that measure differences in price levels across states. They are expressed as a percentage of the national average (US = 100). Higher RPP means higher cost of living.
The adjusted salary is calculated as: Nominal Salary x (100 / RPP). For a Mechanical Engineers in Vermont: $107,330 x (100 / 101.1) = $106,162. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.
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