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Job outlook for chief electrical engineers in the United States
Are chief electrical engineer jobs in demand?
Chief electrical engineer job and salary trends over time
Chief electrical engineer jobs over time
Chief electrical engineer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 474 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 472 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 473 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 476 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 468 | 0.00% |
Average chief electrical engineer salary over time
Chief electrical engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $94,236 | $45.31 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | $92,086 | $44.27 | +2.0% |
| 2023 | $90,320 | $43.42 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $88,843 | $42.71 | +0.9% |
| 2021 | $88,049 | $42.33 | +1.3% |
Chief electrical engineer jobs by state
Most common states for chief electrical engineers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 337 | 49% |
| 2 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,231 | 15% |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,052 | 15% |
| 4 | Delaware | 961,939 | 134 | 14% |
| 5 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 749 | 12% |
| 6 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 644 | 11% |
| 7 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 756 | 10% |
| 8 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 672 | 10% |
| 9 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 311 | 10% |
| 10 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 56 | 10% |
| 11 | California | 39,536,653 | 3,438 | 9% |
| 12 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 510 | 9% |
| 13 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 382 | 9% |
| 14 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 286 | 9% |
| 15 | Vermont | 623,657 | 59 | 9% |
| 16 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 813 | 8% |
| 17 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 388 | 8% |
| 18 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 157 | 8% |
| 19 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 109 | 8% |
| 20 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 146 | 7% |
Chief Electrical Engineer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of chief electrical engineer experts
Gonzaga University
Stevens Institute of Technology
California State University - Fresno
California State University - Fresno
University of Alabama at Birmingham
San Diego State University
Old Dominion University
What general advice would you give to a Chief Electrical Engineer?
Craig Johnson Ph.D., P.E.: To begin your career in our field, please know that there are some shared values, some behavior constraints, and some awesome possible career paths for you to explore! Our program is accredited through ABET, which means that you can acquire your Professional Engineering licensure. Along with licensure are ethics compliance and legal behavior. You must put safety as a first constraint in all work. Create great technical solutions to real problems that may affect us all. Politics and company policies evolve, and we must evolve with them. New finance realities dictate that you will be more active in both seeking new jobs and changing jobs to promote your careers. You are at the center of many crossroads of technical activity that present options for your path forward.
What Chief Electrical Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Craig Johnson Ph.D., P.E.: Network with your peers and have job opportunities in sight at all times. Keep up your virtual profiles and be the engineer everyone wants to have around. Each job selection is your choice, but networking and being proactive in seeking opportunities is crucial to maximizing your salary potential.
What Chief Electrical Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Steven Schennum Ph.D. P.E.: The most important skill is the ability to learn new things, and especially to unlearn things you “know” after evidence demonstrates that these things are not true. Learn how to analyze information. Your intuition, simulations, and results should all be in alignment. If they are not, then dig deeper. Learn the terminology and jargon specific to your company and your projects. Spend time reading. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be intimidated by new software.
What Chief Electrical Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Min Song: Communication skills and innovative thinking skills. As emerging technologies continue to be complex and multidisciplinary, it’s important to be able to communicate with professionals in diverse disciplines. Taking robotics, for example, the electrical engineer must be able to work with mechanical and biomechanical engineers, computer engineers, software engineers, artificial intelligence experts, cognitive scientists, system engineers, etc. A person will be able to generate innovative ideas only if the person has a complete and comprehensive understanding of the entire system and can work well with other individuals with a range of expertise.
What general advice would you give to a Chief Electrical Engineer?
Hovannes Kulhandjian Ph.D.: Negotiate Your Starting Salary: Research industry salary standards and be prepared to negotiate a competitive starting salary based on your qualifications and experience. Pursue In-Demand Skills: Develop specialized skills and certifications that are in high demand within the industry. This can make you more valuable to employers. Seek Opportunities for Advancement: Look for roles with potential for growth and advancement within the company. Express your interest in taking on challenging projects and responsibilities. Leverage Internships and Experience: Demonstrate your value to employers by showcasing your internships, projects, and relevant experience. Stay Informed: Keep up with industry trends and market conditions. Staying informed can help you position yourself for better opportunities and salary increases.
What general advice would you give to a Chief Electrical Engineer?
Aaron Stillmaker Ph.D.: I highly encourage students starting to look for jobs to get their resume polished both by talking with a trusted professor and taking advantage of career centers at their university. I always suggest that students highlight fascinating projects on their resumes that highlight their knowledge base without having to list skills, and they need to be ready to talk intelligibly about those projects. I would make sure to prepare for interviews by brushing up on design course material that are taught in the courses most closely pertaining to the specialty they are interviewing for. I also suggest they contact professors they have a good relationship with to ask them to reach out to their contacts in the field, as many professors have connections in the industry and are happy to help their good students attain good jobs.
What will help Chief Electrical Engineers increase their earning potential?
Aaron Stillmaker Ph.D.: To maximize your salary I always tell my students to make sure to research what the average entry engineer in that specialty and location makes, which is easy both by researching online and talking with colleagues. Make sure to apply to many positions at the same time and ideally get interviews around the same time. Ideally if you get multiple companies that want to hire them, they can use the job offers to compete with each other. I also always tell students to ideally not say a desired number first, and no matter what the hiring manager offers them they should ask for more. If the number is below average, they have a strong hand to ask for more, but even with a good offer, I always suggest students ask for 10% more than what was offered. The worst thing they can say is no, and hold firm on the offer, so they have nothing to lose.
What Chief Electrical Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Arie Nakhmani: Electrical Engineering has always (from its inception) been a good profession to enter, but now it is better than ever. Now everything is becoming Electrical Engineering, and the world cannot survive without it even for a few days. Electrical Engineering is the most necessary profession for the survival of modern society.
What will help Chief Electrical Engineers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Arif Engin: Electrical engineers solve problems by skillfully applying mathematics and science. Electrical engineering classes are challenging at college, and electrical engineers must embrace lifelong learning to remain at the top of their skills. In the end, seeing the results of their work in a finished product is a rewarding experience.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Chief Electrical Engineers?
Michel Audette Ph.D.: My take on this is what I've seen with my wife's work in industry, which suggests that the industrial landscape is going to be increasingly equipped for, and open to, remote work. I think that the implication for graduates is that they may need to be flexible about working within a geographically distributed team. If company deciders feel that someone is worth employing because of a unique skill set, then they would typically be more willing to hire that person even if unable to make it to work regularly, if that is feasible given the nature of the work; some work, such as hardware testing or industrial production, may not lend itself to remote contributions.
Nonetheless, for those areas that accommodate geographically distributed activity, such as software development, graduates can expect to interact with team members all over the US, possibly all over the world, if someone is deemed unique enough to hire despite living abroad. This places a high premium on the ability and willingness to work in a heterogeneous team, where not only will members look different, but also have myriad accents in their English, which will also impose a certain adaptability and tolerance to team members.
A related impact could also be that global hiring will make it easier for multi-national companies to hire a portion of their talent in countries where wages are lower and motivate US-based engineers to seek out graduate degrees in order to increase their competitiveness and employability at US salaries.