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Force, mass, mechanisms, and vectors: employment projections and wages in engineering

March 04, 2026

Engineers work in a diverse range of fields, such as agriculture, energy, transportation, biotechnology, computing, and manufacturing. But no matter their field, all engineers apply scientific principles to construct, power, and repair our world.

Pay for many engineering occupations is more than $100,000 per year. In 2024, the annual median pay for engineers ranged from $84,630 for agricultural engineers to $155,020 for computer hardware engineers.

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Annual median pay, engineering occupations, 2024
Occupation	Annual median pay (in dollars)
Computer hardware engineers	155,020
Petroleum engineers	141,280
Aerospace engineers	134,830
Nuclear engineers	127,520
Chemical engineers	121,860
Electrical and electronics engineers	118,780
Health and safety engineers	109,660
Materials engineers	108,310
Bioengineers and biomedical engineers	106,950
Marine engineers and naval architects	105,670
Environmental engineers	104,170
Mechanical engineers	102,320
Industrial engineers	101,140
Mining and geological engineers	101,020
Civil engineers	99,590
Agricultural engineers	84,630

From 2024 to 2034, employment for several engineering occupations is projected to grow faster than the 3.1-percent average for all occupations. Industrial engineers (11.0 percent) and mechanical engineers (9.1 percent) are among the fastest growing. Industrial engineers is projected to add 38,500 jobs over the decade, and mechanical engineers is projected to add 26,500.

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Percent change in employment, engineering occupations, projected 2024–34
Occupation	Employment percent change, projected 2024–34	Employment, 2024	Employment, projected 2034	Employment change, projected 2024–34
Industrial engineers	11.0	351,100	389,600	38,500
Mechanical engineers	9.1	293,100	319,600	26,500
Computer hardware engineers	7.3	76,800	82,400	5,600
Electrical and electronics engineers	6.9	287,900	307,600	19,700
Aerospace engineers	6.1	71,600	75,900	4,400
Agricultural engineers	5.9	1,700	1,800	100
Marine engineers and naval architects	5.8	8,500	9,000	500
Materials engineers	5.7	23,000	24,300	1,300
Bioengineers and biomedical engineers	5.2	22,200	23,300	1,100
Civil engineers	5.0	368,900	387,500	18,500
Health and safety engineers	4.4	23,800	24,900	1,100
Environmental engineers	3.9	39,400	41,000	1,500
Chemical engineers	2.6	21,600	22,100	600
Petroleum engineers	1.3	19,600	19,800	200
Mining and geological engineers	0.7	7,000	7,000	0
Nuclear engineers	-1.1	15,400	15,300	-200

These data are from the Employment Projections program. For more information, see Architecture and Engineering Occupations in the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Force, mass, mechanisms, and vectors: employment projections and wages in engineering at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2026/force-mass-mechanisms-and-vectors-employment-projections-and-wages-in-engineering.htm (visited March 04, 2026).

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