A degree in mechanical engineering offers a breadth of
career opportunities. As a mechanical engineer, you can work in specialties
such as robotics, automotive, nanotechnology and any field that involves working
with technology that includes machines or moving parts.
Your mechanical
engineering specialty, along with factors such as industry and level of
experience and education, influence how much money you will earn in your
career. If you want to attain one of the highest paying mechanical engineering
jobs, you need to take the right courses and gain the right experience to be a
good fit for these lucrative positions.
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Mechanical Engineering Salaries by Industry
In addition to being one of the broadest and oldest fields
of engineering, mechanical engineering is also one of the largest engineering
occupations. More than 288,800 people across the United States are employed as
mechanical engineers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported. For
all mechanical engineers in all industries and at all levels of experience, the
median salary is $85,880 per year, according to the BLS. That wage is
considerably more than twice the median wage for all occupations, but somewhat
lower than the $92,220 median salary for all engineers.
Even if you have the exact same job title, your earning
potential can vary by tens of thousands of dollars depending on the industry in
which you work. Among the industries employing the most mechanical engineers,
scientific research and development services is the most profitable, with a
near-six-figure annual salary of $98,530, the BLS reported. A median wage of
$91,440 awaits mechanical engineering students who enter the industry of
computer and electronic product manufacturing. Mechanical engineers in
architectural and engineering services earn a median salary of $89,180.
Those
working in the field of transportation equipment manufacturing earn a wage just
above the median for all mechanical engineers, $86,670. However, the 13 percent
of mechanical engineers working in machinery manufacturing – more than 37,500
workers – earn a salary well below that median wage, $77,400.
Often, it’s the rarest mechanical engineering jobs that
offer the best salary potential. There are mechanical engineering roles that
have six-figure average wages but make up just a tiny fraction of employment in
this occupation. For example, software publishers employ just 120 mechanical
engineers, which means just 0.03 percent of workers in the industry are part of
this occupation, but they pay a mean annual wage of $127,540, the BLS reported.
The $122,140 mean salary for mechanical engineers working in oil and gas
extraction takes into account the wages of just 430 workers. Mechanical
engineers make up just 0.13 percent of employees who work in electronic and
precision equipment repair and maintenance, but these 130 people earn a mean
wage of $113,390. Just under one-half of one percent of employees working in
waste treatment and disposal accounts are mechanical engineers, who earn a mean
salary of $112,570. A mean wage of $110,170 is associated with the pipeline
transportation of crude oil industry, which employs just 240 mechanical
engineers.
One of the best-paying roles in all engineering
disciplines is engineering manager. Managers in mechanical engineering may need
a graduate degree and a minimum of five years of work experience.
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Mechanical Engineering Salaries by Specialty
A number of specialties fit into this broad discipline of
engineering, and some specialties tend to pay better than others. Heating and
cooling system engineers, or HVAC engineers, typically have some of the lowest
wages, with a median salary of only $63,494, PayScale reported. Automotive
engineers, who develop engineering systems for automobiles, earn nearly $15,000
more per year that HVAC engineers, with a median wage of $78,053. Robotics and
automation engineer is an occupation Business Insider listed as one of the
engineering jobs that pay $110,000 or more. PayScale reports that robotic
engineers earn a median wage of $80,720 but can earn as much as $121,842 per
year. Nanotechnology engineers are often included under the umbrella of scientific
research and development, with its $98,530 median salary.
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