Mechanical engineers

Detailed Occupation

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2024 Workforce

359k

Average Age

40.5

Estimated Job Growth

9.04%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$111,708

Average Male Salary

$112,612

Average Female Salary

$103,479

About

Mechanical engineers are most often employed by the Motor vehicles & motor vehicle equipment manufacturing industry. The average yearly wage for Mechanical engineers was $111,708 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Mechanical engineers are Oakland County (East Central)--Troy & Rochester Area PUMA, MI, Wayne County (Northwest) PUMA, MI, and Bartholomew & Jackson Counties--Columbus City PUMA, IN. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Mechanical engineers are Oakland County (East Central)--Troy & Rochester Area PUMA, MI, Bartholomew & Jackson Counties--Columbus City PUMA, IN, and Wayne County (Northwest) PUMA, MI.

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

Employment and salary information for the Mechanical engineers workforce. Mechanical engineers workforce in 2024 was 358,579 people, of which 9.9% were women and 90.1% were men. Mechanical engineers are paid most in Henrico County (West)--Tuckahoe, Short Pump & Wyndham PUMA, VA but are relatively concentrated in Oakland County (East Central)--Troy & Rochester Area PUMA, MI.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

323,085

Male Workforce

± 13.9k

35,494

Female Workforce

± 4.62k

The Mechanical engineers workforce in 2024 was 358,579 people (9.9% women and 90.1% men). This implies an average annual growth of 63% between 2014 (219,921) and 2024 (358,579).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Mechanical engineers.

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were California ($139,110), District of Columbia ($137,313), and Delaware ($135,554).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$111,708

AVERAGE WAGE

#56 in the ranking (2014)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Mechanical engineers earned an average of $111,708, $41,830 more than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Mechanical engineers in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2014.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.261

WAGE GINI

In 2024, Mechanical engineers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.261, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Mechanical engineers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Mechanical engineers compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Mechanical engineers and on wages 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 Pipeline transportation ($273,372).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

359k

2024 Workforce

± 14,685

2.48%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 5.69%

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 49.3%, followed by Machinery manufacturing, n.e.c. or not specified with 23.4% and Architectural, engineering & related services with 19.4%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Mechanical engineers in the US. The workforce of Mechanical engineers in 2024 was 358,579 people, with 9.9% woman, and 90.1% men. The average age of male Mechanical engineers in the workforce is 41 and of female Mechanical engineers is 35.6, and the most common race/ethnicity for Mechanical engineers is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Mechanical engineers in 2024 was 358,579 people, with 9.9% woman, and 90.1% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 25 to 29 years (61,664 people), 30 to 34 years (58,044 people), and 35 to 39 years (43,330 people). Among them they concentrated 45.5% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 9.38% of Mechanical engineers workers were Hispanic and 90.6% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (55.1%), Puerto Rican (11.3)%, and All Other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino (5.94)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2024, 71.2% of the Mechanical engineers workforce were White, of which 8.39% were women and 91.6% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Asian (13.1%) and Two or More Races (8.41%).

Education & Skills

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 the most specialized major according to RCA in 2024 were Engineering.

Among the necessary skills for Mechanical engineers, Reading Comprehension stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Mechanical engineers need more than the average amount of Installation.

Majors

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

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Mechanical engineers in 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Engineering (224,390 people), Business (15,105 people), and Engineering Technologies (12,268 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Mechanical engineers workers were Bachelors Degree (207,013 people), Graduate Degree (87,178 people), and Associates Degree (23,344 people).

The graphic shows the Mechanical engineers workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

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, Mathematics, Science.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Mechanical Engineers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Mechanical Engineers are expected to see a growth of 9.04% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

9.04%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.07%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Mechanical engineers. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.