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May 2025 BLS wage data

Mechanical Engineer Salary: $104,110 National Median

The national mechanical engineer salary runs from $73,990 at the 10th percentile to $164,340 at the 90th. Compare the full spread and the state employment count behind every published median.

By Taylor Rupe · Reviewed August 28, 2026 · BLS SOC 17-2141

Editorial illustration of a mechanical engineer measuring a precision aerospace component beside a CAD model.
10th percentile$73,990National annual wage
Median salary$104,110Half earn above, half below
90th percentile$164,340National annual wage
Employment estimate296,810National OEWS jobs

National salary

What is the average mechanical engineer salary?

The BLS reports a $104,110 national median for mechanical engineers in May 2025. The mean is $113,610, but the median is the more useful midpoint because it is less sensitive to a smaller number of very high wages.

BLS estimates 296,810 jobs in this occupation. The 10th-to-90th-percentile spread is $73,990 to $164,340, a difference of $90,350. Employer, setting, specialty, location, and responsibility all sit inside that national range.

10th$73,990 Median$104,110 90th$164,340

Percentiles describe where wages fall across the occupation. They do not assign a wage to a specific experience level.

What moves the number

What affects a mechanical engineer salary?

01

Industry

Engineering services, machinery, transportation equipment, electronics manufacturing, and research organizations use mechanical engineers in different ways.

02

Subsystem ownership

Responsibility for thermal, structural, mechanism, manufacturing, or test decisions can change the scope of the role.

03

Applied experience

Work with prototypes, production, field problems, and test evidence makes a candidate more useful than coursework alone.

04

Licensure and leadership

A PE license matters for public engineering services, while experience can lead toward technical or management responsibility.

State comparison

Mechanical Engineer salary by state

The table pairs every state median below with its employment estimate. It is ordered by median salary, but the job count matters: a high figure based on a small occupational market describes a different opportunity than a similar figure supported by thousands of jobs.

The largest state employment estimates for mechanical engineers are Michigan (34,630 jobs), California (30,530 jobs), and Texas (22,080 jobs). Read those market sizes against the national estimate of 296,810 jobs before treating a state wage as a relocation signal.

50 state and district estimates with both median wage and employment data
RankStateMedian10th–90th percentileEmployment
1 New Mexico $157,710 $103,780–$203,140 2,710
2 District of Columbia $133,300 $86,820–$195,190 510
3 California $130,900 $82,070–$203,620 30,530
4 Delaware $125,130 $65,890–$168,180 610
5 Colorado $124,430 $75,100–$170,810 7,190
6 Alaska $124,340 $76,890–$174,320 380
7 Maryland $122,870 $79,670–$176,680 6,550
8 Louisiana $119,540 $70,350–$181,550 1,890
9 Massachusetts $119,300 $79,570–$166,480 7,680
10 Wyoming $117,750 $71,730–$151,810 230
11 Rhode Island $116,230 $79,000–$195,190 1,560
12 Texas $112,410 $75,810–$175,210 22,080
13 New Jersey $112,300 $79,160–$162,800 4,180
14 Washington $110,430 $79,400–$167,680 8,240
15 Vermont $107,330 $83,820–$150,380 530
16 Connecticut $105,090 $77,340–$157,980 4,600
17 Michigan $104,890 $76,310–$159,840 34,630
18 South Carolina $104,580 $74,260–$166,340 5,780
19 Virginia $104,180 $77,840–$160,770 7,470
20 New Hampshire $103,660 $72,740–$165,500 2,760
21 Oregon $103,470 $78,100–$162,550 2,920
22 Illinois $102,680 $72,150–$160,160 11,790
23 Nevada $102,680 $75,960–$160,210 1,410
24 Utah $102,500 $73,070–$160,640 3,370
25 New York $102,440 $74,990–$160,220 8,590
26 Maine $102,430 $78,440–$137,280 890
27 Oklahoma $101,850 $70,070–$136,110 2,270
28 Kentucky $101,050 $65,370–$139,810 4,170
29 North Carolina $100,720 $71,260–$155,550 9,560
30 Georgia $100,620 $71,940–$156,320 5,290
31 Arizona $100,270 $71,030–$159,040 5,050
32 Florida $99,980 $66,260–$153,950 10,740
33 Indiana $99,590 $66,330–$143,090 8,690
34 Tennessee $99,550 $64,150–$156,150 3,930
35 Missouri $99,330 $64,750–$142,100 4,870
36 Minnesota $99,140 $75,870–$151,580 5,890
37 Ohio $99,100 $69,160–$138,020 14,390
38 Hawaii $98,740 $66,110–$141,500 530
39 Mississippi $98,000 $62,210–$136,990 1,570
40 Pennsylvania $97,920 $65,770–$150,950 13,550
41 Iowa $97,700 $71,050–$137,540 3,470
42 West Virginia $97,390 $64,640–$143,030 760
43 Wisconsin $95,870 $64,850–$130,360 7,470
44 Montana $94,190 $65,820–$133,270 500
45 Idaho $93,190 $63,660–$141,020 1,070
46 South Dakota $88,380 $65,130–$134,140 560
47 Nebraska $88,060 $61,860–$136,870 950
48 North Dakota $86,330 $63,930–$136,060 790
49 Kansas $86,260 $72,210–$131,660 4,630
50 Arkansas $80,180 $57,650–$131,840 1,410

BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment counts are estimates and may be rounded.

Degree context

How education connects to mechanical engineer pay

Mechanical engineering is the standard degree; aerospace engineering can overlap when it includes strong mechanical and thermal design work.

Mechanical engineering is not only engines and moving parts. BLS includes thermal systems, sensors, devices, manufacturing equipment, and robotic systems, along with the analysis and testing behind them.

The wage percentiles do not separate workers by degree or experience. Use the education requirement to decide whether the route is open to you, then use the state and national wage distributions to understand the market rather than treating one percentile as a personal forecast.

Career guide See how to become a mechanical engineer Adjacent route · Bachelor's degree

Common questions

Mechanical Engineer salary FAQ

What is the median mechanical engineer salary?
The national median is $104,110 in the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. A median means half of workers earn more and half earn less.
What is the national mechanical engineer salary range?
BLS reports $73,990 at the 10th percentile and $164,340 at the 90th percentile. That is a wage distribution, not a guaranteed starting-to-senior progression.
How many mechanical engineers does BLS count?
The May 2025 national OEWS estimate is 296,810 jobs in SOC 17-2141.
Does the 10th-percentile mechanical engineer salary mean entry level?
No. Wage percentiles place workers inside the pay distribution. They do not sort the workers by years of experience, degree, employer, or job level.
What education do mechanical engineers need?
Mechanical engineering is the standard degree; aerospace engineering can overlap when it includes strong mechanical and thermal design work. The career guide explains how that route relates to space studies programs.

Primary sources

Sources for mechanical engineer salary data

Wage records and occupation facts reviewed August 28, 2026.