Mechanical Engineers
Mechanical Engineers (SOC 17-2141) earn a median $104,110 a year ($50.05 an hour) in the United States, with 296,810 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is New Mexico.
What mechanical engineers do
Mechanical engineers plan and design tools, engines, machines, and other mechanical equipment, and they oversee the installation, operation, maintenance, and repair of systems such as centralized heat, gas, water, and steam systems. Typical tasks include reading and interpreting blueprints, technical drawings, and schematics, researching and designing equipment, and specifying the components of a system or directing changes to a product so it meets engineering and safety requirements. They confer with other engineers and staff to put operating procedures in place and to resolve problems with equipment. They also investigate equipment failures to diagnose faulty operation, recommend design changes to eliminate malfunctions, and provide technical customer service. The occupation is broader than aerospace, marine, nuclear, or petroleum engineering, which have their own categories, and it differs from mechanical engineering technicians, who help carry out tests and drawings under an engineer's direction.
Typical entry: According to O*NET, the most commonly reported education level is a bachelor's degree.
Also called: Design Engineer, Application Engineer, Automation Engineer, Air Conditioning Engineer (AC Engineer), Body Engineer.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $35.57 | $40.45 | $50.05 | $63.75 | $79.01 | $54.62 | 296,810 |
| Annual | $73,990 | $84,130 | $104,110 | $132,590 | $164,340 | $113,610 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where mechanical engineers earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| New Mexico | Hourly | $49.89 | $61.58 | $75.82 | $78.31 | $97.67 | $73.28 | 2,710 | 3.11 | 1.63 |
| Annual | $103,780 | $128,080 | $157,710 | $162,880 | $203,140 | $152,430 | ||||
| District of Columbia | Hourly | $41.74 | $51.59 | $64.09 | $79.98 | $93.84 | $66.59 | 510 | 0.72 | 0.38 |
| Annual | $86,820 | $107,300 | $133,300 | $166,360 | $195,190 | $138,500 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $39.46 | $49.21 | $62.94 | $80.09 | $97.89 | $65.70 | 30,530 | 1.68 | 0.88 |
| Annual | $82,070 | $102,360 | $130,900 | $166,580 | $203,620 | $136,660 | ||||
| Delaware | Hourly | $31.68 | $47.08 | $60.16 | $61.61 | $80.86 | $56.59 | 610 | 1.25 | 0.66 |
| Annual | $65,890 | $97,920 | $125,130 | $128,140 | $168,180 | $117,710 | ||||
| Colorado | Hourly | $36.11 | $46.02 | $59.82 | $72.02 | $82.12 | $59.81 | 7,190 | 2.50 | 1.31 |
| Annual | $75,100 | $95,710 | $124,430 | $149,790 | $170,810 | $124,410 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Michigan | Hourly | $36.69 | $42.13 | $50.43 | $63.54 | $76.85 | $54.00 | 34,630 | 7.86 | 4.12 |
| Annual | $76,310 | $87,640 | $104,890 | $132,160 | $159,840 | $112,320 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $39.46 | $49.21 | $62.94 | $80.09 | $97.89 | $65.70 | 30,530 | 1.68 | 0.88 |
| Annual | $82,070 | $102,360 | $130,900 | $166,580 | $203,620 | $136,660 | ||||
| Texas | Hourly | $36.45 | $43.95 | $54.05 | $69.76 | $84.24 | $58.42 | 22,080 | 1.57 | 0.82 |
| Annual | $75,810 | $91,420 | $112,410 | $145,090 | $175,210 | $121,510 | ||||
| Ohio | Hourly | $33.25 | $38.17 | $47.64 | $55.66 | $66.36 | $48.71 | 14,390 | 2.59 | 1.36 |
| Annual | $69,160 | $79,390 | $99,100 | $115,770 | $138,020 | $101,320 | ||||
| Pennsylvania | Hourly | $31.62 | $38.03 | $47.08 | $60.22 | $72.57 | $49.87 | 13,550 | 2.24 | 1.17 |
| Annual | $65,770 | $79,090 | $97,920 | $125,270 | $150,950 | $103,740 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | Hourly | $50.67 | $64.65 | $80.79 | $96.94 | $104.58 | $79.77 | 5,540 | 4.88 | 2.56 |
| Annual | $105,400 | $134,460 | $168,030 | $201,630 | $217,530 | $165,920 | ||||
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | Hourly | $49.38 | $61.70 | $77.58 | $88.46 | $102.11 | $76.30 | 5,150 | 2.17 | 1.14 |
| Annual | $102,710 | $128,330 | $161,370 | $183,990 | $212,380 | $158,690 | ||||
| Baton Rouge, LA | Hourly | $36.87 | $51.19 | $65.16 | $81.23 | $94.21 | $65.85 | 540 | 1.31 | 0.69 |
| Annual | $76,690 | $106,480 | $135,530 | $168,960 | $195,960 | $136,970 | ||||
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | Hourly | $45.28 | $52.26 | $63.91 | $79.36 | $101.57 | $67.22 | 190 | 1.90 | 0.99 |
| Annual | $94,180 | $108,700 | $132,920 | $165,070 | $211,260 | $139,810 | ||||
| Salinas, CA | Hourly | $33.29 | $47.18 | $63.73 | $74.74 | $84.23 | $61.65 | 70 | 0.37 | 0.19 |
| Annual | $69,240 | $98,130 | $132,560 | $155,450 | $175,200 | $128,240 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | Hourly | $38.40 | $47.48 | $52.63 | $64.14 | $77.42 | $56.07 | 22,500 | 11.81 | 6.19 |
| Annual | $79,880 | $98,770 | $109,470 | $133,410 | $161,030 | $116,620 | ||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | $37.04 | $46.16 | $59.57 | $70.60 | $83.34 | $59.59 | 8,780 | 1.40 | 0.73 |
| Annual | $77,040 | $96,010 | $123,900 | $146,850 | $173,340 | $123,940 | ||||
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | Hourly | $38.21 | $47.64 | $60.27 | $79.15 | $95.54 | $63.96 | 8,310 | 2.53 | 1.32 |
| Annual | $79,470 | $99,080 | $125,350 | $164,640 | $198,730 | $133,040 | ||||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Hourly | $38.23 | $44.32 | $52.88 | $65.89 | $79.33 | $56.49 | 6,960 | 0.73 | 0.38 |
| Annual | $79,520 | $92,180 | $109,990 | $137,060 | $165,010 | $117,500 | ||||
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | Hourly | $32.16 | $39.97 | $49.07 | $62.65 | $75.83 | $52.68 | 6,900 | 1.53 | 0.80 |
| Annual | $66,900 | $83,140 | $102,070 | $130,310 | $157,720 | $109,570 | ||||
Top industries employing mechanical engineers
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services employ 20.4% of mechanical engineers nationally (60,610 jobs) at a median $103,440 a year ($49.73 an hour), followed by Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) (9.9%) and Scientific Research and Development Services (7.2%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services NAICS 541300 | 60,610 | 20.4% | $103,440 | $49.73 |
| Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) NAICS 3330A1 | 29,420 | 9.9% | $97,620 | $46.93 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services NAICS 541700 | 21,390 | 7.2% | $132,040 | $63.48 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) NAICS 999100 | 13,860 | 4.7% | $120,370 | $57.87 |
| Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing NAICS 336400 | 12,060 | 4.1% | $112,900 | $54.28 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (296,810). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $95,300 for mechanical engineers in May 2021 and $104,110 in May 2025, with employment of 278,240 and 296,810.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $95,300 | $45.82 | 278,240 |
| May 2022 | $96,310 | $46.31 | 277,560 |
| May 2023 | $99,510 | $47.84 | 281,290 |
| May 2024 | $102,320 | $49.19 | 286,760 |
| May 2025 | $104,110 | $50.05 | 296,810 |
BLS does not design OEWS as a time series: each release pools three years of samples, and occupational classifications, area definitions and estimation methods change between releases, so a difference between two releases is not a measure of change over time. The figures are shown as published, side by side, and nothing is computed from them. See how often OEWS is updated.
Every state, by median wage
51 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico profile | $75.82 | $157,710 | $103,780 | $203,140 | 2,710 | 3.11 | 1.63 |
| 2 | District of Columbia profile | $64.09 | $133,300 | $86,820 | $195,190 | 510 | 0.72 | 0.38 |
| 3 | California profile | $62.94 | $130,900 | $82,070 | $203,620 | 30,530 | 1.68 | 0.88 |
| 4 | Delaware profile | $60.16 | $125,130 | $65,890 | $168,180 | 610 | 1.25 | 0.66 |
| 5 | Colorado profile | $59.82 | $124,430 | $75,100 | $170,810 | 7,190 | 2.50 | 1.31 |
| 6 | Alaska profile | $59.78 | $124,340 | $76,890 | $174,320 | 380 | 1.17 | 0.61 |
| 7 | Maryland profile | $59.07 | $122,870 | $79,670 | $176,680 | 6,550 | 2.37 | 1.24 |
| 8 | Louisiana profile | $57.47 | $119,540 | $70,350 | $181,550 | 1,890 | 0.98 | 0.51 |
| 9 | Massachusetts profile | $57.36 | $119,300 | $79,570 | $166,480 | 7,680 | 2.11 | 1.11 |
| 10 | Wyoming profile | $56.61 | $117,750 | $71,730 | $151,810 | 230 | 0.83 | 0.44 |
| 11 | Rhode Island profile | $55.88 | $116,230 | $79,000 | $195,190 | 1,560 | 3.11 | 1.63 |
| 12 | Texas profile | $54.05 | $112,410 | $75,810 | $175,210 | 22,080 | 1.57 | 0.82 |
| 13 | New Jersey profile | $53.99 | $112,300 | $79,160 | $162,800 | 4,180 | 0.97 | 0.51 |
| 14 | Washington profile | $53.09 | $110,430 | $79,400 | $167,680 | 8,240 | 2.32 | 1.22 |
| 15 | Vermont profile | $51.60 | $107,330 | $83,820 | $150,380 | 530 | 1.75 | 0.92 |
| 16 | Connecticut profile | $50.52 | $105,090 | $77,340 | $157,980 | 4,600 | 2.71 | 1.42 |
| 17 | Michigan profile | $50.43 | $104,890 | $76,310 | $159,840 | 34,630 | 7.86 | 4.12 |
| 18 | South Carolina profile | $50.28 | $104,580 | $74,260 | $166,340 | 5,780 | 2.51 | 1.31 |
| 19 | Virginia profile | $50.09 | $104,180 | $77,840 | $160,770 | 7,470 | 1.82 | 0.95 |
| 20 | New Hampshire profile | $49.84 | $103,660 | $72,740 | $165,500 | 2,760 | 4.04 | 2.12 |
| 21 | Oregon profile | $49.74 | $103,470 | $78,100 | $162,550 | 2,920 | 1.49 | 0.78 |
| 22 | Illinois profile | $49.37 | $102,680 | $72,150 | $160,160 | 11,790 | 1.93 | 1.01 |
| 23 | Nevada profile | $49.37 | $102,680 | $75,960 | $160,210 | 1,410 | 0.91 | 0.48 |
| 24 | Utah profile | $49.28 | $102,500 | $73,070 | $160,640 | 3,370 | 1.94 | 1.02 |
| 25 | New York profile | $49.25 | $102,440 | $74,990 | $160,220 | 8,590 | 0.89 | 0.46 |
| 26 | Maine profile | $49.25 | $102,430 | $78,440 | $137,280 | 890 | 1.38 | 0.72 |
| 27 | Oklahoma profile | $48.97 | $101,850 | $70,070 | $136,110 | 2,270 | 1.33 | 0.70 |
| 28 | Kentucky profile | $48.58 | $101,050 | $65,370 | $139,810 | 4,170 | 2.08 | 1.09 |
| 29 | North Carolina profile | $48.42 | $100,720 | $71,260 | $155,550 | 9,560 | 1.93 | 1.01 |
| 30 | Georgia profile | $48.37 | $100,620 | $71,940 | $156,320 | 5,290 | 1.08 | 0.57 |
| 31 | Arizona profile | $48.21 | $100,270 | $71,030 | $159,040 | 5,050 | 1.56 | 0.82 |
| 32 | Alabama profile | $48.19 | $100,230 | $72,110 | $162,420 | ** | ** | ** |
| 33 | Florida profile | $48.07 | $99,980 | $66,260 | $153,950 | 10,740 | 1.08 | 0.57 |
| 34 | Indiana profile | $47.88 | $99,590 | $66,330 | $143,090 | 8,690 | 2.72 | 1.42 |
| 35 | Tennessee profile | $47.86 | $99,550 | $64,150 | $156,150 | 3,930 | 1.20 | 0.63 |
| 36 | Missouri profile | $47.75 | $99,330 | $64,750 | $142,100 | 4,870 | 1.66 | 0.87 |
| 37 | Minnesota profile | $47.66 | $99,140 | $75,870 | $151,580 | 5,890 | 2.00 | 1.05 |
| 38 | Ohio profile | $47.64 | $99,100 | $69,160 | $138,020 | 14,390 | 2.59 | 1.36 |
| 39 | Hawaii profile | $47.47 | $98,740 | $66,110 | $141,500 | 530 | 0.84 | 0.44 |
| 40 | Mississippi profile | $47.12 | $98,000 | $62,210 | $136,990 | 1,570 | 1.35 | 0.71 |
| 41 | Pennsylvania profile | $47.08 | $97,920 | $65,770 | $150,950 | 13,550 | 2.24 | 1.17 |
| 42 | Iowa profile | $46.97 | $97,700 | $71,050 | $137,540 | 3,470 | 2.23 | 1.17 |
| 43 | West Virginia profile | $46.82 | $97,390 | $64,640 | $143,030 | 760 | 1.09 | 0.57 |
| 44 | Wisconsin profile | $46.09 | $95,870 | $64,850 | $130,360 | 7,470 | 2.54 | 1.33 |
| 45 | Montana profile | $45.28 | $94,190 | $65,820 | $133,270 | 500 | 0.97 | 0.51 |
| 46 | Idaho profile | $44.80 | $93,190 | $63,660 | $141,020 | 1,070 | 1.25 | 0.65 |
| 47 | South Dakota profile | $42.49 | $88,380 | $65,130 | $134,140 | 560 | 1.22 | 0.64 |
| 48 | Nebraska profile | $42.34 | $88,060 | $61,860 | $136,870 | 950 | 0.93 | 0.49 |
| 49 | North Dakota profile | $41.51 | $86,330 | $63,930 | $136,060 | 790 | 1.84 | 0.96 |
| 50 | Kansas profile | $41.47 | $86,260 | $72,210 | $131,660 | 4,630 | 3.22 | 1.69 |
| 51 | Arkansas profile | $38.55 | $80,180 | $57,650 | $131,840 | 1,410 | 1.08 | 0.56 |
Part of Architecture and Engineering Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 17-2141 Mechanical Engineers.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Top industries: nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx in oesm25in4.zip (BLS OEWS May 2025, national, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership). Employment is the industry's rounded total for this occupation; industries whose employment BLS withheld (**) are not ranked.
- Published medians: national_M2021_dl.xlsx to national_M2024_dl.xlsx in oesm21nat.zip to oesm24nat.zip (BLS OEWS May 2021 to May 2024, national, cross-industry, all ownerships) and the May 2025 spine. Each release is shown as published; nothing is computed between them.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 17-2141, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 17-2141.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS (oesm25in4.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2021 national estimates (oesm21nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2022 national estimates (oesm22nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2023 national estimates (oesm23nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2024 national estimates (oesm24nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip), the site's data spine, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.