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Job outlook for electronics test engineers in the United States
Electronics test engineer job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected electronics test engineer job growth rate is 3% from 2018-2028.
About 9,800 new jobs for electronics test engineers are projected over the next decade.
Electronics test engineer salaries have increased 8% for electronics test engineers in the last 5 years.
There are over 8,687 electronics test engineers currently employed in the United States.
There are 70,182 active electronics test engineer job openings in the US.
The average electronics test engineer salary is $80,610.
Are electronics test engineer jobs in demand?
Electronics test engineer job and salary trends over time
Electronics test engineer jobs over time
Electronics test engineer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 8,687 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 9,915 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 10,441 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 10,871 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 10,938 | 0.00% |
Average electronics test engineer salary over time
Electronics test engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $80,610 | $38.75 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $79,133 | $38.04 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | $76,982 | $37.01 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | $76,592 | $36.82 | +3.0% |
| 2021 | $74,366 | $35.75 | +1.0% |
Electronics test engineer jobs by state
Most common states for electronics test engineers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 337 | 49% |
| 2 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,304 | 22% |
| 3 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,743 | 21% |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,403 | 20% |
| 5 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,083 | 19% |
| 6 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 564 | 18% |
| 7 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,237 | 17% |
| 8 | California | 39,536,653 | 5,795 | 15% |
| 9 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 595 | 14% |
| 10 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 184 | 14% |
| 11 | Delaware | 961,939 | 139 | 14% |
| 12 | Vermont | 623,657 | 85 | 14% |
| 13 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 891 | 13% |
| 14 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 99 | 13% |
| 15 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 648 | 12% |
| 16 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 589 | 12% |
| 17 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 242 | 12% |
| 18 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 1,102 | 11% |
| 19 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 379 | 11% |
| 20 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 278 | 10% |
Most common cities for electronics test engineers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Littleton | 2 | 4% | $74,761 |
| 2 | Manhattan Beach | 1 | 3% | $97,071 |
| 3 | San Carlos | 1 | 3% | $108,667 |
Electronics Test Engineer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of electronics test engineer experts
Gonzaga University
Stevens Institute of Technology
University of Alabama at Birmingham
San Diego State University
University of Utah
Old Dominion University
University of Central Florida
Michigan Technological University
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Wright State University
What Electronics Test 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 Electronics Test 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 Electronics Test 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 Electronics Test 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.
Florian Solzbacher
Department Chair, Professor, Elect & Computer EngineeringUniversity of Utah
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
What skills stand out on Electronics Test Engineer resumes?
Florian Solzbacher: Examples of having applied the knowledge gained in their studies to practical examples of solving engineering problems that require the combination of skills and at least some understanding of system engineering aspects are important signals that graduating engineers are ready to be productive in a real-world setting are always important. Obviously, participating in projects that address current "hot topic" problems, e.g., in robotics, AI/machine learning, power systems, biomedical applications, or that resonate with specific problems an employer is currently working on, will raise a student's profile.
Supplemental skills, such as Entrepreneurial or business training, can enhance and differentiate a student's resume. This shows that an engineer is not solely focused on the core technical engineering skills but does have an understanding of the driving forces and their interaction in a real-world business setting, that are not only part of the design requirements for a product (e.g., design to cost), but also often drive the selection of technical solution paths, after all, every development and product has to make business sense. Imagine two young engineers proposing a solution to their manager for a new product: one maybe even over-exceeds the technical requirements, but the development and/or manufacturing and servicing effort and cost is significantly higher than a colleagues solution that may only just about reach the requirements, or maybe even compromise on some specifications, but that is far cheaper to develop, make and service and that may allow entering a far larger market- chances are very high that the business may decide to go for the "inferior" solution from a technical point of view, that is, however, the better product. This supplemental skill set is a significant competitive advantage to have as an engineer.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Electronics Test 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.
Maria Jacob
ProfessorUniversity of Central Florida
Department of ECE
What experience really stands out on Electronics Test Engineer resumes?
Maria Jacob: Well, this is a too general question to answer. It totally depends on which job you are applying. Is the graduate going to the industry or research? Is the job for testing, designing, coding? What will stand out will depend on this.
However, if I really have to choose one, I always thought that one of the most important things you can learn is to work in a multidisciplinary group. Then, if before graduation a student can have an internship either in the industry or in research that will definitely stand out.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Electronics Test Engineers?
Joshua Pearce Ph.D: I think the virtualization of work and automation, in general, has been accelerated by the pandemic. This means that the competition for what most of us consider 'normal' jobs will become fiercer, and the skills a graduate needs to get those jobs are becoming more sophisticated. Graduates need to work at home, and a lot of it relies on the advanced use of computing (think AI, CV, etc., not merely staring at a screen for entertainment).
This also means graduates are competing against a global workforce - hungry people willing to work hard. Overall, we have also seen a massive shift in wealth in the last year, the undereducated are now in real trouble, and the hyper-educated and wealthy are better off than ever before. Graduates will want to make sure they stay in the latter group, bolstering their education and picking up advanced skills. This does not have to be a chore - one of the best ways to do this is to dive into an open-source project and maybe save/make a little money along the way.
Robert Saunders P.E.
Assistant Department HeadUniversity of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Electrical Engineering Department
What general advice would you give to an Electronics Test 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 an Electronics Test 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.