Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
17-2071 Electrical Engineers
Research, design, develop, test, or supervise the manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment, components, or systems for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use. Excludes “Computer Hardware Engineers” (17-2061).
National estimates for Electrical Engineers
Industry profile for Electrical Engineers
Geographic profile for Electrical Engineers
National estimates for Electrical Engineers:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Electrical Engineers:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 186,020 |
1.4 % |
$ 51.87 |
$ 107,890 |
0.5 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Electrical Engineers:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 29.98 |
$ 37.74 |
$ 48.28 |
$ 61.81 |
$ 78.33 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 62,360 |
$ 78,500 |
$ 100,420 |
$ 128,560 |
$ 162,930 |
Industry profile for Electrical Engineers:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Electrical Engineers are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Electrical Engineers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Electrical Engineers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services |
41,550 |
2.75 |
$ 49.89 |
$ 103,770 |
| Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution |
17,800 |
4.73 |
$ 52.39 |
$ 108,960 |
| Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing |
12,990 |
3.25 |
$ 54.03 |
$ 112,390 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
9,160 |
1.15 |
$ 60.86 |
$ 126,590 |
| Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing |
8,850 |
1.88 |
$ 58.57 |
$ 121,820 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Electrical Engineers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution |
17,800 |
4.73 |
$ 52.39 |
$ 108,960 |
| Electrical Equipment Manufacturing |
5,210 |
3.87 |
$ 43.19 |
$ 89,830 |
| Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing |
12,990 |
3.25 |
$ 54.03 |
$ 112,390 |
| Communications Equipment Manufacturing |
2,680 |
3.16 |
$ 54.08 |
$ 112,490 |
| Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing |
1,220 |
3.01 |
$ 39.94 |
$ 83,070 |
Top paying industries for Electrical Engineers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services |
200 |
0.05 |
$ 71.00 |
$ 147,680 |
| Oil and Gas Extraction |
110 |
0.11 |
$ 63.92 |
$ 132,950 |
| Technical and Trade Schools |
60 |
0.05 |
$ 63.51 |
$ 132,090 |
| Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing |
220 |
0.21 |
$ 63.06 |
$ 131,170 |
| Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 62.61 |
$ 130,220 |
Geographic profile for Electrical Engineers:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Electrical Engineers are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Electrical Engineers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Electrical Engineers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
28,070 |
1.70 |
1.29 |
$ 60.89 |
$ 126,640 |
| Texas |
15,230 |
1.25 |
0.94 |
$ 51.35 |
$ 106,800 |
| Michigan |
10,050 |
2.47 |
1.87 |
$ 47.01 |
$ 97,770 |
| New York |
8,960 |
1.03 |
0.78 |
$ 51.69 |
$ 107,510 |
| Pennsylvania |
8,250 |
1.48 |
1.12 |
$ 50.67 |
$ 105,390 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Electrical Engineers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New Hampshire |
2,180 |
3.44 |
2.60 |
$ 54.75 |
$ 113,880 |
| Washington |
8,010 |
2.50 |
1.89 |
$ 57.16 |
$ 118,890 |
| Michigan |
10,050 |
2.47 |
1.87 |
$ 47.01 |
$ 97,770 |
| Hawaii |
1,250 |
2.28 |
1.73 |
$ 52.86 |
$ 109,960 |
| Maryland |
5,520 |
2.17 |
1.64 |
$ 56.71 |
$ 117,950 |
Top paying states for Electrical Engineers:
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Electrical Engineers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
9,550 |
1.67 |
1.26 |
$ 59.67 |
$ 124,110 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
7,750 |
0.89 |
0.68 |
$ 53.39 |
$ 111,060 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
6,760 |
2.62 |
1.98 |
$ 57.85 |
$ 120,330 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI |
5,870 |
3.26 |
2.47 |
$ 48.40 |
$ 100,670 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
5,630 |
2.94 |
2.22 |
$ 59.69 |
$ 124,150 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
4,840 |
1.35 |
1.02 |
$ 52.35 |
$ 108,890 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
4,740 |
4.43 |
3.36 |
$ 71.57 |
$ 148,870 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
4,720 |
2.10 |
1.59 |
$ 64.25 |
$ 133,640 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
4,220 |
1.44 |
1.09 |
$ 58.52 |
$ 121,720 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
4,180 |
1.44 |
1.09 |
$ 52.91 |
$ 110,040 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Electrical Engineers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California-Lexington Park, MD |
430 |
9.37 |
7.09 |
$ 53.43 |
$ 111,130 |
| Huntsville, AL |
1,650 |
7.16 |
5.42 |
$ 52.79 |
$ 109,800 |
| Jackson, MI |
330 |
6.09 |
4.61 |
$ 47.87 |
$ 99,570 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL |
1,230 |
5.56 |
4.21 |
$ 51.62 |
$ 107,360 |
| Monroe, MI |
180 |
5.02 |
3.80 |
$ 49.37 |
$ 102,680 |
| Cedar Rapids, IA |
650 |
4.78 |
3.62 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Tucson, AZ |
1,750 |
4.78 |
3.62 |
$ 46.97 |
$ 97,700 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
4,740 |
4.43 |
3.36 |
$ 71.57 |
$ 148,870 |
| Albuquerque, NM |
1,270 |
3.48 |
2.64 |
$ 56.62 |
$ 117,760 |
| Logan, UT-ID |
220 |
3.45 |
2.62 |
$ 47.26 |
$ 98,310 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Electrical Engineers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
4,740 |
4.43 |
3.36 |
$ 71.57 |
$ 148,870 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
4,720 |
2.10 |
1.59 |
$ 64.25 |
$ 133,640 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
1,340 |
1.36 |
1.03 |
$ 59.94 |
$ 124,680 |
| Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI |
60 |
0.90 |
0.68 |
$ 59.72 |
$ 124,220 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
5,630 |
2.94 |
2.22 |
$ 59.69 |
$ 124,150 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
9,550 |
1.67 |
1.26 |
$ 59.67 |
$ 124,110 |
| Idaho Falls, ID |
140 |
1.91 |
1.44 |
$ 59.39 |
$ 123,540 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA |
370 |
1.89 |
1.43 |
$ 58.84 |
$ 122,380 |
| Baton Rouge, LA |
310 |
0.85 |
0.64 |
$ 58.57 |
$ 121,820 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
4,220 |
1.44 |
1.09 |
$ 58.52 |
$ 121,720 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Electrical Engineers:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Electrical Engineers:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Electrical Engineers:
About May 2021 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
