Mechanical engineers

Add Comparison

2019 Workforce

331k

Average Age

41.3

Estimated Job Growth

8.76%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$93,438

Average Male Salary

$94,017

Average Female Salary

$87,445

About

Mechanical engineers are most often employed by the Motor vehicles & motor vehicle equipment manufacturing industry. The average yearly wage for Mechanical engineers was $93,438 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Mechanical engineers by wage are Air traffic controllers & airfield operations specialists, Other Physical Scientists, and Environmental engineers.

Mechanical engineers are part of the Architecture & engineering occupations, along with Architects, except landscape and naval, Landscape architects, Surveyors, cartographers, & photogrammetrists, Aerospace engineers, Chemical engineers, and 16 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Mechanical engineers are Troy & Rochester Area PUMA, MI, Oakland County (Northeast) PUMA, MI, and Wayne County (Northwest) PUMA, MI. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Mechanical engineers are Troy & Rochester Area PUMA, MI, Oakland County (Southwest) PUMA, MI, and Oakland County (Northeast) PUMA, MI.

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Computer, engineering, & science occupations Architecture & engineering occupations

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Mechanical engineers and on wages and locations for those in the field. Motor vehicles & motor vehicle equipment manufacturing is the industry that employs the most Mechanical engineers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Mechanical engineers, by average wage, is Petroleum refining. Mechanical engineers are paid most in Washtenaw County (West, Northeast & Southeast) PUMA, MI but are relatively concentrated in Troy & Rochester Area PUMA, MI.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$93,438

AVERAGE SALARY

± $2,169

In 2019, Mechanical engineers earned an average of $93,438, $37,914 more than than the average national salary of $55,524.

Air traffic controllers & airfield operations specialists make somewhat more than Mechanical engineers while Other Physical Scientists make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Mechanical engineers as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.245

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Mechanical engineers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.245, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Mechanical engineers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Mechanical engineers.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Mechanical engineers

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Mechanical engineers.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Mechanical engineers, by number of employees, are Motor vehicles & motor vehicle equipment manufacturing, Machinery manufacturing, n.e.c. or not specified, and Architectural, engineering & related services.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Mechanical engineers, by average wage, are Oil & gas extraction, Petroleum refining, Petroleum refining, Petroleum refining, Petroleum refining, Industrial & miscellaneous chemicals, Commercial & service industry machinery manufacturing, Support activities for mining, Aerospace products & parts manufacturing, Hospitals, Communications, & audio & video equipment manufacturing, Coating, engraving, heat treating & allied activities , Other transportation equipment manufacturing, Oil & gas extraction, Other administrative & other support services, Engine, turbine, & power transmission equipment manufacturing , Pulp, paper, & paperboard mills , and Computer & peripheral equipment manufacturing.

Industries by Share

331k

2019 Workforce

± 14,113

14.5%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 5.45%

The number of people employed as Mechanical engineers has been growing at a rate of 14.5%, from 289,149 people in 2018 to 331,162 people in 2019.

This graphic shows the share of Mechanical engineers employed by various industries. Motor vehicles & motor vehicle equipment manufacturing employs the largest share of Mechanical engineers at 26.1%, followed by Machinery manufacturing, n.e.c. or not specified with 13.3% and Architectural, engineering & related services with 9.56%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Mechanical engineers in the US. The average age of male Mechanical engineers in the workforce is 41.7 and of female Mechanical engineers is 36.6, and the most common race/ethnicity for Mechanical engineers is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

302k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 13,478

29.2k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 4,193

91.2% of Mechanical engineers are Male, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Mechanical engineers.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Mechanical engineers

White (Non-Hispanic)
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

74.4% of Mechanical engineers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 11.9% of Mechanical engineers, Asian (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Mechanical engineers.

Age by Gender

41.7

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.592

36.6

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.71

The median age of Mechanical engineers is 41.3, and Male employees are generally 5.09 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Mechanical engineers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Mechanical engineers is Engineering but a relatively high number of Mechanical engineers hold a major in Engineering.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Mechanical engineers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Mechanical engineers need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension and Mathematics. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Mechanical engineers need more than the average amount of Science, Technology Design, and Programming.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Growth Projections

Projections on wages and job growth for Mechanical engineers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ten-year national workforce is projected to grow 6.85%, but Mechanical engineers are expected to see a growth of 8.76% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow higher than the national average.

Job Growth

8.76%

ESTIMATED GROWTH

6.85%

NATIONAL AVERAGE

This line chart shows the 10-year projected employment growth (from 2018 to 2028) for Mechanical engineers. This profession is expected to grow faster than 6.85%, the average rate of national job growth.