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Average mechanical engineering major salary
Average mechanical engineering major salary
Updated September 14, 2023
$75,070
What is the average mechanical engineering major salary in the US?
Mechanical engineering major graduates in America make, on average, $75,070 a year or $36.09 per hour.Those in the bottom 10 percent make under $44,000 a year, and the top 10 percent make over $126,000.technology companies and professional companies have the most job opportunities for mechanical engineering major graduates.Some of the states with the best salaries for mechanical engineering major graduates are California,Washington, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Maryland.
Best paying cities
$94,376
$82,446
$81,781
Average mechanical engineering salary by company
If you are a mechanical engineering major graduate, you can expect good job security. However, keep in mind that some industries pay better than others.The most abundant employment opportunities for mechanical engineering majors are in technology companies and professional companies.Companies like Google or Apple will get you the highest pay packages.If you can find a job at a company like Cisco or VMware, they also offer very competitive salaries for mechanical engineering major graduates.
Average mechanical engineering major salary by city
Mechanical engineering major graduates in the United States of America make on average $75,070 a year or $36.09 per hour.San Francisco, CA reports the highest annual salary for mechanical engineering majors at 94,376.The average entry-level salary in San Francisco, CA is $54,000.Other top cities with competitive salaries are Seattle, WA, Washington, DC, Boston, MA, Baltimore, MD, New York, NY, and Portland, OR.California, Washington, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Maryland are the top 5 highest earning states for mechanical engineering major graduates.On the other hand, Kentucky, Mississippi, Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota report the lowest wages for mechanical engineering major graduates.
Average salary by location
| Rank | City | Average mechanical engineering salary | Salary range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $94,376 | $51k $125k |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $82,446 | $51k $125k |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $81,781 | $51k $125k |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $81,299 | $51k $125k |
| 5 | Baltimore, MD | $77,900 | $51k $125k |
| 6 | New York, NY | $77,587 | $51k $125k |
| 7 | Portland, OR | $76,134 | $51k $125k |
| 8 | Arlington, VA | $75,241 | $51k $125k |
| 9 | Phoenix, AZ | $74,474 | $51k $125k |
| 10 | Albuquerque, NM | $74,156 | $51k $125k |
| 11 | San Antonio, TX | $73,623 | $51k $125k |
| 12 | Portland, ME | $72,365 | $51k $125k |
| 13 | Philadelphia, PA | $72,267 | $51k $125k |
| 14 | Chicago, IL | $71,649 | $51k $125k |
| 15 | Colorado Springs, CO | $70,435 | $51k $125k |
| 16 | Washington, MI | $69,735 | $51k $125k |
| 17 | Raleigh, NC | $67,984 | $51k $125k |
| 18 | Minneapolis, MN | $67,324 | $51k $125k |
| 19 | Columbus, OH | $67,308 | $51k $125k |
| 20 | Atlanta, GA | $66,950 | $51k $125k |
Average mechanical engineering major salary by state
The darker areas on the map show where mechanical engineering majors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Average salary
Mechanical engineering major average salary by state
| State | Average mechanical engineering major salary | Average hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| California | $88,383 | $42.49 |
| Washington | $81,965 | $39.41 |
| Massachusetts | $81,454 | $39.16 |
| New Jersey | $78,425 | $37.70 |
| Maryland | $77,613 | $37.31 |
| New York | $77,387 | $37.21 |
| Connecticut | $76,729 | $36.89 |
| Oregon | $76,470 | $36.76 |
| Delaware | $75,446 | $36.27 |
| New Hampshire | $74,747 | $35.94 |
| Virginia | $74,618 | $35.87 |
| Alaska | $74,532 | $35.83 |
| Rhode Island | $74,432 | $35.78 |
| Arizona | $74,333 | $35.74 |
| New Mexico | $74,215 | $35.68 |
| Nevada | $73,912 | $35.53 |
| Idaho | $73,386 | $35.28 |
| Texas | $72,899 | $35.05 |
| Maine | $71,925 | $34.58 |
| Pennsylvania | $71,792 | $34.52 |
| Illinois | $71,503 | $34.38 |
| West Virginia | $71,230 | $34.25 |
| Colorado | $70,258 | $33.78 |
| Louisiana | $70,215 | $33.76 |
| Michigan | $69,477 | $33.40 |
| Vermont | $68,571 | $32.97 |
| Ohio | $67,488 | $32.45 |
| Minnesota | $67,331 | $32.37 |
| North Carolina | $67,277 | $32.34 |
| Georgia | $66,946 | $32.19 |
| Utah | $66,812 | $32.12 |
| Hawaii | $66,323 | $31.89 |
| Tennessee | $65,814 | $31.64 |
| Wisconsin | $65,759 | $31.61 |
| Alabama | $65,593 | $31.54 |
| North Dakota | $65,560 | $31.52 |
| Oklahoma | $64,992 | $31.25 |
| South Carolina | $64,485 | $31.00 |
| Indiana | $64,238 | $30.88 |
| Montana | $64,143 | $30.84 |
| Florida | $63,882 | $30.71 |
| Wyoming | $63,842 | $30.69 |
| Missouri | $63,812 | $30.68 |
| Iowa | $63,575 | $30.56 |
| Kentucky | $63,216 | $30.39 |
| Mississippi | $63,125 | $30.35 |
| Kansas | $62,193 | $29.90 |
| Nebraska | $62,176 | $29.89 |
| South Dakota | $61,358 | $29.50 |
| Arkansas | $60,251 | $28.97 |
Average mechanical engineering major salary by industry
The type of industry that a mechanical engineering major graduate works in can influence their earning potential.Our data shows that finance companies, retail companies, and technology companies tend to have the highest salaries for mechanical engineering major graduates.finance companies pay mechanical engineering major graduates an average salary of $92,082, retail companies pay $88,994, and technology companies come in at $85,025.The average mechanical engineering major salary in the hospitality industry is lower than the rest, coming in at $43,412.
Average salary by industry
| Rank | Industry | Average mechanical engineering major salary | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $92,082 | $33k $114k |
| 2 | Retail | $88,994 | $33k $114k |
| 3 | Technology | $85,025 | $33k $114k |
| 4 | Construction | $82,324 | $33k $114k |
| 5 | Professional | $78,271 | $33k $114k |
| 6 | Manufacturing | $74,778 | $33k $114k |
| 7 | Automotive | $73,198 | $33k $114k |
| 8 | Telecommunication | $68,658 | $33k $114k |
| 9 | Government | $59,662 | $33k $114k |
| 10 | Education | $45,074 | $33k $114k |
| 11 | Hospitality | $43,412 | $33k $114k |
Salary history for mechanical engineering major graduates
This data shows the national average salary between 2011-2020 among Mechanical Engineering major graduates.
Mechanical engineering major salary by experience level
Average salary by experience level salaries by experience level
The salary for a mechanical engineering major graduate can range from $60,860 to $121,263 depending on the amount of work experience that the person has. Data on how experience level affects salary is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as part of their National Compensation Survey, which is based on factors such as knowledge, complexity, contacts, and environment.
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level average salary by experience level | $60,900 | $29.26 |
| Mid-level average salary by experience level | $79,400 | $38.20 |
| Senior-level average salary by experience level | $121,000 | $58.30 |
Salaries for related majors
| Rank | Major | Average salary | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Systems Engineering | $92,720 | $41k $114k |
| 2 | Manufacturing Engineering | $86,102 | $41k $114k |
| 3 | Petroleum Engineering | $85,578 | $41k $114k |
| 4 | Plastics Engineering | $85,097 | $41k $114k |
| 5 | Engineering | $84,098 | $41k $114k |
| 6 | Operations Research | $82,068 | $41k $114k |
| 7 | Mining Engineering | $81,856 | $41k $114k |
| 8 | Aerospace Engineering | $80,340 | $41k $114k |
| 9 | Computer Engineering | $79,862 | $41k $114k |
| 10 | Industrial Engineering | $79,503 | $41k $114k |
| 11 | Electrical Engineering | $75,040 | $41k $114k |
| 12 | Biological Engineering | $72,923 | $41k $114k |
| 13 | Engineering Science | $72,902 | $41k $114k |
| 14 | Civil Engineering | $72,245 | $41k $114k |
| 15 | Materials Science And Engineering | $70,247 | $41k $114k |
| 16 | Environmental Engineering | $70,158 | $41k $114k |
| 17 | Mechatronics And Robotics | $69,788 | $41k $114k |
| 18 | Chemical Engineering | $68,316 | $41k $114k |
| 19 | Architectural Engineering | $65,064 | $41k $114k |
| 20 | Biomedical Engineering | $55,912 | $41k $114k |