Talent Maps / Atlanta / Mechanical Engineers

Atlanta Mechanical Engineer Talent Map (2026)

What mechanical engineers earn in metro Atlanta, which employers hold the talent, where in the metro they work, and the aerospace, data center and EV projects competing for them.

Hiring mechanical engineers in Atlanta?

A talent map shows where a group of professionals works, what they are paid and who else is trying to hire them. This one covers mechanical engineers in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area. Pay figures come from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey (May 2025), and the demand picture uses project and market data published in 2026. Our mechanical engineering recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Atlanta aerospace, manufacturing, electrical,controls, data center and civil engineer talent maps.

$102,020Median mechanical engineer pay in metro AtlantaBLS, May 2025

$165,990+What the top 10% of Atlanta mechanical engineers earnBLS, May 2025

5,070Mechanical engineers employed in GeorgiaProjections Central, 2024

15%Projected growth in Georgia mechanical engineering jobs, 2024 to 2034Projections Central

1,200New Lockheed Martin jobs announced for Marietta in June 2026Office of the Governor

#3Georgia Tech’s graduate mechanical engineering program nationallyU.S. News, 2026

Mechanical engineer salaries in Atlanta

The median mechanical engineer in metro Atlanta earns $102,020 a year, about $2,090 below the national median of $104,110. Above the middle of the market Atlanta pays slightly more than the US as a whole: $133,770 at the 75th percentile and $165,990 at the 90th.

Annual pay percentile	Atlanta metro	Georgia	United States
10th percentile	$72,800	$71,940	$73,990
25th percentile	$80,360	$80,040	$84,130
Median	$102,020	$100,620	$104,110
75th percentile	$133,770	$128,350	$132,590
90th percentile	$165,990	$156,320	$164,340

Mechanical Engineers (SOC 17-2141). Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025, via O*NET OnLine. Wage surveys run about a year behind current offers.

Mechanical engineering technicians, who build and test prototypes, run lab and field tests and support design teams, earn a median of $70,990 in metro Atlanta, ranging from $49,280 at the 10th percentile to $119,450 at the 90th.

What the spread means in practice: unlike civil engineering, Atlanta mechanical pay tracks the national market closely, and experienced engineers here are paid at or above national rates. Employers who budget at the metro median for a senior hire are usually priced out by aerospace, data center and manufacturing employers paying in the top quarter.

Where Atlanta’s mechanical engineers work

Aerospace and aviation

Lockheed Martin’s Marietta site builds the C-130J Super Hercules and the F-35 center wing and employs more than 5,600 people. In June 2026 the state announced 1,200 new Lockheed jobs in Marietta.

Delta TechOps, next to Hartsfield-Jackson, is the largest airline-owned maintenance, repair and overhaul operation in North America.

MEP and building systems design

Mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) design firms hire HVAC and plumbing engineers for offices, hospitals, labs and data centers. Atlanta examples include Newcomb & Boyd downtown and Jordan & Skala Engineers, headquartered in Norcross.

Many large architecture and engineering firms also run MEP groups in Atlanta.

Manufacturers and equipment makers

Metro Atlanta is home to the US headquarters of Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC in Suwanee, AGCO’s global headquarters in Duluth and Georgia-Pacific’s headquarters downtown.

Rivian opened its East Coast headquarters on the Atlanta Beltline in August 2026 and is building its Georgia vehicle plant about an hour east of the city.

Data centers

Data center developers and their contractors hire mechanical engineers for cooling, HVAC and commissioning. QTS’s 615-acre Fayetteville campus is one of the largest in the region.

See every large Georgia project on our Georgia data center tracker.

Where the talent sits: Atlanta submarkets

Cobb

AerospaceManufacturing

Marietta and Kennesaw, anchored by Lockheed Martin’s Marietta plant and Kennesaw State’s Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering. The deepest pool for aerospace structures, manufacturing and test engineers.

Gwinnett and the I-85 corridor

HVACEquipmentMEP

Suwanee, Duluth and Norcross, home to Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC, AGCO and Jordan & Skala. Strong in product design, HVAC equipment and MEP design.

Downtown and Midtown

MEP designCorporate

Georgia-Pacific’s headquarters, Rivian’s Beltline office, downtown MEP and A/E firms and Georgia Tech. A mix of building systems, corporate engineering and new graduates.

Airport and south metro

Aviation MROData centers

Delta TechOps at Hartsfield-Jackson and the data center corridor through south Fulton, Douglas and Fayette counties. Heavy demand for powerplant, maintenance, cooling and commissioning engineers.

East of Atlanta

EV manufacturing

Rivian’s plant at Stanton Springs North near Social Circle, about an hour east of downtown. As production nears, it will pull manufacturing, automation and facilities engineers from across the metro.

What’s driving demand for mechanical engineers in Atlanta

Lockheed Martin expansion. The state announced 1,200 new Lockheed jobs in Marietta in June 2026. The C-130J and F-35 programs support more than 20,000 direct and indirect jobs in Georgia, and aerospace products are the state’s top export.
Data centers. CBRE counts 2,882 MW of data center capacity under construction in Atlanta, the most of any market in North America in the first half of 2026. CBRE also notes that shortages of MEP equipment and liquid-cooling retrofits are pushing fit-out dates back, which keeps cooling and HVAC engineers in demand. Read more on the top US data center markets.
Rivian. In April 2026 Rivian raised the first-phase capacity of its Georgia plant to 300,000 vehicles a year, with production on track for late 2028. The $5 billion project is backed by a federal loan of up to $4.5 billion and has 7,500 jobs pledged.
Aviation. Delta TechOps is the only North American MRO certified on all three major next-generation engine platforms, which keeps steady demand for engine and maintenance engineers at the airport.

Mechanical specialties tied to these projects

HVAC and MEP design engineers for commercial buildings, hospitals and data centers.
Data center cooling engineers, including liquid-cooling and chilled-water specialists. See how to hire data center engineers.
Commissioning engineers to test and hand over mechanical systems on new buildings and campuses.
Aerospace structures, stress and manufacturing engineers for Lockheed Martin and its suppliers.
Engine and maintenance engineers for aviation MRO.
Manufacturing, automation and facilities engineers for Rivian and its supplier base. See how to hire a manufacturing engineer.
Product design engineers for HVAC, agricultural and industrial equipment makers.

The talent pipeline

Georgia Tech. The George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering’s graduate program is ranked No. 3 in the country and No. 1 among public universities by U.S. News for 2026.
Kennesaw State University. The Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology in Marietta offers ABET-accredited degrees in mechanical engineering and mechanical engineering technology.
University of Georgia. The UGA College of Engineering in Athens, about 70 miles east of Atlanta, offers an ABET-accredited BS in mechanical engineering.
Growth. Georgia is projected to grow from 5,070 mechanical engineers in 2024 to 5,810 in 2034, a 15% increase, with about 350 openings a year from growth and retirements.
Licensing. A Georgia PE license matters most in MEP design, where engineers stamp drawings. Aerospace and manufacturing employers rarely require one.

What this means if you’re hiring

Budget at national rates for experienced engineers. Atlanta’s 75th percentile ($133,770) is above the US figure, so a senior hire priced at the metro median will rarely close.
Expect competition from aerospace, data centers and EV manufacturing. Lockheed, data center builders and Rivian are all hiring at the same time, and many of their engineers have transferable HVAC, manufacturing and test skills.
Recruit near the work. A strong candidate in Marietta may turn down a job in Suwanee because of the drive. Map the commute before you write the job post.
Grow your own. Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State and the University of Georgia turn out mechanical engineering graduates every year. Pairing new graduates with senior engineers is often faster than waiting for the perfect experienced hire. Our guide on how to hire a mechanical engineer covers the rest.

Need mechanical engineers in Atlanta?

Apollo Technical has recruited engineers since 2010. Our recruiting teams place HVAC, MEP, aerospace, manufacturing and data center mechanical engineers on a contract, contract-to-hire and direct hire basis.

Call 404.474.4571 or see our Atlanta engineering recruiters page.

Hire mechanical engineers

Frequently asked questions

How much do mechanical engineers make in Atlanta?

The median mechanical engineer salary in the Atlanta metro is $102,020 a year, according to May 2025 BLS data. The middle half earn between $80,360 and $133,770, and the top 10% earn $165,990 or more.

How many mechanical engineers are there in Georgia?

Georgia employed about 5,070 mechanical engineers in 2024, and that number is projected to reach 5,810 by 2034, with roughly 350 openings a year.

Who hires mechanical engineers in Atlanta?

The biggest employers include Lockheed Martin in Marietta, Delta TechOps at the airport, MEP design firms such as Newcomb & Boyd and Jordan & Skala, equipment makers such as Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC and AGCO, data center developers such as QTS, and Rivian.

Is Atlanta a good market for mechanical engineers?

Yes. Atlanta pays experienced mechanical engineers at or above national rates, and aerospace, data center and EV projects are adding jobs at the same time. Read more on whether mechanical engineering is a good career.

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