Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
17-2141 Mechanical Engineers
Perform engineering duties in planning and designing tools, engines, machines, and other mechanically functioning equipment. Oversee installation, operation, maintenance, and repair of equipment such as centralized heat, gas, water, and steam systems.
National estimates for Mechanical Engineers
Industry profile for Mechanical Engineers
Geographic profile for Mechanical Engineers
National estimates for Mechanical Engineers:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Mechanical Engineers:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 278,240 |
1.0 % |
$ 46.64 |
$ 97,000 |
0.6 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Mechanical Engineers:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 29.21 |
$ 36.56 |
$ 45.82 |
$ 57.78 |
$ 65.49 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 60,750 |
$ 76,050 |
$ 95,300 |
$ 120,180 |
$ 136,210 |
Industry profile for Mechanical Engineers:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Mechanical Engineers are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Mechanical Engineers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Mechanical Engineers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services |
59,940 |
3.97 |
$ 48.46 |
$ 100,800 |
| Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) |
27,960 |
3.99 |
$ 42.13 |
$ 87,640 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
14,190 |
1.78 |
$ 54.78 |
$ 113,930 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
13,920 |
0.66 |
$ 49.87 |
$ 103,720 |
| Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing |
13,610 |
2.90 |
$ 52.48 |
$ 109,160 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Mechanical Engineers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing |
4,800 |
5.41 |
$ 49.03 |
$ 101,970 |
| Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) |
27,960 |
3.99 |
$ 42.13 |
$ 87,640 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services |
59,940 |
3.97 |
$ 48.46 |
$ 100,800 |
| Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing |
740 |
3.73 |
$ 42.90 |
$ 89,240 |
| Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing |
5,430 |
3.39 |
$ 39.19 |
$ 81,510 |
Top paying industries for Mechanical Engineers:
Geographic profile for Mechanical Engineers:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Mechanical Engineers are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Mechanical Engineers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Mechanical Engineers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Michigan |
32,520 |
8.01 |
4.06 |
$ 44.04 |
$ 91,610 |
| California |
28,450 |
1.72 |
0.87 |
$ 54.39 |
$ 113,130 |
| Texas |
20,840 |
1.70 |
0.86 |
$ 53.52 |
$ 111,330 |
| Pennsylvania |
17,420 |
3.12 |
1.58 |
$ 44.00 |
$ 91,520 |
| Ohio |
13,650 |
2.62 |
1.33 |
$ 41.82 |
$ 86,980 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Mechanical Engineers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Michigan |
32,520 |
8.01 |
4.06 |
$ 44.04 |
$ 91,610 |
| Wisconsin |
9,610 |
3.49 |
1.77 |
$ 41.49 |
$ 86,290 |
| Iowa |
5,100 |
3.44 |
1.74 |
$ 43.25 |
$ 89,950 |
| New Hampshire |
2,100 |
3.31 |
1.68 |
$ 47.18 |
$ 98,140 |
| Pennsylvania |
17,420 |
3.12 |
1.58 |
$ 44.00 |
$ 91,520 |
Top paying states for Mechanical Engineers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New Mexico |
1,620 |
2.08 |
1.05 |
$ 57.71 |
$ 120,040 |
| Louisiana |
1,040 |
0.58 |
0.29 |
$ 57.40 |
$ 119,380 |
| District of Columbia |
680 |
1.03 |
0.52 |
$ 54.73 |
$ 113,840 |
| California |
28,450 |
1.72 |
0.87 |
$ 54.39 |
$ 113,130 |
| Alaska |
330 |
1.11 |
0.56 |
$ 53.77 |
$ 111,850 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Mechanical Engineers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI |
21,920 |
12.17 |
6.16 |
$ 45.54 |
$ 94,720 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
9,850 |
1.72 |
0.87 |
$ 52.13 |
$ 108,430 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
8,480 |
2.93 |
1.48 |
$ 60.56 |
$ 125,970 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
7,290 |
1.72 |
0.87 |
$ 46.10 |
$ 95,890 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
6,870 |
0.79 |
0.40 |
$ 47.90 |
$ 99,640 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
6,800 |
2.63 |
1.33 |
$ 53.10 |
$ 110,450 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
6,510 |
2.45 |
1.24 |
$ 47.29 |
$ 98,360 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
5,680 |
1.58 |
0.80 |
$ 49.98 |
$ 103,960 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
5,330 |
1.82 |
0.92 |
$ 56.35 |
$ 117,200 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
5,000 |
2.61 |
1.32 |
$ 50.33 |
$ 104,690 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Mechanical Engineers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA |
1,380 |
16.39 |
8.30 |
$ 47.61 |
$ 99,030 |
| California-Lexington Park, MD |
690 |
14.78 |
7.48 |
$ 49.52 |
$ 103,010 |
| Dubuque, IA |
740 |
13.11 |
6.64 |
$ 45.06 |
$ 93,730 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI |
21,920 |
12.17 |
6.16 |
$ 45.54 |
$ 94,720 |
| Huntsville, AL |
2,040 |
8.86 |
4.48 |
$ 51.43 |
$ 106,980 |
| Peoria, IL |
1,380 |
8.82 |
4.46 |
$ 55.14 |
$ 114,680 |
| New Bern, NC |
350 |
8.15 |
4.12 |
$ 38.92 |
$ 80,960 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale, WA |
660 |
7.62 |
3.86 |
$ 45.06 |
$ 93,710 |
| Ann Arbor, MI |
1,370 |
6.82 |
3.45 |
$ 44.14 |
$ 91,820 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL |
1,420 |
6.42 |
3.25 |
$ 46.57 |
$ 96,870 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Mechanical 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 |
4,460 |
4.18 |
2.11 |
$ 66.13 |
$ 137,540 |
| Baton Rouge, LA |
380 |
1.03 |
0.52 |
$ 61.92 |
$ 128,790 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
3,780 |
1.69 |
0.85 |
$ 61.07 |
$ 127,030 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
8,480 |
2.93 |
1.48 |
$ 60.56 |
$ 125,970 |
| Albuquerque, NM |
1,360 |
3.72 |
1.88 |
$ 59.67 |
$ 124,110 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA |
360 |
0.70 |
0.36 |
$ 59.24 |
$ 123,230 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
5,330 |
1.82 |
0.92 |
$ 56.35 |
$ 117,200 |
| Peoria, IL |
1,380 |
8.82 |
4.46 |
$ 55.14 |
$ 114,680 |
| Santa Rosa, CA |
210 |
1.07 |
0.54 |
$ 54.84 |
$ 114,060 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX |
430 |
2.90 |
1.47 |
$ 54.62 |
$ 113,610 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Mechanical Engineers:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Mechanical Engineers:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Mechanical 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
