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Job outlook for field test engineers in the United States
Are field test engineer jobs in demand?
Field test engineer job and salary trends over time
Field test engineer jobs over time
Field test engineer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2,700 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 2,843 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 2,909 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 2,970 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 2,950 | 0.00% |
Average field test engineer salary over time
Field test engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $74,767 | $35.95 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | $73,061 | $35.13 | +2.0% |
| 2023 | $71,660 | $34.45 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $70,488 | $33.89 | +0.9% |
| 2021 | $69,858 | $33.59 | +1.3% |
Field test engineer jobs by state
Most common states for field test engineers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 400 | 58% |
| 2 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 2,100 | 25% |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,673 | 24% |
| 4 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,434 | 24% |
| 5 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,336 | 24% |
| 6 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 182 | 24% |
| 7 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 656 | 21% |
| 8 | Vermont | 623,657 | 130 | 21% |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 272 | 20% |
| 10 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,419 | 19% |
| 11 | Delaware | 961,939 | 182 | 19% |
| 12 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,008 | 18% |
| 13 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 757 | 18% |
| 14 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 107 | 18% |
| 15 | California | 39,536,653 | 6,564 | 17% |
| 16 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 336 | 16% |
| 17 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 209 | 16% |
| 18 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 172 | 16% |
| 19 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 443 | 14% |
| 20 | Alaska | 739,795 | 100 | 14% |
Most common cities for field test engineers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cupertino | 5 | 8% | $101,288 |
| 2 | Redmond | 3 | 5% | $88,660 |
| 3 | Racine | 2 | 3% | $71,541 |
| 4 | Lowell | 1 | 1% | $82,521 |
| 5 | Mountain View | 1 | 1% | $101,387 |
| 6 | Dallas | 5 | 0% | $73,504 |
| 7 | San Diego | 5 | 0% | $89,515 |
| 8 | Los Angeles | 3 | 0% | $92,389 |
| 9 | Seattle | 2 | 0% | $88,825 |
| 10 | Washington | 2 | 0% | $86,986 |
| 11 | Denver | 1 | 0% | $68,657 |
| 12 | Plano | 1 | 0% | $73,422 |
Field Test Engineer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of field test engineer experts
Gonzaga University
Stevens Institute of Technology
University of Missouri - Kansas City
San Diego State University
State University of New York, Canton
University of Connecticut
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
What Field 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 Field 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 general advice would you give to a Field Test Engineer?
Dr. Alison Graettinger: Some common challenges for field based positions is the amount of travel involved or working in extreme weather conditions.
What Field Test Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Alison Graettinger: Field tech positions are common at entry level for geologists. The work can involve multiple field days per week, and report writing. Depending on the employer specialty field techs can be focused on water or soil sampling. This can involve digging, hiking short distances, and always some level of commute to field sites within the areas covered by the company. Field techs frequently work in pairs or small teams. There is typically a period of training after being hired before being sent out in the field focusing on safety and the specific analyses or sampling expected for the project.
What will help Field Test Engineers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Alison Graettinger: The demand for geology field engineers/techs is pretty constant. This is also a great way to get your foot in the door to a company and learn about how the company is structured and paths for advancement.
What will help Field 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.
Yilei Shi Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorState University of New York, Canton
Canino School of Engineering Technology
What technical skills for a Field Test Engineer stand out to employers?
Yilei Shi Ph.D.: Hands-on testing experiences and computer skills, including professional software skills, caught up on eyes to employers.
What's a good job out of college for Field Test Engineers?
Yilei Shi Ph.D.: It depends. I have heard some summer interns at consulting firms were accommodated with totally remote internships in summer 2020. Current employees, including new hires, mostly work at home if work allows. For construction industry, employees will go to actual job sites every day.
What type of skills will young Field Test Engineers need?
John Chandy Ph.D.: I don't think my answer to this question would be any different to what I may have answered a decade ago. The technical skills that they acquire as a student will establish their qualifications to do the work. That means understanding the fundamentals of computer engineering hardware and software as well as more advanced training in specific areas of interest. However, to be truly effective in a company, they need to be able to communicate (both orally and in written form) and they need to show that they can work in a team. Most modern engineering systems will often require a computer engineer to design the control/compute interface and that often requires that the computer engineer be able to understand the language of electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, and computer scientists. Finally, computer engineering is a fast-moving field, and new graduates should be prepared to continuously learn new technologies and approaches.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Field Test Engineer job market given the pandemic?
Aaron Ohta Ph.D.: I think the EE job market will be relatively stable in the near future. There are many areas that continue to need electrical engineers right now. Obvious examples are companies that help with communication, such as video chats. Our recent graduates are not having problems getting jobs, and I don't think that employment will be a problem for electrical engineers, even with the impacts of COVID-19. Of course, if any electrical engineers are having difficulties entering the job market, now would be a great time to go back to school to get a graduate degree. Universities typically see enrollments rise when the job market is poor, as it makes sense to learn new skills and earn more degrees to make yourself more marketable, once the job market improves.