Mechanical Engineers pay in the U.S.
$113,610avg. a year
$54.62 an hour · 296,810 employed
Mechanical Engineers in the U.S. earn an average of $113,610 a year and a median of $104,110. Pay is highest in New Mexico ($152,430) and lowest in Arkansas ($88,340).
$104,110Median pay
$54.62Average hourly
+19%Avg. pay since 2020
296,810Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for mechanical engineers
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
12,710 jobs
New Mexico
$152,430
$73.28 an hour
2510 jobs
District of Columbia
$138,500
$66.59 an hour
330,530 jobs
California
$136,660
$65.70 an hour
4380 jobs
Alaska
$126,160
$60.66 an hour
56,550 jobs
Maryland
$125,850
$60.51 an hour
67,190 jobs
Colorado
$124,410
$59.81 an hour
71,560 jobs
Rhode Island
$124,290
$59.76 an hour
822,080 jobs
Texas
$121,510
$58.42 an hour
97,680 jobs
Massachusetts
$121,430
$58.38 an hour
108,240 jobs
Washington
$121,370
$58.35 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Mechanical Engineers pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $101k$101k–$109k$109k–$117k$117k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $165,920 | $79.77 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $158,690 | $76.30 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $139,810 | $67.22 |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | $137,040 | $65.88 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $136,970 | $65.85 |
| Midland, TX | $136,650 | $65.70 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $133,380 | $64.12 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $133,040 | $63.96 |
Related jobs
- Civil Engineers$108,670
- Industrial Engineers$109,900
- Electrical Engineers$125,100
- Engineers, All Other$125,330
- Electronics Engineers, Except Computer$137,280
- Computer Hardware Engineers$162,670
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Mechanical Engineers pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $109,330 | $100,230 | – |
| Alaska | $126,160 | $124,340 | 380 |
| Arizona | $107,220 | $100,270 | 5,050 |
| Arkansas | $88,340 | $80,180 | 1,410 |
| California | $136,660 | $130,900 | 30,530 |
| Colorado | $124,410 | $124,430 | 7,190 |
| Connecticut | $111,530 | $105,090 | 4,600 |
| Delaware | $117,710 | $125,130 | 610 |
| District of Columbia | $138,500 | $133,300 | 510 |
| Florida | $105,800 | $99,980 | 10,740 |
| Georgia | $109,650 | $100,620 | 5,290 |
| Hawaii | $103,410 | $98,740 | 530 |
| Idaho | $98,430 | $93,190 | 1,070 |
| Illinois | $111,380 | $102,680 | 11,790 |
| Indiana | $104,670 | $99,590 | 8,690 |
| Iowa | $99,230 | $97,700 | 3,470 |
| Kansas | $97,840 | $86,260 | 4,630 |
| Kentucky | $103,320 | $101,050 | 4,170 |
| Louisiana | $120,520 | $119,540 | 1,890 |
| Maine | $107,220 | $102,430 | 890 |
| Maryland | $125,850 | $122,870 | 6,550 |
| Massachusetts | $121,430 | $119,300 | 7,680 |
| Michigan | $112,320 | $104,890 | 34,630 |
| Minnesota | $106,060 | $99,140 | 5,890 |
| Mississippi | $100,690 | $98,000 | 1,570 |
| Missouri | $101,340 | $99,330 | 4,870 |
| Montana | $98,660 | $94,190 | 500 |
| Nebraska | $96,820 | $88,060 | 950 |
| Nevada | $110,180 | $102,680 | 1,410 |
| New Hampshire | $110,940 | $103,660 | 2,760 |
| New Jersey | $116,640 | $112,300 | 4,180 |
| New Mexico | $152,430 | $157,710 | 2,710 |
| New York | $110,270 | $102,440 | 8,590 |
| North Carolina | $107,350 | $100,720 | 9,560 |
| North Dakota | $96,400 | $86,330 | 790 |
| Ohio | $101,320 | $99,100 | 14,390 |
| Oklahoma | $105,410 | $101,850 | 2,270 |
| Oregon | $115,090 | $103,470 | 2,920 |
| Pennsylvania | $103,740 | $97,920 | 13,550 |
| Rhode Island | $124,290 | $116,230 | 1,560 |
| South Carolina | $113,690 | $104,580 | 5,780 |
| South Dakota | $95,080 | $88,380 | 560 |
| Tennessee | $104,790 | $99,550 | 3,930 |
| Texas | $121,510 | $112,410 | 22,080 |
| Utah | $107,410 | $102,500 | 3,370 |
| Vermont | $112,260 | $107,330 | 530 |
| Virginia | $114,770 | $104,180 | 7,470 |
| Washington | $121,370 | $110,430 | 8,240 |
| West Virginia | $101,310 | $97,390 | 760 |
| Wisconsin | $96,750 | $95,870 | 7,470 |
| Wyoming | $117,060 | $117,750 | 230 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
$116,620
22,500 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$123,940
8,780 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$133,040
8,310 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$117,500
6,960 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$109,570
6,900 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$122,150
6,890 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$114,530
5,600 jobsSan Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$165,920
5,540 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do mechanical engineers make?
The average is $113,610 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $104,110 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $54.62, and the median is $50.05 an hour.
Which state pays mechanical engineers the most?
New Mexico, with an average of $152,430 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $165,920.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $73,990 a year, and the top 10% earn over $164,340.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 17-2141. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.