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Mechanical Engineer Salary Calculator 2026

Estimate your salary based on state, experience, industry, education, and PE license status. Calculations use BLS OEWS May 2025 data with weighted adjustment factors.

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How This Calculator Works

This calculator estimates mechanical engineer salary using a weighted factor model built on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) for SOC code 17-2141.

Calculation Method

Estimated Salary = National Median x State Factor x Experience Factor x Industry Factor + Education Premium + PE Premium

  • State Factor: Computed from the ratio of each state's derived mean ME wage to the derived national mean, so it moves with the data file rather than being stored.
  • Experience Factor: Based on BLS percentile distribution mapped to experience bands. Entry level (0.68x) to principal (1.42x).
  • Industry Factor: Each sector's median wage divided by the national median, computed from the sector table rather than stored. Oil and gas extraction (1.62x) to construction and heavy equipment (0.92x). Eleven of the fourteen sectors are literal BLS OEWS May 2025 cells; the other three are labelled as a site model on the by-industry page.
  • Education Premium: BS (baseline), MS (+$11,000), PhD (+$20,000). This site's own model, not a survey reading: no US body publishes mechanical-engineer pay by degree level, so there is no figure to cite. The bands are set from the BLS percentile distribution and widely reported new-graduate reference points, and the reasoning is set out on the methodology page.
  • PE Premium: +$10,000. Set below the nearly $16,000 gap reported in ASME's 2017 Salary and Benefits Survey (2016 data, ASME members only), because that sample is not national.

The estimate range (low/high) represents +/- 12% around the point estimate, reflecting natural variation within any given market segment. The percentile rank shows where your estimate falls in the national salary distribution.

This calculator provides estimates based on statistical averages and may not reflect actual job offers. Individual salaries vary based on specific employer, negotiation, performance, and market conditions at the time of hiring.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average mechanical engineer salary in the US?+
The median mechanical engineer salary is $104,110 per year ($50.05 per hour), and the mean is $113,610, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025, SOC 17-2141). The lowest 10% earn about $73,990 and the top 10% earn about $164,340.
What is the entry-level mechanical engineer salary?+
Entry-level mechanical engineers with 0 to 2 years of experience typically earn $62,000 to $78,000, roughly the 10th to 25th percentile of the national distribution. Early-career engineers (3 to 5 years) generally move into the $78,000 to $95,000 band. Starting pay is higher in oil and gas, aerospace, and high cost-of-living metros.
How much do mechanical engineers make per hour?+
The national median hourly wage for mechanical engineers is $50.05, with a mean of $54.62 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). At 2,080 paid hours a year that works out to the $104,110 median annual figure.
Which states pay mechanical engineers the most?+
The highest mean mechanical engineer wages are in the District of Columbia, New Mexico, Alaska, California, and Washington. The lowest before cost-of-living adjustment are in Florida, Hawaii, Mississippi, and West Virginia. New Mexico and Louisiana stand out because their high pay pairs with a below-average cost of living, driven by oil, gas, and national-laboratory employment.
Does a PE license increase mechanical engineer salary?+
ASME's 2017 Salary and Benefits Survey (released February 2018, 2016 base-salary data, 1,661 ASME-member respondents) reported that PE-licensed mechanical engineers earned nearly $16,000 more than unlicensed engineers. The premium is largest in engineering-services consulting and smallest in product, hardware, and research roles where designs are not signed under an engineer's seal. This calculator deliberately applies a more conservative $10,000, because ASME's figure comes from a member sample on 2016 pay rather than from a national survey.
How is the salary estimate calculated?+
The estimate multiplies the BLS national median ($104,110) by a state factor, an experience factor, and an industry factor, then adds an education premium and a PE premium. The low and high range is plus or minus 12% around the point estimate, reflecting normal variation within a market segment.

Next Steps

See Salaries in Your State

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Salary by Experience

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Compare to Other Engineers

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Reader questions[email protected]

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Send it over. A person reads every message and we answer the ones we can, citing the table the figure came from. If the answer would help other engineers we may publish it here in anonymised form, and we ask your permission before we do. Salary data on this site is general reference rather than career or financial advice, and what an individual is paid moves with employer, industry and region.

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Independent salary reference. Data from Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Not affiliated with the BLS, any employer, or any professional engineering organization. Individual salaries vary based on experience, location, employer, and negotiation.

Updated 2026-06-09