National pay breakdown: every percentile, annual & hourly
The BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey is the single most authoritative wage dataset in the US, covering roughly 1.2 million establishments under mandatory employer reporting. The May 2025 release published 2026-04-30 reports the following full national distribution for SOC 17-2141 Mechanical Engineers:
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage | Typical profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $73,990 | $35.57/hr | New grad, lower-cost market, non-ABET BET degree, or rural manufacturing |
| 25th | $84,130 | $40.45/hr | 1-3 yrs experience, ABET BS, EIT (passed FE), entry-level design role |
| 50th (median) | $104,110 | $50.05/hr | 5-10 yrs, full design ownership, PE in licensure-required industries |
| 75th | $132,590 | $63.75/hr | Senior or principal engineer, specialty (aerospace, oil and gas, big tech) |
| 90th | $164,340 | $79.01/hr | Staff/principal at big tech, upstream oil and gas, cleared defense at TS/SCI |
| Mean | $113,610 | $54.62/hr | Pulled above median by long upper tail in oil and gas, hardware, federal labs |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, national cross-industry estimate for SOC 17-2141 (national_M2025_dl.xlsx, released 2026-04-30).
The annual figures assume year-round full-time employment (2,080 hours). At big-tech employers (Apple, Tesla, Meta hardware, SpaceX), total compensation typically exceeds the base figure by 25-50% via stock grants and bonus, which the BLS wage figure does not capture. At defense primes (Lockheed, Northrop, Raytheon, GE Aerospace), cleared roles add a 10-20% premium that does land in the BLS data. At consulting firms (Exponent, FTI, Stress Engineering Services), billable utilization and bonus can add 20-40% on top of base for senior engineers.
By experience level: entry, mid-career, and late-career
BLS OEWS does not publish wages by years-of-experience. The percentile-to-experience mapping below pulls from two complementary sources:
- The BLS OEWS percentile distribution (above), authoritative for "what gets paid," not "by whom."
- Salary.com and Levels.fyi self-reported tiered data for Mechanical Engineer, informative for "by whom," not authoritative.
| Tier | Typical base | BLS percentile match | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry (0-2 yr, EIT) | $72K-$88K | ~10-25th | Fresh ABET BS, passed FE, first design role, no domain depth |
| Engineer II (3-5 yr) | $90K-$115K | ~25-50th | Owns design from sketch through release, one CAD platform deep (NX, Creo, SolidWorks) |
| Senior (6-10 yr, often PE) | $115K-$150K | ~50-75th | PE in licensure industries, leads multi-discipline reviews, mentors juniors |
| Staff / Principal (11-20 yr) | $140K-$200K | ~75-90th | Recognized expert, sets architecture, technical IC track |
| Distinguished / Fellow (20+ yr) | $180K-$280K+ | ~90th+ | Big tech principal, upstream completions specialist, federal-lab senior staff |
Base ranges synthesized from Salary.com Mechanical Engineer tiers, Levels.fyi hardware engineer postings (Apple, Tesla, Meta, SpaceX), and posted offers on H-1B disclosure data. BLS OEWS May 2025 for the percentile column. Total comp at big tech adds 25-50% via stock and bonus.
The PE crossover happens around year 5-6. Engineers who pass the PE Mechanical exam typically jump one tier in title and pay inside 12 months in industries that require licensure (HVAC/MEP consulting, structural-mechanical, energy infrastructure). Engineers in industrial-exemption industries (aerospace, automotive, consumer products) get the same tier jump from depth of CAD/FEA/CFD platform expertise without ever sitting for the PE.
By state: where mechanical engineer wages run highest
Two different "best state" lists matter depending on what you're optimizing for. Top-paying states are dominated by federal-lab states (New Mexico, DC, Maryland) and high cost-of-living markets (California, Massachusetts). Top-employment states are the manufacturing and oil-and-gas heavyweights (Michigan, California, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania) where postings actually live.
Top 10 states by mean annual wage
| Rank | State | Mean wage | Median wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | $152,430 | $157,710 | 2,710 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $138,500 | $133,300 | 510 |
| 3 | California | $136,660 | $130,900 | 30,530 |
| 4 | Alaska | $126,160 | $124,340 | 380 |
| 5 | Maryland | $125,850 | $122,870 | 6,550 |
| 6 | Colorado | $124,410 | $124,430 | 7,190 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $124,290 | $116,230 | 1,560 |
| 8 | Texas | $121,510 | $112,410 | 22,080 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $121,430 | $119,300 | 7,680 |
| 10 | Washington | $121,370 | $110,430 | 8,240 |
Top 10 states by total employment
| Rank | State | Employment | Mean wage | Median wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | 34,630 | $112,320 | $104,890 |
| 2 | California | 30,530 | $136,660 | $130,900 |
| 3 | Texas | 22,080 | $121,510 | $112,410 |
| 4 | Ohio | 14,390 | $101,320 | $99,100 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 13,550 | $103,740 | $97,920 |
| 6 | Illinois | 11,790 | $111,380 | $102,680 |
| 7 | Florida | 10,740 | $105,800 | $99,980 |
| 8 | North Carolina | 9,560 | $107,350 | $100,720 |
| 9 | Indiana | 8,690 | $104,670 | $99,590 |
| 10 | New York | 8,590 | $110,270 | $102,440 |
Source: BLS OEWS state estimates (May 2025), state_M2025_dl.xlsx. Total US employment for SOC 17-2141 is 296,810.
The New Mexico anomaly is real but cleared. NM mean of $152,430 is 34% above the national mean, driven by Sandia, Los Alamos, and the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland competing for roughly 2,700 mechanical engineers statewide. BEA regional price parity puts Albuquerque cost of living at about 92% of US average, so the real-wage premium is closer to 45%. The catch: nearly every NM ME role at the labs requires US citizenship and Q-clearance eligibility (DOE secret), and the non-lab job pool is thin.
Michigan is the largest-employment story. 34,630 mechanical engineers, the largest single state, with a mean of $104,890 sitting right at the national average. The state is the automotive design and durability hub: GM Tech Center in Warren, Ford Dearborn, Stellantis Auburn Hills, plus the Tier-1 suppliers (Magna, Adient, BorgWarner, Lear). Michigan ME wages don't break out above the national mean because the cost of living is moderate and competition for jobs has historically been high relative to demand. The Texas inverse story: 22,080 mechanical engineers at $121,510 mean, well above the national average, driven by Houston upstream oil and gas (ExxonMobil, Chevron, Halliburton, Schlumberger) and DFW/Austin aerospace and semiconductor.
By metro: top-paying metro areas in the US
Metro-level data tells a sharper story than state averages. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara leads the country at $165,920 mean for mechanical engineers per BLS OEWS May 2025, driven by Apple, Tesla design, Meta Reality Labs hardware, and the hardware startup ecosystem. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont follows at $158,690.
| Rank | Metro | Mean wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $165,920 | 5,540 |
| 2 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $158,690 | 5,150 |
| 3 | Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $139,810 | 190 |
| 4 | Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | $137,040 | 980 |
| 5 | Baton Rouge, LA | $136,970 | 540 |
| 6 | Midland, TX | $136,650 | 250 |
| 7 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $133,380 | 5,390 |
| 8 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $133,040 | 8,310 |
| 9 | Boulder, CO | $131,980 | 1,130 |
| 10 | Logan, UT-ID | $131,600 | 210 |
Source: BLS OEWS metropolitan area estimates (May 2025), MSA_M2025_dl.xlsx.
The largest metros by mechanical engineer employment are Detroit-Warren-Dearborn (22,500, automotive), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (8,780, aerospace plus consumer products), Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (8,310, upstream oil and gas), New York-Newark-Jersey City (6,960), and Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (6,900). The Houston story is the cleanest pay narrative: 8,310 mechanical engineers at a $133,040 mean, third-highest among top-10-by-employment metros, driven entirely by upstream oil and gas (ExxonMobil URC, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Halliburton, Schlumberger, Baker Hughes) and downstream petrochemical along the Gulf coast.
By industry: where the role pays the most
Industry assignment is the single biggest pay lever in mechanical engineering, larger than the geographic lever and larger than the PE license lever. Per BLS OEWS May 2025 industry-level estimates for SOC 17-2141:
| Industry | Mean wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Oil and Gas Extraction | $183,860 | 760 |
| Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | $145,180 | 740 |
| Credit Intermediation and Related Activities | $142,060 | 60 |
| Utilities | $136,970 | 1,870 |
| Rail Transportation | $130,190 | 190 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | $119,290 | 94,960 |
| Machinery Manufacturing | $102,010 | 41,730 |
| Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | $114,880 | 31,460 |
| Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing | $117,580 | 18,290 |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | $122,440 | 15,210 |
Top of table: top-paying industries. Bottom of table: largest-employing industries. Source: BLS OEWS industry-specific national estimates (May 2025).
Oil and Gas Extraction tops the table at $183,860 mean, roughly 62% above the national mean. The 760-engineer headcount is small because upstream operators (ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Occidental) hire mechanical engineers into a few narrow specialties: drilling and completions, subsea systems, facilities and platforms, and LNG/refining mechanical integrity. Pay is high because the technical depth required is real (well control, multiphase flow, high-pressure pressure-vessel design) and because the industry has compensated for the cyclical risk premium since the 2014-2016 and 2020 downturns.
Professional Scientific Technical Services dominates the employment column with 94,960 mechanical engineers at $119,290 mean. This NAICS bucket includes the engineering consulting and design firms (Jacobs, AECOM, Burns & McDonnell, Black & Veatch, Stantec) plus the forensic mechanical engineering specialists (Exponent, FTI Consulting, Stress Engineering Services). Pay sits 5% above national mean because consulting bills on utilization and senior engineers at top firms (Exponent senior staff, Stress Engineering principals) clear $200K+. Transportation Equipment Manufacturing (31,460 engineers, $114,880 mean) is the aerospace and automotive bucket: Boeing, Lockheed, Northrop, GE Aerospace, GM, Ford, Stellantis, Tesla.
By employer: what specific companies pay mechanical engineers
The BLS does not publish employer-specific wages. The table below pulls from Levels.fyi (big tech, complete total-comp data), H-1B disclosure data (defense and consulting base salaries), and publicly disclosed compensation surveys (ASME, NSPE). Levels.fyi figures are total compensation including stock and bonus; defense and consulting figures are base salary because stock and bonus are smaller portions of those packages.
| Employer | Role basis | Reported avg | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple (Product Design ME) | Total comp, L3-L5 | $165K-$240K | Cupertino; high RSU weighting; iPhone/Mac mechanical teams |
| Tesla (Design ME) | Total comp, 3-7 yr | $130K-$180K | Fremont/Palo Alto; vehicle and battery design; equity volatile |
| SpaceX | Base, propulsion/structures | $120K-$170K | Hawthorne/Boca Chica; total comp lower than big tech (no liquid equity) |
| Meta Reality Labs | Total comp, hardware ME | $180K-$280K | Burlingame/Redmond; AR/VR hardware design; heavy RSU |
| Lockheed Martin | Base, 3-7 yr ME | $95K-$135K | Plus 10-20% cleared premium (Secret, TS, TS/SCI) |
| Boeing | Base, 3-7 yr ME | $95K-$130K | SPEEA-represented in Seattle; union scale dominates progression |
| Northrop Grumman | Base, 3-7 yr ME | $100K-$140K | Heavy cleared work in MD, VA, CA, FL |
| GE Aerospace | Base, 3-7 yr ME | $95K-$130K | Evendale OH (engines), Lynn MA, Greenville SC |
| ExxonMobil (upstream ME) | Base, 3-7 yr | $130K-$170K | Houston URC; completions, facilities, subsea specialists |
| Halliburton / Schlumberger / Baker Hughes | Base, 3-7 yr field-engineer ME | $110K-$155K | Rotation schedule on rigs; significant per-diem and bonus |
| Intel / TSMC / Samsung (facilities ME) | Base, 3-7 yr | $110K-$150K | CHIPS-Act sites in AZ, OH, TX, NY; facility and tool-install scope |
| Caterpillar / Deere | Base, 3-7 yr | $90K-$120K | Peoria, Moline; heavy-equipment design |
| Exponent (forensic ME) | Base, senior associate | $160K-$220K | PhD typical at senior level; litigation and failure analysis |
Apple, Tesla, SpaceX, Meta, and Exponent ranges from Levels.fyi user-submitted offers. Defense, oil and gas, and semiconductor figures from H-1B disclosure data plus Glassdoor employer-reported base salaries. Cleared premium quote from NSPE 2024 salary survey for defense engineers. Treat as offer-research input, not authoritative averages.
The pattern that matters most: at the senior IC level (years 5-10), big tech total comp exceeds defense base by $40K-$100K. The trade is liquidity vs stability: big tech RSUs can swing significantly, and the on-call and design-deadline pressure at Apple PD or Tesla design is materially higher than at a defense prime where program timelines run multi-year and headcount is stable. Cleared defense roles at TS/SCI are the closest defense gets to big tech base, and they come with permanent geographic constraints (DC, MD, VA, certain CA installations).
By license & specialization: PE, FE, and the platform premium
The FE exam (Fundamentals of Engineering)
Taken in the final year of an ABET-EAC bachelor's program or shortly after graduation. Passing earns the Engineer-in-Training (EIT) designation in most states. The FE is not a pay lever by itself, it's the gate to the PE track. Pass rate for first-time takers from ABET-accredited programs runs about 73% for the FE Mechanical exam per NCEES 2024 data. Fee is roughly $175.
The PE license (Professional Engineer)
Requires (1) ABET-EAC BS, (2) passing FE, (3) typically 4 years of qualifying experience under a PE, (4) passing the PE Mechanical exam (three discipline tracks: Thermal and Fluid Systems, HVAC and Refrigeration, Machine Design and Materials). Pay impact:
- HVAC/MEP consulting (signs and seals drawings): PE is functionally required for senior promotion. Pay impact ~$15K-$25K at the year-4 to year-7 band, plus the senior-title gate it unlocks.
- Structural-mechanical and infrastructure (Burns & McDonnell, Black & Veatch, Stantec): PE required for project engineer and above. Same ~$15K-$25K and title-gate effect.
- Forensic mechanical engineering (Exponent, FTI): PE plus PhD typical at senior level; the PE adds expert-witness credibility worth ~$20K+ in billable rate.
- Aerospace / defense (Lockheed, Boeing, Northrop, GE Aerospace): PE not typically required, industrial exemption applies. Some senior engineers earn it for personal credentialing; the pay impact is usually under $5K and not consistent across employers.
- Big tech hardware (Apple, Tesla, Meta, SpaceX): PE essentially never required or rewarded.
- Consumer products / automotive design: PE not required. CAD/FEA/CFD platform depth matters more than licensure.
Specialization premiums (no formal license)
- Nuclear ME: $10K-$20K premium over base aerospace pay at NRC-regulated plants and the nuclear navy supply chain (Westinghouse, BWXT, GE Hitachi)
- Aerospace propulsion / propulsion analysis: $10K-$15K premium for liquid-rocket-engine or gas-turbine experience (SpaceX, Blue Origin, GE Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney)
- Subsea / completions ME: $20K-$40K premium over onshore facilities ME at the upstream operators and Schlumberger/Halliburton/Baker Hughes
- CAD-platform depth (CATIA, NX, Creo at expert level): $5K-$15K hire-on premium for jobs that require legacy-toolchain fluency
- FEA / CFD specialist (ANSYS, Abaqus, STAR-CCM+): $10K-$20K above generalist design ME at consulting firms and product-development teams
See our mechatronics certification guide for the broader credential landscape including PLC, robotics, and Six Sigma certifications that touch on mechanical engineering roles in manufacturing.
Year-over-year wage trend
BLS OEWS releases roll one year at a time. Here is how mechanical engineer pay has moved across the last three releases:
| Data period | Median annual | YoY change | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2023 | $99,510 | n/a | Baseline |
| May 2024 | $102,320 | +2.8% | CHIPS-Act fab hiring underway; aerospace recovery |
| May 2025 | $104,110 | +1.7% | Slower growth as broader engineering hiring tightened |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2023, May 2024, and May 2025 national releases for SOC 17-2141.
For context: BLS projects 11% employment growth for mechanical engineers from 2024 to 2034 (about 19,000 openings per year including replacements), faster than the all-occupation average of about 4%. The Occupational Outlook Handbook attributes the growth to automation, alternative energy, and demand from emerging fields (additive manufacturing, electric vehicle battery design, semiconductor facility engineering). Wage growth has lagged employment growth slightly, reflecting strong supply of new ABET-accredited graduates.
How to push your mechanical engineer salary higher: four real levers
Lever 1: Earn the PE if you're in a licensure-required industry
If you work in HVAC/MEP consulting, structural-mechanical, energy infrastructure, or forensic engineering, the PE adds a documented 10-20% to base pay and unlocks the senior-engineer title gate. Path: pass the FE in your final year of an ABET-EAC BS program, accumulate 4 years of qualifying experience under a PE, then sit for the PE Mechanical exam (one of three discipline tracks). Cost is roughly $400 for the PE exam plus state license fees. If you work in aerospace, automotive, consumer products, or big tech hardware, skip the PE, the industrial exemption applies and pay impact is minimal. Invest those 4 years in CAD/FEA/CFD platform depth instead.
Lever 2: Target the industry premium (upstream oil and gas, aerospace defense)
Industry is the largest single pay lever in mechanical engineering. Oil and Gas Extraction pays $183,860 mean, 62% above the national mean. Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing pays $145,180 (41% above). Utilities pays $136,970 (33% above). The cleanest entry is via a campus offer at ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Occidental, Halliburton, Schlumberger, or Baker Hughes during a mechanical engineering BS program with strong thermodynamics and fluids coursework. The aerospace defense path (Lockheed, Northrop, Raytheon, GE Aerospace) is the second-cleanest, with a clearance pathway that adds 10-20% once you hold Secret, TS, or TS/SCI.
Lever 3: Move into a big-tech hardware role
Same skill set, vastly different total comp. Apple Product Design ME averages $165K-$240K total comp (L3-L5); Tesla design ME averages $130K-$180K; Meta Reality Labs hardware ME averages $180K-$280K. These figures include stock and bonus, which BLS does not capture. The bar is high: hardware design portfolios with shipped products, demonstrated CAD/FEA depth, and willingness to relocate to the Bay Area or Pacific Northwest. The clean entry is via an internship at one of these employers during a top-30 ABET-accredited BS program; the alternative entry is via SpaceX (lower base, harder workload, becomes a feeder to Apple/Tesla/Meta after 2-3 years).
Lever 4: Catch the CHIPS-Act fab build wave (AZ, TX, NY, OH)
Intel Ohio, TSMC Arizona, Samsung Texas (Taylor), and Micron New York have all announced multi-billion-dollar fab builds. Each typically employs hundreds of mechanical engineers across facility design, tool installation, and process equipment engineering at peak construction, with continuing equipment ME and facility ME headcount through operations. Pay clusters at $110K-$150K base for 3-7 yr engineers, in states with moderate cost of living (Phoenix, Columbus, Syracuse, Austin). The cleanest entry routes: (1) the fab construction GC (Jacobs, Bechtel, Fluor) during construction, (2) directly with the fab operator (Intel, TSMC, Samsung, Micron) for facility, equipment, and tool-install ME during ramp, (3) the tool vendors (Applied Materials, Lam Research, KLA, ASML) for process equipment ME long-term.
Mechanical engineer salary vs adjacent roles
Useful for orienting your next career move:
| Role | SOC | BLS median | Education to get there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineer (you) | 17-2141 | $104,110 | ABET-EAC BS + FE |
| Mechanical Engineering Tech | 17-3027 | $68,730 | AAS in MET |
| Industrial Engineer | 17-2112 | $101,140 | ABET BS in IE |
| Electrical Engineer | 17-2071 | $120,630 | ABET-EAC BS + FE |
| Aerospace Engineer | 17-2011 | $134,830 | ABET-EAC BS + FE |
| Petroleum Engineer | 17-2171 | $135,690 | ABET BS in PE / ME |
| Robotics Engineer | 17-2199 | $117,750 | ABET BS + 2 yrs robotics |
All BLS medians from OEWS May 2025.
Two clean step-ups: (1) lateral into aerospace or petroleum engineering if your coursework supports it (both pay $30K-$35K more at the median, often without a degree change), or (2) specialize into controls or robotics for cross-disciplinary roles that bridge mechanical and electrical engineering. See our controls engineer career guide and electrical engineer salary page for the comparison details.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average mechanical engineer salary in 2026?
How much does a PE license add to a mechanical engineer salary?
Which state pays mechanical engineers the most?
What industry pays mechanical engineers the most?
Do I need an ABET-accredited degree to become a mechanical engineer?
What do top tech and aerospace employers pay mechanical engineers?
How has CHIPS Act fab construction affected mechanical engineer demand?
Sources & methodology
All wage and employment data on this page is sourced from primary US government publications and disclosed company compensation data, retrieved 2026-05-28:
- BLS OEWS, 17-2141 Mechanical Engineers, May 2025 national release.
- BLS OEWS state-level estimates (oesm25st.zip), used for all state tables.
- BLS OEWS metropolitan area estimates (oesm25ma.zip), used for metro tables.
- BLS OEWS industry-level estimates (oesm25in4.zip), used for industry tables.
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Mechanical Engineers, for 2024-2034 employment projections.
- NCEES (National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying), for FE and PE Mechanical exam pass rates and discipline-track structure.
- NSPE (National Society of Professional Engineers), for PE license framework and salary survey data.
- ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers), for discipline-specific career guidance and salary survey context.
- Levels.fyi, for big-tech hardware engineer total compensation (Apple, Tesla, Meta, SpaceX).
- BEA Regional Price Parities, used for cost-of-living context in state and metro discussion.
- Salary.com, Mechanical Engineer, used for experience-tiered self-reported benchmarks.
Big-tech employer figures (Apple, Tesla, SpaceX, Meta) are total compensation including stock and bonus from Levels.fyi user-submitted offers. Defense and oil-and-gas employer figures are base salary from H-1B disclosure data and Glassdoor employer-reported pay. Treat employer figures as offer-research input, not authoritative averages, the BLS national and state distributions are the authoritative cross-employer benchmarks.