How much do engineers make?
Answer
There is no single engineer salary: BLS publishes pay for each type. Medians range from $100,840 to $161,740 a year (May 2025).
| Computer Hardware Engineers | $161,740 | $92,940 | $225,330 | 76,660 | Bachelor's degree | +9.1% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aerospace Engineers | $134,960 | $86,700 | $205,890 | 67,710 | Bachelor's degree | +8.3% |
| Chemical Engineers | $125,040 | $79,420 | $182,880 | 21,070 | Bachelor's degree | +4.7% |
| Electrical Engineers | $120,630 | $76,550 | $184,300 | 198,750 | Bachelor's degree | +9.9% |
| Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers | $109,370 | $71,850 | $168,180 | 23,480 | Bachelor's degree | +7.6% |
| Mechanical Engineers | $104,110 | $73,990 | $164,340 | 296,810 | Bachelor's degree | +11.2% |
| Civil Engineers | $100,840 | $68,240 | $163,220 | 367,840 | Bachelor's degree | +6.4% |
BLS OEWS, May 2025 (released April 30, 2026); typical education and growth from BLS Employment Projections 2025–35.
How the types of engineer compare
Engineering pay depends mainly on which branch you choose. In our data, computer hardware engineers have the highest median, $161,740, followed by aerospace engineers at $134,960, chemical engineers at $125,040, and electrical engineers at $120,630, then biomedical engineers at $109,370, mechanical engineers at $104,110, and civil engineers at $100,840, the lowest of the seven.
The branches differ just as much in size. Civil engineering has 367,840 jobs and mechanical 296,810, while chemical engineering has only 21,070 and biomedical 23,480. Big branches have openings almost everywhere; small, high-paying ones cluster around particular industries such as aerospace, semiconductors, oil and chemicals, or medical devices.
Training is similar across all of them: a four-year bachelor's degree in the specific discipline is the standard entry point. The work differs more. Civil engineers mix office design with time on construction sites, and the PE license matters most to them because public works and consulting plans must be stamped. Mechanical and electrical engineers work in design offices, labs and factories. Chemical engineers are often at plants, and computer hardware engineers are mostly in labs and offices.
Engineer salary by state
Median annual pay by type
| Alabama | $99,010 | $100,230 | $125,630 | $127,540 | $135,030 | $85,720 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $114,730 | $124,340 | $125,970 | $101,710 | $106,080 | — |
| Arizona | $89,660 | $100,270 | $100,550 | $123,170 | — | $141,230 |
| Arkansas | $85,020 | $80,180 | $96,860 | $102,040 | $105,270 | $67,850 |
| California | $122,500 | $130,900 | $144,040 | $157,620 | — | $128,310 |
| Colorado | $101,420 | $124,430 | $120,760 | $156,190 | $125,800 | $110,650 |
| Connecticut | $103,150 | $105,090 | $104,160 | $129,500 | $102,270 | $103,500 |
| Delaware | $100,220 | $125,130 | $126,970 | — | $133,670 | — |
| District of Columbia | $103,880 | $133,300 | $143,000 | $157,600 | — | $100,920 |
| Florida | $98,570 | $99,980 | $104,780 | $129,280 | $109,000 | $101,730 |
| Georgia | $84,240 | $100,620 | — | $140,460 | $103,880 | $96,920 |
| Hawaii | $94,280 | $98,740 | $106,350 | $137,240 | — | — |
| Idaho | $98,030 | $93,190 | $129,340 | $95,700 | $106,740 | $133,750 |
| Illinois | $99,760 | $102,680 | $107,860 | $108,940 | $121,560 | $89,520 |
| Indiana | $98,270 | $99,590 | $102,670 | $107,400 | $113,160 | $108,030 |
| Iowa | $96,430 | $97,700 | $105,820 | — | $117,590 | $81,710 |
| Kansas | $96,880 | $86,260 | $102,630 | $130,330 | $102,020 | — |
| Kentucky | $100,930 | $101,050 | $98,550 | $126,130 | $117,170 | $95,360 |
| Louisiana | $105,380 | $119,540 | $123,710 | $136,970 | $134,800 | $84,320 |
| Maine | $97,820 | $102,430 | $114,620 | — | — | — |
| Maryland | $100,680 | $122,870 | $125,150 | $156,750 | $127,190 | $105,090 |
| Massachusetts | $106,730 | $119,300 | $127,720 | $149,470 | $118,000 | $127,570 |
| Michigan | $92,100 | $104,890 | $106,070 | $128,960 | $103,230 | $100,940 |
| Minnesota | $101,480 | $99,140 | $109,510 | $159,060 | $107,670 | $127,730 |
| Mississippi | $100,170 | $98,000 | $104,990 | $109,200 | $106,740 | $96,710 |
| Missouri | $92,750 | $99,330 | $118,670 | $130,680 | $102,320 | $89,480 |
| Montana | $93,070 | $94,190 | $87,360 | — | $127,490 | — |
| Nebraska | $103,150 | $88,060 | $107,260 | $135,670 | $98,310 | $83,890 |
| Nevada | $104,310 | $102,680 | $107,400 | $96,730 | — | $87,850 |
| New Hampshire | $98,710 | $103,660 | $135,710 | — | $73,250 | $94,890 |
| New Jersey | $104,660 | $112,300 | $125,370 | $126,430 | $126,760 | $114,680 |
| New Mexico | $103,900 | $157,710 | $158,520 | $132,850 | $158,190 | — |
| New York | $103,760 | $102,440 | $119,010 | $130,330 | $129,060 | $104,010 |
| North Carolina | $100,730 | $100,720 | $110,130 | $122,930 | $117,410 | $94,790 |
| North Dakota | $98,190 | $86,330 | $110,810 | — | $115,400 | — |
| Ohio | $96,220 | $99,100 | $100,620 | $138,440 | $111,200 | $111,550 |
| Oklahoma | $98,760 | $101,850 | $107,760 | $125,470 | $127,790 | $109,340 |
| Oregon | $105,250 | $103,470 | $125,160 | $124,630 | $116,950 | $122,510 |
| Pennsylvania | $97,850 | $97,920 | $110,820 | $133,940 | $116,970 | $122,560 |
| Rhode Island | $99,300 | $116,230 | — | — | $111,590 | — |
| South Carolina | $101,600 | $104,580 | $98,440 | $137,030 | $101,570 | $99,130 |
| South Dakota | $98,700 | $88,380 | $98,980 | — | — | — |
| Tennessee | $95,910 | $99,550 | $104,450 | $128,510 | — | $106,470 |
| Texas | $96,860 | $112,410 | $129,450 | $130,270 | $132,750 | $92,600 |
| Utah | $96,830 | $102,500 | $105,720 | $135,840 | $85,520 | $90,870 |
| Vermont | $95,600 | $107,330 | $111,310 | $144,400 | — | — |
| Virginia | $97,120 | $104,180 | $119,030 | $143,210 | $136,380 | $106,140 |
| Washington | $110,000 | $110,430 | $132,710 | $158,370 | $128,290 | — |
| West Virginia | $86,930 | $97,390 | $113,420 | — | $129,210 | — |
| Wisconsin | $94,600 | $95,870 | $99,700 | $88,400 | $97,660 | $110,430 |
| Wyoming | $90,590 | $117,750 | $111,740 | — | — | — |
Median annual pay by state, BLS OEWS, May 2025. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure. Each occupation’s own page has its full state table with cost-of-living-adjusted pay.
What engineers do
Engineers use math and science to design things that have to work safely and within a budget: bridges and water systems, engines and HVAC equipment, power grids and circuit boards, aircraft, chemical plants, medical devices and computer chips. "Engineer" is an umbrella term. BLS tracks each branch as its own occupation, and this page compares the largest ones; civil engineering is the biggest, with 367,840 jobs in our data.
Most engineers split their time between a computer and the real world. Design work happens in CAD and simulation software, spreadsheets and calculations, followed by drawings, specifications and reports. Then come site visits, lab tests, factory floors or construction trailers to check that what was built matches what was designed. Engineers work with technicians, drafters, architects, construction managers, production staff and clients, and senior engineers sign off on designs and take legal responsibility for them. Civil engineers in particular often work for engineering consulting firms or for state and local governments, and spend part of the week outdoors on job sites.
A typical day
- Run calculations for loads, flows, heat, current or stress to size a design
- Model parts, systems or sites in CAD and simulation software
- Write specifications, cost estimates and reports for clients or managers
- Visit job sites, plants or labs to inspect work and test prototypes
- Check designs against codes, safety standards and permit rules
- Meet with technicians, contractors and other engineers to fix problems
- Review junior engineers' work and, once licensed, stamp final drawings
Also called: engineers, engineering, city engineer, civil engineer, county engineer, design engineer, geotechnical engineer, licensed engineer.
How to become an engineer
Full guideTo become an engineer you earn a bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline, ideally from an ABET-accredited program, which takes four years. For a Professional Engineer (PE) license you then pass the FE exam, work about four years under licensed engineers and pass the PE exam.
- Typical time
- 8-9 years to a PE license
- Fastest: 4 years
- Minimum education
- Bachelor's degree in engineering, preferably from an EAC/ABET-accredited program
- License
- Not required for entry-level work; a state PE license is required to offer engineering services to the public or sign and seal plans, in all 50 states and DC
- Typical training cost
- $44.9K–$45.8K
- See the guide for what it includes
Read the step-by-step guide to becoming an 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
- 8-9 years to a PE license
- Typical path in our guide
- Training cost
- $44.9K–$45.8K
- Tuition and exam fees, before aid
- Median pay
- $100,840
- $49,860 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
- Cost vs. one year's pay
- 45–45%
- Training cost as a share of a year at the median
Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($49,860 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in less than a year after training ends (8-9 years to a pe license 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 engineers
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35
- Projected growth
- +6.4%
- All occupations +3.5%
- Jobs in 2025
- 380,600
- 405,100 projected for 2035
- Openings each year
- 22,700
- New jobs plus replacements
- Self-employed
- 1.9%
- Not in the pay figures above
BLS projects civil engineering jobs to grow 6.4% from 2025 to 2035, from 380,600 to 405,100, nearly twice the 3.5% average for all occupations. That works out to about 22,700 openings a year, many of them from retirements. BLS expects engineering jobs overall to grow 8%.
Civil engineering demand comes from the steady work of repairing and replacing aging bridges, roads, water systems and treatment plants. Because so much of it is public work, hiring can rise and fall with government funding. Other branches follow their own industries, such as aerospace, energy, semiconductors or health care.
Outlook shown for civil engineers; each type’s growth is in the table at the top.
Related careers and their pay
- Construction Manager$114,990
- Architect$99,280
- Electrical Engineer$120,630
- Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians$64,950
- Construction and Building Inspectors$74,690
Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Engineer salary FAQ
What type of engineer makes the most money?
Among the branches we compare, computer hardware engineers have the highest median pay, $161,740, followed by aerospace engineers at $134,960, and chemical engineers at $125,040, while civil engineers, the largest group, have a median of $100,840, the lowest of the seven. Pay within each branch varies widely by employer, location and responsibility, so the branch is only part of the picture.
Which engineering field is easiest to get a job in?
The largest branches have the most openings. Civil engineering has about 22,700 openings a year in BLS projections, and civil and mechanical engineering together account for well over half of the jobs we compare. Small fields such as chemical and biomedical engineering pay well but have far fewer positions, so graduates there may need to be more flexible about location and industry.
Do all engineers need a PE license?
No. BLS says entry-level engineers do not need a license, and many engineers in manufacturing, technology and research never get one. A PE license is needed to sign and seal plans, take responsibility for designs and offer engineering services directly to the public. It matters most in civil engineering, especially for consulting and government work, and in some mechanical and electrical building design.
Is engineering a stressful job?
It can be at deadlines. BLS notes that most engineers work full time and some work more than 40 hours a week, especially those leading projects. Licensed engineers carry legal responsibility for the designs they stamp, which adds pressure. Crunch periods tend to come before design submissions, inspections and product launches.
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 17-2051
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
- O*NET 31.0 Database (17-2051.00), 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
- Civil Engineers, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
- FE exam, NCEES · checked October 28, 2026
- PE exam, NCEES · checked October 28, 2026
- Why ABET Accreditation Matters, ABET · checked October 28, 2026
- Licensure, NCEES · checked October 28, 2026
- License Finder, CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026
Careers and Salaries is not affiliated with the Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Found an error? Tell us; corrections are listed on the editorial policy page.