How much do biomedical engineers make?

Biomedical Engineer salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers (SOC 17-2031) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Biomedical engineers in the US earned a median of $109,370 a year ($52.58 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $86,980 to $136,600.

Median annual pay: $109,370; Mean $116,890
Median hourly pay: $52.58; Mean $56.20
Typical range (10th–90th): $71.8K–$168K; $71,850 to $168,180
US jobs: 23,480; +7.6% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a biomedical engineer: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: Arizona

Biomedical Engineer pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$71,850
25th percentile$86,980
Median$109,370
75th percentile$136,600
90th percentile$168,180

Half of all biomedical engineers earned more than $109,370 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $71,850; the top 10% made over $168,180. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $86,980 to $136,600.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$71,850	$34.55	$5,988
25th	$86,980	$41.82	$7,248
Median (50th)	$109,370	$52.58	$9,114
75th	$136,600	$65.68	$11,383
90th	$168,180	$80.86	$14,015
Mean (average)	$116,890	$56.20	$9,741

Biomedical Engineer salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for biomedical engineers by state. Darker tiles pay more. A dash means BLS did not publish a figure.

Highest-paying states

1. Arizona $141,230
2. Idaho $133,750
3. California $128,310
4. Minnesota $127,730
5. Massachusetts $127,570

Lowest-paying states

37. Arkansas $67,850
36. Iowa $81,710
35. Nebraska $83,890
34. Louisiana $84,320
33. Alabama $85,720

Best after cost of living: Arizona. Its median of $141,230 is worth about $140,280 at national-average prices.


Alabama	$85,720	33	$96,507	26	$41.21	30	0.02
Alaska	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Arizona	$141,230	1	$140,280	1	$67.90	610	0.19
Arkansas	$67,850	37	$78,045	37	$32.62	30	0.02
California	$128,310	3	$115,887	11	$61.69	2,750	0.15
Colorado	$110,650	10	$107,373	14	$53.20	—	—
Connecticut	$103,500	18	$99,894	23	$49.76	300	0.17
Delaware	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
District of Columbia	$100,920	21	$91,828	33	$48.52	80	0.12
Florida	$101,730	19	$98,372	25	$48.91	900	0.09
Georgia	$96,920	23	$100,651	20	$46.60	—	—
Hawaii	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Idaho	$133,750	2	$140,061	2	$64.30	—	—
Illinois	$89,520	30	$89,558	35	$43.04	280	0.05
Indiana	$108,030	13	$115,752	12	$51.94	620	0.19
Iowa	$81,710	36	$93,104	31	$39.28	90	0.06
Kansas	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Kentucky	$95,360	25	$105,769	15	$45.85	80	0.04
Louisiana	$84,320	34	$95,593	28	$40.54	30	0.02
Maine	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Maryland	$105,090	16	$100,125	22	$50.52	550	0.20
Massachusetts	$127,570	5	$120,626	6	$61.33	4,740	1.30
Michigan	$100,940	20	$104,909	19	$48.53	330	0.08
Minnesota	$127,730	4	$129,516	3	$61.41	1,230	0.42
Mississippi	$96,710	24	$111,221	13	$46.50	—	—
Missouri	$89,480	31	$98,528	24	$43.02	160	0.05
Montana	—	—	—	—	—	40	0.08
Nebraska	$83,890	35	$93,105	30	$40.33	80	0.08
Nevada	$87,850	32	$87,868	36	$42.24	70	0.05
New Hampshire	$94,890	26	$91,096	34	$45.62	80	0.11
New Jersey	$114,680	8	$105,400	17	$55.14	680	0.16
New Mexico	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
New York	$104,010	17	$96,376	27	$50.00	840	0.09
North Carolina	$94,790	27	$100,492	21	$45.57	920	0.19
North Dakota	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Ohio	$111,550	9	$120,238	7	$53.63	700	0.13
Oklahoma	$109,340	12	$124,472	5	$52.57	70	0.04
Oregon	$122,510	7	$118,526	8	$58.90	150	0.08
Pennsylvania	$122,560	6	$125,610	4	$58.92	950	0.16
Rhode Island	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
South Carolina	$99,130	22	$105,740	16	$47.66	70	0.03
South Dakota	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Tennessee	$106,470	14	$115,892	10	$51.19	170	0.05
Texas	$92,600	28	$95,408	29	$44.52	2,050	0.15
Utah	$90,870	29	$91,914	32	$43.69	280	0.16
Vermont	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Virginia	$106,140	15	$104,981	18	$51.03	330	0.08
Washington	—	—	—	—	—	880	0.25
West Virginia	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Wisconsin	$110,430	11	$117,360	9	$53.09	180	0.06
Wyoming	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure (14 states). State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for biomedical engineers

64 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	$141,230	$136,697	450
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$140,660	$121,665	650
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$136,450	$123,570	270
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN	$131,170	$137,538	280
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI	$129,640	$133,736	90
Boulder, CO	$129,030	$122,650	120
Waterbury-Shelton, CT	$128,940	$129,227	—
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$128,550	$118,735	4,040
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$128,300	$120,277	130
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$128,270	$114,642	410

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	4,040	$128,550	$118,735
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	1,070	$127,890	$122,007
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	980	$110,830	$98,460
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	910	$128,240	$112,921
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	810	—	—
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	740	$99,070	$96,100
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	650	$140,660	$121,665
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	580	$125,760	$122,628
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	520	$84,160	$85,330
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	470	$110,390	$101,383

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves biomedical engineer pay: employers and settings

The median biomedical engineer earned $109,370 in May 2025, and the industry you work in moves pay more than anything else. Navigational, measuring and electromedical instrument makers pay a median of $130,340 and research and development firms, the largest employer at 22.8% of jobs, pay $125,160. Drug manufacturers pay $113,320 and medical equipment makers pay $107,550. Hospitals pay $94,620 and colleges and universities pay $75,040. Federal government jobs pay a median of $122,930.

By state, Arizona leads at $141,230, followed by Idaho at $133,750, California at $128,310, Minnesota at $127,730, and Massachusetts at $127,570. Massachusetts also has the most jobs, 4,740, thanks to its device and biotech cluster. Pay is lowest in Nebraska at $83,890, Iowa at $81,710, and Arkansas at $67,850. Arizona remains on top after adjusting for living costs.

Pay runs from $71,850, the 10th percentile, to $168,180, the 90th. A master's or PhD, regulatory or quality expertise, management duties and work on complex electronic or implantable devices push pay toward the top. In 2025 dollars the median has drifted down from $116,552 in 2015.

Where biomedical engineers work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Scientific Research and Development Services	22.8%	$125,160
Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing	10.5%	$107,550
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing	8.6%	$130,340
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing	8%	$113,320
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	6.9%	$75,040
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	5.7%	$94,620

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	21,690	$110,500
Federal government (incl. Postal Service)	710	$122,930
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	940	$75,040
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	130	$101,250

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Biomedical Engineer pay over time

Median annual pay, 2015–2025

$109K $86.2K

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $86,220 in 2015 to $109,370 in 2025, up 27% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2015 median is worth $116,552 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay fell 6% over the period.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What biomedical engineers do

Biomedical engineers, also called bioengineers, use engineering to solve medical and biological problems. They design and test devices such as catheters, insulin pumps, pacemaker leads, orthopedic implants, imaging systems and diagnostic instruments, and they write the software and run the simulations behind them. Others develop biomaterials, tissue scaffolds or drug-delivery systems, or analyze signals from the heart and brain.

The largest group works in research and development firms, followed by makers of medical devices, electromedical and measuring instruments, and drugs. In industry, much of the job is documentation: design controls, verification testing, risk analysis and the records the FDA expects for a device to reach patients. A smaller group works in hospitals as clinical engineers, choosing, integrating and keeping medical equipment safe, and some work in university labs. Teams usually include mechanical and electrical engineers, scientists, quality and regulatory specialists and the surgeons or clinicians who will use the product.

A typical day

Sketch and model device parts in CAD, then build and test prototypes
Write and run verification tests to prove a device meets its requirements
Analyze lab or clinical data with statistics software and write up the results
Prepare design history files, risk analyses and documents for FDA submissions
Investigate complaints or failures in devices already on the market and fix root causes
Work with surgeons, nurses or researchers to understand how a product will be used
In hospitals, evaluate new equipment, plan its installation and train staff to use it safely

Also called: biomedical engineering, bioengineer, biomedical technician (biomedical tech), engineer, process engineer, research engineer.

How to become a biomedical engineer

Full guide

To become a biomedical engineer, you earn a 4-year bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering or bioengineering, ideally from an ABET-accredited program, and gain experience through internships or co-ops. No license is needed for most jobs; research and senior R&D roles often call for a master's or PhD.

Typical time: 4-6 years; Fastest: 4 years
Minimum education: Bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering, bioengineering or a related engineering field
License: Not licensed for most jobs; a state Professional Engineer (PE) license is needed only to offer engineering services to the public
Typical training cost: $53.6K–$67.2K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a biomedical engineer: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: 4-6 years; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $53.6K–$67.2K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $109,370; $58,390 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 49–61%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($58,390 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in less than a year to 1.2 years after training ends (4-6 years in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for biomedical engineers

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +7.6%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 23,800; 25,700 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 1,200; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: —; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects biomedical engineering jobs to grow 7.6% from 2025 to 2035, from 23,800 to 25,700, more than twice the 3.5% average for all occupations. BLS ties the demand to more people getting devices and procedures such as hip and knee replacements, and to growing public awareness of what medical technology can do. The field is small, though, so growth adds up to about 1,200 openings a year, many of them replacing engineers who retire or switch careers. With so few openings in any one region, internships and co-ops are often how graduates get their first offer.

Related careers and their pay

Data Scientist$120,230
Chemical Engineer$125,040
Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians$66,120
Engineers, All Other$122,930
Biological Scientists, All Other$98,920

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Biomedical Engineer salary FAQ

How much do biomedical engineers make an hour?

The median hourly wage for biomedical engineers was $52.58 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $34.55 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $80.86. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays biomedical engineers the most?

Arizona has the highest median pay for biomedical engineers, $141,230 a year, followed by Idaho ($133,750) and California ($128,310). After adjusting for each state's price level, Arizona comes out ahead at about $140,280 in national-average dollars.

Do biomedical engineers make $200,000 a year?

Few do: based on the BLS percentiles, fewer than 10% of biomedical engineers earn more than $200,000 a year. The median is $109,370, and the top 10% earn more than $168,180. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

Is biomedical engineering a good major for medical school?

It can be. A biomedical engineering degree covers biology, physiology, chemistry and physics, which overlaps with premed requirements, and it leaves you with an engineering job option if you do not go to medical school. The coursework is demanding, though, and medical schools weigh grades heavily, so a lower GPA in a harder major can hurt. You still need any premed courses the major does not include, such as organic chemistry or biochemistry.

What is the difference between a biomedical engineer and a biomedical equipment technician?

Biomedical engineers usually hold a bachelor's degree in engineering and design devices or manage medical technology programs. Biomedical equipment technicians, often called BMETs, install, inspect and repair equipment in hospitals; BLS says they typically need an associate degree or certificate in biomedical technology, and military BMET experience can substitute. BLS counts them as medical equipment repairers, a separate occupation. Clinical engineers in hospitals often supervise BMET teams.

Do biomedical engineers need a master's degree?

Not to start. BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry requirement, and many device companies hire graduates straight from ABET-accredited programs. Graduate degrees are common, though: in O*NET's survey, 26% of workers reported a master's and 13% a doctorate. Research, tissue engineering and many R&D leadership roles favor a master's or PhD, and some engineers earn one part-time with employer tuition help.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 17-2031
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (17-2031.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers: Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs, 2025-2026, ABET · checked October 28, 2026
FE Exam, NCEES · checked October 28, 2026
HTCC Certification Handbook, 2026 Edition, Healthcare Technology Certification Commission (ACCE) · checked October 28, 2026
O*NET OnLine: Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers (17-2031.00), U.S. Department of Labor, O*NET · checked October 28, 2026
Quality Management System Regulation (QMSR), U.S. Food and Drug Administration · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor) · checked October 28, 2026
Medical Equipment Repairers: Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
General Requirements Bulletin for Admission to the Examination for Registration to Practice in Patent Cases, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office · checked October 28, 2026

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