Earnings
 Earnings
for engineers vary significantly by specialty, industry, and education.
Variation in median earnings and in the earnings distributions for
engineers in a number of specialties is especially significant. In the
Federal Government, mean annual salaries for engineers ranged from
$81,085 in agricultural engineering to $126,788 in ceramic engineering
in March 2009.
|
Specialty |
Lowest 10% |
Lowest 25% |
Median |
Highest 25% |
Highest 10% |
|
Aerospace
engineers |
$58,130 |
$72,390 |
$92,520 |
$114,530 |
$134,570 |
|
Agricultural
engineers |
43,150 |
55,430 |
68,730 |
86,400 |
108,470 |
|
Biomedical
engineers |
47,640 |
59,420 |
77,400 |
98,830 |
121,970 |
|
Chemical
engineers |
53,730 |
67,420 |
84,680 |
105,000 |
130,240 |
|
Civil engineers |
48,140 |
58,960 |
74,600 |
94,470 |
115,630 |
|
Computer hardware
engineers |
59,170 |
76,250 |
97,400 |
122,750 |
148,590 |
|
Electrical
engineers |
52,990 |
64,910 |
82,160 |
102,520 |
125,810 |
|
Electronics
engineers, except computer |
55,330 |
68,400 |
86,370 |
106,870 |
129,920 |
|
Environmental
engineers |
45,310 |
56,980 |
74,020 |
94,280 |
115,430 |
|
Health and safety
engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors |
43,540 |
56,190 |
72,490 |
90,740 |
106,220 |
|
Industrial
engineers |
47,720 |
59,120 |
73,820 |
91,020 |
107,270 |
|
Marine engineers
and naval architects |
43,070 |
57,060 |
74,140 |
94,840 |
118,630 |
|
Materials
engineers |
51,420 |
63,830 |
81,820 |
102,040 |
124,470 |
|
Mechanical
engineers |
47,900 |
59,230 |
74,920 |
94,400 |
114,740 |
|
Mining and
geological engineers, including mining safety engineers |
45,020 |
57,970 |
75,960 |
96,030 |
122,750 |
|
Nuclear engineers |
68,300 |
82,540 |
97,080 |
115,170 |
136,880 |
|
Petroleum
engineers |
57,820 |
80,040 |
108,020 |
148,700 |
>166,400 |
|
Engineers, all
other |
49,270 |
67,360 |
88,570 |
110,310 |
132,070 |
As a group, engineers
earn some of the highest average starting salaries among those holding
bachelor's degrees. Average starting salary offers for graduates of
bachelor’s degree programs in engineering, according to a July 2009
survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, were as
follows:
|
Petroleum |
$83,121 |
|
Chemical |
64,902 |
|
Mining and
Mineral |
64,404 |
|
Computer |
61,738 |
|
Nuclear |
61,610 |
|
Electrical/electronics and communications |
60,125 |
|
Mechanical |
58,766 |
|
Industrial/manufacturing |
58,358 |
|
Materials |
57,349 |
|
Aerospace/aeronautical/astronautical |
56,311 |
|
Agricultural |
54,352 |
|
Bioengineering and biomedical |
54,158 |
|
Civil |
52,048 |
Note: Some resources in this section are provided by the US Department
of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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