Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025

Mechanical Engineer Salary 2026

National average, range, and calculator. BLS data for 296,810 mechanical engineers across all 50 states and 14 industries.

Updated June 2026. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 17-2141. Snapshot taken 6 September 2026.

National Median

$104,110

per year

Hourly Rate

$50.05

median

Salary Range

$73,990 - $164,340

10th to 90th percentile

Salary Calculator View All 50 States

By State

50 states ranked

Entry Level

$62K - $78K

Senior Level

$100K - $145K

By Industry

14 sectors

Calculator

Estimate your pay

Salary Percentile

Place your own pay

vs Others

8 disciplines

Specialty, industry, and metro deep dives

Sub-query coverage that the major salary aggregators miss. Sourced BLS data per page.

Thermal Engineer

$128K mean (NVIDIA, Apple)

EV Powertrain

$140K mean (Tesla, Rivian)

Robotics Engineer

$135K (Boston Dynamics, Optimus)

HVAC Engineer

$96.5K + PE premium

Defense Industry

$110.5K + clearance

Semiconductor

$118.9K (CHIPS Act)

Solar Power

$167.2K (IRA boom)

Engineering Services

$103K (53K MEs)

PE License By State

50 boards, fees

Seattle Metro

$128.4K (Boeing, MSFT)

vs Software Eng

$104K vs $136K (+30.6%)

vs Aerospace Eng

$104K vs $135K

vs Industrial Eng

$104K vs $102K

vs Chemical Eng

$104K vs $125K

More states with metro-level pay analysis

BLS state mean wage plus metro breakouts, cost-of-living math, and state PE board reference.

Massachusetts

$121.4K (Raytheon, biotech)

Connecticut

$111.5K (Pratt, Sikorsky, EB)

Colorado

$124.4K (Lockheed Waterton)

Minnesota

$106.1K (Medtronic, 3M)

Arizona

$107.2K (Intel, TSMC AZ)

New York

$110.3K (3 sub-markets)

Wisconsin

$96.8K (Harley, Oshkosh)

North Carolina

$107.3K (RTP, Charlotte)

Georgia

$109.7K (Atlanta, Gulfstream)

Alaska

$126.2K (oil and gas, rotation)

Salary Range Breakdown

Percentile distribution of mechanical engineer salaries across the United States.

10th Percentile$73,990

25th Percentile$84,130

50th Percentile (Median)$104,110

75th Percentile$132,590

90th Percentile$164,340

Highest Paying Industries

Top 5 industries by median pay. The industry you work in can matter more than the state you live in.

Industry	Median Salary	Employment	vs National
Oil and Gas Extraction	$169,020	760	+62.3%
Solar Electric Power Generation	$132,270	110	+27.0%
Scientific Research and Development	$132,040	21,390	+26.8%
Nuclear Electric Power Generation	$131,110	210	+25.9%
Motor Vehicle Manufacturing	$121,670	4,330	+16.9%

Sector medians are modelled from the national median and a sector pay differential, not literal BLS per-industry cells. The national median they are compared against is BLS OEWS May 2025. See the industry hub for the full method.

View all 14 industries

State Salary Highlights

Top 5 Highest Paying

1New Mexico

$152,430

2District of Columbia

$138,500

3California

$136,660

4Alaska

$126,160

5Maryland

$125,850

Best Value After Cost of Living

New MexicoCOL: 93/100

$152,430adj. $163,903

LouisianaCOL: 91/100

$120,520adj. $132,440

TexasCOL: 93/100

$121,510adj. $130,656

AlabamaCOL: 87/100

$109,330adj. $125,667

South CarolinaCOL: 92/100

$113,690adj. $123,576

View all 50 states ranked

Career Progression

Typical salary trajectory from entry-level to director, based on BLS percentile data and industry surveys.

Junior Mechanical Engineer

$62,000 - $78,000

0-2 years

CAD modeling, analysis support, testing, and documentation under senior guidance. FE exam preparation is recommended during this phase.

Mechanical Engineer II

$78,000 - $95,000

3-5 years

Independent project ownership. Leading smaller design tasks, vendor coordination, and cross-functional collaboration.

Senior Mechanical Engineer

$95,000 - $125,000

6-12 years

Technical leadership on major projects. Mentoring junior engineers, owning system-level design decisions, and pursuing PE licensure.

Staff/Principal Engineer

$120,000 - $165,000

12-20 years

Organization-wide technical authority. R&D strategy, patent development, and architecture decisions across product lines.

Full experience breakdown|Senior and director salaries

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average mechanical engineer salary in 2026?+

The national median salary for mechanical engineers is $104,110 per year according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The mean (average) is $113,610. Salaries range from $73,990 at the 10th percentile to $164,340 at the 90th percentile.

How much do mechanical engineers make per hour?+

The median hourly wage for mechanical engineers is $50.05. The mean hourly wage is $54.62. Across the published distribution, hourly rates run from about $35.57 at the 10th percentile to $79.01 at the 90th.

Which state pays mechanical engineers the most?+

New Mexico has the highest mean annual wage at $152,430, followed by District of Columbia ($138,500) and California ($136,660). However, cost of living matters. After adjusting for it, New Mexico, Louisiana, Texas provide the strongest purchasing power.

Can mechanical engineers make over $100,000?+

Yes. The national median is already above $100,000 at $104,110. Most MEs reach six figures by year 6 to 8 in their career, and much sooner in the highest-paying sectors such as oil and gas extraction or solar power generation.

What is the entry-level mechanical engineer salary?+

Entry-level mechanical engineers (0 to 2 years experience) typically earn between $62,000 and $78,000, depending on industry, location, and education level. The BLS 10th percentile wage of $73,990 approximates the floor for new graduates.

Is a PE license worth it for mechanical engineers?+

ASME's 2017 Salary and Benefits Survey (released February 2018, 2016 base-salary data, 1,661 ASME-member respondents) reported that mechanical engineers holding a PE license earned nearly $16,000 more than mechanical engineers without licensure. It is a member-sample survey on 2016 pay, so it shows a direction rather than a current rate. The PE license is most valuable in consulting, construction, and utility sectors where it is required to sign off on designs, and adds little in product, hardware, and research roles where designs carry no engineer's seal.

What is the job outlook for mechanical engineers?+

BLS Employment Projections show 11% employment growth for mechanical engineers from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average. This represents approximately 17,800 new openings per year, driven by growth in robotics, electric vehicles, renewable energy, and aerospace. Projections are a separate BLS programme from the OEWS wage estimates quoted above.

How does mechanical engineering salary compare to electrical engineering?+

Electrical engineers earn a median of $120,630 (BLS OEWS May 2025) compared to $104,110 for mechanical engineers (BLS OEWS May 2025), a difference of about 16%. ME has a larger job market (296,810 employed vs 198,750) and a marginally higher projected growth rate (11% vs 10%, BLS EP 2025-35), but EE pays more across the wage distribution, driven by its concentration in semiconductor and chip-design roles. Both figures come from the same May 2025 national release.

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