Talent Maps / San Antonio / Mechanical Engineers

San Antonio Mechanical Engineer Talent Map (2026)

What mechanical engineers earn in San Antonio, the research, aerospace, automotive and energy employers that hold the talent, where in the metro they work and the plant expansions competing for them.

Hiring mechanical engineers in San Antonio?

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 San Antonio-New Braunfels metro area, home to Southwest Research Institute, the aircraft and engine shops at Port San Antonio and Toyota’s truck plant. Pay figures come from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey (May 2025), and the demand picture uses company, BLS and state data published in 2025 and 2026. Our mechanical engineering recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our San Antonio industrial and manufacturing, electrical and aerospace talent maps.

$104,620Median mechanical engineer pay in San Antonio, close to the US medianBLS, May 2025

$159,670+What the top 10% of San Antonio mechanical engineers earnBLS, May 2025

$120,460Median petroleum engineer pay in San AntonioBLS, May 2025

3,200Employees at Southwest Research Institute, which counts mechanical engineering as a core disciplineSwRI, fiscal 2025

60,900Manufacturing jobs in metro San AntonioBLS, August 2026 (preliminary)

1,350Projected mechanical engineering job openings a year in Texas through 2034Projections Central

Mechanical engineer salaries in San Antonio

The median mechanical engineer in metro San Antonio earns $104,620 a year, about $510 more than the national median of $104,110 and $7,790 less than the Texas median of $112,410. The pay range is narrower than the national one: the top 10% earn $159,670 or more, about $4,700 below the national figure, while entry pay is slightly above it.

Annual pay percentile	San Antonio metro	Texas	United States
10th percentile	$74,340	$75,810	$73,990
25th percentile	$93,360	$91,420	$84,130
Median	$104,620	$112,410	$104,110
75th percentile	$134,890	$145,090	$132,590
90th percentile	$159,670	$175,210	$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 earn a median of $68,540 in San Antonio, against $74,510 nationally. Petroleum engineers, many of whom come from mechanical backgrounds, earn a median of $120,460, well below the Texas median of $164,860. Compare Houston in our Houston mechanical engineer talent map.

Where San Antonio’s mechanical engineers work

Research and testing

Southwest Research Institute, a nonprofit founded in 1947, has about 3,200 employees and 2.4 million square feet of labs on 1,500 acres. Its research volume was about $966 million in fiscal 2025. Mechanical engineering is one of its core disciplines, and its space work includes the Juno, Lucy and PUNCH missions.

Aircraft and engines

StandardAero has repaired and overhauled engines at Port San Antonio since 1999, in more than 600,000 square feet with engine test cells. It had about 800 employees in 2024 and will assemble and test Boom Supersonic’s Symphony engine.

Boeing Global Services has worked at Kelly Field since 1998 on the C-17, 787, F/A-18 and government executive fleet.

Vehicles and heavy equipment

Toyota’s plant employs more than 3,700 people building the Tundra and Sequoia, and more than 20 on-site suppliers employ another 5,600. Navistar’s $250 million truck plant can build 52 trucks a day.

JCB’s new plant was due to start production in mid-2026, and Caterpillar builds diesel and gas engines in Seguin.

Energy and utilities

Valero is headquartered in San Antonio, with about 10,000 employees and 14 refineries. CPS Energy, the largest public power and gas company in the US, bought 1,632 MW of gas generation in Southeast Texas in 2025.

Where the talent sits: San Antonio submarkets

Port San Antonio

AerospaceMRO

Kelly Field: 1,900 acres, more than 80 employers and about 18,000 people at work, including Boeing and StandardAero.

South Side

AutomotiveManufacturing

Toyota’s truck plant, its on-site suppliers and new rear axle plant, plus IEM’s new plant at Brooks City Base.

Seguin and Guadalupe County

EnginesAutomotive

Caterpillar’s engine plant and auto suppliers H-One and KTH, all inside the metro.

Schertz and the I-35 corridor

Equipment

Major, which makes screening equipment for mining and energy, more than doubled its Schertz operations.

Research and headquarters

ResearchEnergy

SwRI’s 1,500-acre campus, Valero’s headquarters and CPS Energy.

What’s driving demand for mechanical engineers in San Antonio

Toyota. A $3.6 billion second assembly line for the Tacoma, announced in July 2026, adds 2,000 jobs and doubles the site by 2030. Its new rear axle plant is due to ship its first sellable output by the end of 2026.
New plants. JCB is hiring for its $500 million, 1,500-job plant, and IEM plans up to 3,000 jobs at a $200 million switchgear plant at Brooks City Base.
Aerospace engines. StandardAero will assemble and test Boom Supersonic’s Symphony engine in 100,000 square feet at Port San Antonio.
A steady base. Metro San Antonio had about 60,900 manufacturing jobs in August 2026, up 0.7% from a year earlier.

The talent pipeline

UTSA. UTSA’s BS in mechanical engineering is ABET accredited. It had 889 students in fall 2022 and graduated 163 in 2021–22. UTSA also offers an MS in aerospace engineering.
St. Mary’s University. St. Mary’s offers a BS in mechanical engineering.
Texas A&M-San Antonio. It offers engineering technology degrees but no mechanical engineering degree.
Growth. Texas is projected to grow from 18,240 mechanical engineers in 2024 to 21,630 in 2034, with about 1,350 openings a year. Read more in our Texas mechanical engineer statistics.

What this means if you’re hiring

San Antonio pays below the Texas median. Engineers recruited from Houston or Dallas will expect more. Plan on the 75th percentile ($134,890) for experienced engineers.
Toyota and its suppliers are adding jobs. The Tacoma line, the axle plant, JCB and IEM will all compete for plant and equipment engineers through 2030.
Aerospace work is specialized. Engine and airframe shops at Port San Antonio look for test, repair and overhaul experience that few other employers build.
UTSA is the main local source. Most local graduates come from one program, so internships and campus relationships matter.

Need mechanical engineers in San Antonio?

Apollo Technical has recruited engineers since 2010. Our recruiting teams place mechanical, equipment, manufacturing and design engineers on a contract, contract-to-hire and direct hire basis.

Call 512.686.1181 or see our San Antonio engineering recruiters page.

Hire mechanical engineers

Frequently asked questions

How much do mechanical engineers make in San Antonio?

The median mechanical engineer salary in metro San Antonio is $104,620 a year, according to May 2025 BLS data. The middle half earn between $93,360 and $134,890, and the top 10% earn $159,670 or more.

Do mechanical engineers earn more in San Antonio or Austin?

Austin pays slightly more. San Antonio’s median is $104,620, about $2,070 below Austin’s $106,690. See our Austin mechanical engineer talent map.

Who hires mechanical engineers in San Antonio?

Southwest Research Institute, Toyota and its suppliers, StandardAero and Boeing at Port San Antonio, Navistar, JCB, Caterpillar, Valero and CPS Energy.

Sources (22)