Engineering Salary Statistics | Michigan Technological University

Average Engineering Salaries

What is an engineering degree worth? Year after year, engineering jobs in the United States and abroad are paid the highest average starting salary.

How Much Do Engineers Make?

Engineers get top pay. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in May 2023 engineers had a median annual wage of $91,420, which was higher than the median annual wage for all occupations of $48,060. The engineering field projects to have faster than average employment growth 2022 to 2032 with nearly 188,000 openings created each year. One thing is certain: engineers will continue to play a major role in shaping the world of tomorrow.

So how much do different engineering careers pay? Review average engineer salaries by specific discipline or field:

Salaries by Engineering Industry
Industry	Mean Entry-Level Salary (Payscale)	Mean Annual Salary (BLS)	Top 10 Percent (BLS)
Aerospace Engineering	$76,293	$134,330	$188,910
Biomedical Engineering	$66,917	$106,700	$154,350
Chemical Engineering	$72,425	$122,910	$176,420
Civil Engineering	$63,403	$101,160	$150,640
Computer Engineering, IT Engineer (Computer Hardware Engineers)	$76,707	$147,770	$212,770
Computer Engineering, IT Engineer (Software Developers)	$70,115	$138,110	$208,620
Construction Management	$62,017	$116,960	$172,040
Electrical Engineering	$72,904	$117,680	$172,050
Engineering Management	$102,000	$172,290	$233,590
Environmental Engineering	$62,108	$105,840	$156,530
Electrical Engineering Technology		$74,440	$105,320
Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences	$55,481	$105,460	$160,820
Geospatial Science and Technology	$41,956	$78,810	$113,540
Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering	$67,220	$76,726 (Payscale)	$101,000 (Payscale)
Materials Science and Engineering	$72,492	$110,430	$165,580
Mechanical Engineering ME Salaries Details	$69,148	$105,220	$157,470
Mechanical Engineering Technology	$60,412	$118,350	$177,020
Mechatronics Engineering, Robotics Engineering	$81,743	$93,375 (Payscale)	$134,000 (Payscale)
Surveying Engineering, Geospatial Engineering	$50,984	$74,000	$109,660
Figures from payscale.com, accessed May 2024. Figures from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), dated May 2023.

Engineering salaries can vary widely based on factors other than the type of engineering field. Additional factors include job location, experience level, education, and the specific industry or company. The bottom line: it is well worth the time and effort it takes to become an engineer.

Additional Engineering Salary and Career Information

Best Engineering Jobs

The occupations on the US News and World Report's Best Engineering Jobs list are diverse and offer good salaries.

See the list.

Highest-Paying College Majors, 5 Years After Graduation

Engineering degrees took nine of the top 16 rankings for college majors with the highest income five years after graduation, according to a recent New York Federal Reserve study of full-time workers.

See the top 16 majors.

Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook

"Overall employment in architecture and engineering occupations is projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations from 2022 to 2032. About 188,000 openings are projected each year, on average, in these occupations due to employment growth and the need to replace workers who leave the occupations permanently."

Read Outlook Handbook

PayScale College Salary Report

"It's no surprise that STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) majors are the top college majors by salary, but that doesn't mean that we discourage students from studying majors in the humanities, social sciences, education or arts. In fact, some of those majors lead to high-paying careers as well—it just often takes a longer time for those graduates to reach their prime earning potential."

Read full report

Hot Jobs for Engineering Graduate Degrees

"From US News and World Report, here are six engineering career paths that demonstrate faster than average job growth rates and offer high-paying salaries."

See the list.

Types of Engineering Fields

While there are many different ways to organize the various engineering disciplines, according to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), there are twelve types of board engineering categories¹:

Aerospace Engineering
1. How to Become an Aerospace Engineer
Bioengineering
1. What is Biomedical Engineering?
Chemical Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering
1. What is Civil Engineering?
Computer Science and Engineering
Electric Power/Energy Systems Engineering
1. What is Electrical Engineering?
Electronics, Communication, and Information Systems Engineering
Industrial, Manufacturing, and Operational Systems Engineering
Materials Engineering
1. What is Materials Science and Engineering?
Mechanical Engineering
1. What is Mechanical Engineering?
Earth Resources Engineering
1. What is Applied Geophysics?
2. What is Geological Engineering?
Special Fields and Interdisciplinary Engineering
1. Engineering vs. Engineering Technology

1: Categories from the National Academy of Engineering, accessed December 2024

Master of Engineering vs Master of Science

2024 Engineering Salary Statistics

Average Engineering Salaries

How Much Do Engineers Make?

Additional Engineering Salary and Career Information