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Job outlook for customer engineers in the United States
Customer engineer job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected customer engineer job growth rate is 3% from 2018-2028.
About 9,800 new jobs for customer engineers are projected over the next decade.
Customer engineer salaries have increased 8% for customer engineers in the last 5 years.
There are over 8,565 customer engineers currently employed in the United States.
There are 44,709 active customer engineer job openings in the US.
The average customer engineer salary is $101,212.
Are customer engineer jobs in demand?
Customer engineer job and salary trends over time
Customer engineer jobs over time
Customer engineer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 8,565 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 9,725 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 10,235 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 10,622 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 10,657 | 0.00% |
Average customer engineer salary over time
Customer engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $101,212 | $48.66 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $99,358 | $47.77 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | $96,657 | $46.47 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | $96,168 | $46.23 | +3.0% |
| 2021 | $93,373 | $44.89 | +1.0% |
Customer engineer jobs by state
Most common states for customer engineers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 382 | 55% |
| 2 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 869 | 10% |
| 3 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 600 | 10% |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 610 | 9% |
| 5 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 512 | 9% |
| 6 | California | 39,536,653 | 3,026 | 8% |
| 7 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 566 | 8% |
| 8 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 345 | 8% |
| 9 | Delaware | 961,939 | 76 | 8% |
| 10 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 411 | 6% |
| 11 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 189 | 6% |
| 12 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 81 | 6% |
| 13 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 47 | 6% |
| 14 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 503 | 5% |
| 15 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 287 | 5% |
| 16 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 243 | 5% |
| 17 | Alaska | 739,795 | 39 | 5% |
| 18 | Vermont | 623,657 | 33 | 5% |
| 19 | Texas | 28,304,596 | 1,109 | 4% |
| 20 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 77 | 4% |
Most common cities for customer engineers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gloucester | 7 | 23% | $101,933 |
| 2 | Brockton | 4 | 4% | $102,372 |
| 3 | Cambridge | 4 | 4% | $102,145 |
| 4 | Fall River | 4 | 4% | $102,602 |
| 5 | Lowell | 4 | 4% | $101,921 |
| 6 | Lynn | 4 | 4% | $102,065 |
| 7 | New Bedford | 4 | 4% | $102,661 |
| 8 | Chandler | 4 | 2% | $107,858 |
| 9 | Gilbert | 4 | 2% | $107,825 |
| 10 | Boston | 7 | 1% | $102,182 |
| 11 | San Francisco | 7 | 1% | $129,686 |
| 12 | Denver | 6 | 1% | $98,369 |
| 13 | Sacramento | 5 | 1% | $128,346 |
| 14 | Phoenix | 5 | 0% | $108,057 |
| 15 | Austin | 4 | 0% | $114,083 |
| 16 | Dallas | 4 | 0% | $113,412 |
| 17 | San Jose | 4 | 0% | $129,144 |
Customer Engineer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of customer engineer experts
Gonzaga University
Stevens Institute of Technology
California State University - Fresno
University of Indianapolis
Old Dominion University
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Wright State University
What Customer 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 Customer 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 Customer Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Hovannes Kulhandjian Ph.D.: Programming and Software Development: As technology advances, the integration of hardware and software becomes more prevalent. Familiarity with programming languages like Python, C++, or MATLAB can be beneficial. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: These technologies are being increasingly used in electrical engineering applications such as signal processing, automation, and control systems. Data Analysis: The ability to interpret and analyze data from sensors and other sources will become more important as data-driven decision-making continues to grow. Cybersecurity: Protecting electrical systems from cyber threats is becoming increasingly important. Understanding cybersecurity principles can be a valuable asset. Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Collaboration across different engineering disciplines and fields such as computer science, mechanical engineering, and environmental science will be essential for complex projects.
Dr. Katie Greenan Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorUniversity of Indianapolis
Department of Communication
What's a good job out of college for Customer Engineers?
Dr. Katie Greenan Ph.D.: There are two types. The first is electronic media. Companies are constantly seeking employees who can fill entry-level jobs in social media and marketing. I'm seeing more and more job advertisements for social media influencers, too. I suggest recent graduates visit a handful of companies' websites and search "jobs." Chances are they'll find openings. Second, with the new administration in Washington, D.C., there is policy-related work that can provide recent graduates with entry-level jobs. After working in the political arena and gaining unparalleled experience, one thing will lead to the next, and they can go anywhere.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Customer 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.
Robert Saunders P.E.
Assistant Department HeadUniversity of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Electrical Engineering Department
What general advice would you give to a Customer Engineer?
Robert Saunders P.E.: The job market for an electrical engineering student coming out of college is challenging right now. Many companies are still hiring electrical engineering students but, the students can't be as finicky about what jobs they are accepting. More than half of the students are starting their new jobs working remotely, which is a large shift from normal but the companies seem to be using this time to bring the new hires up to speed on policy, procedures, and industry regulations.
What general advice would you give to a Customer Engineer?
Fred Garber Ph.D.: I think the primary question, in the minds of those who are yet to graduate or are still searching, is in regard to the strength of the technical job market, especially the local job market. But you are in a position to definitively answer that question.
In you article, I would ask that you address the following:
Number of employers looking to fill and number of job offerings in the region (by engineering and computer science major) compared to last year and to the previous five years.
Any noticeable differences in job descriptions Zippia is receiving relative to work environment, benefits, starting salaries, etc.
Many of our soon-to-graduate students would be very interested in these quantitative and qualitative comparisons. Additionally, vast numbers of potential students would benefit from such information to guide their career choices.