Talent Maps / Charlotte / Mechanical Engineers

Charlotte Mechanical Engineer Talent Map (2026)

What mechanical engineers earn in Charlotte, the power equipment, nuclear, truck and plant employers that hold the talent, where in the metro they work and the projects competing for them.

Hiring mechanical engineers in Charlotte?

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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area, home to Duke Energy’s headquarters and two of its nuclear plants, Siemens Energy’s power equipment campus and Daimler Truck’s North Carolina plants. 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 2024, 2025 and 2026. Our mechanical engineering recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Charlotte industrial and manufacturing, electrical and controls talent maps.

$101,950Median mechanical engineer pay in Charlotte, slightly above the North Carolina medianBLS, May 2025

$157,120+What the top 10% of Charlotte mechanical engineers earnBLS, May 2025

$131,850Median nuclear engineer pay in CharlotteBLS, May 2025

$103BDuke Energy five-year capital plan, the largest of any regulated US utilityUtility Dive, February 2026

105,200Manufacturing jobs in metro CharlotteBLS, August 2026 (preliminary)

620Projected mechanical engineering job openings a year in North Carolina through 2034Projections Central

Mechanical engineer salaries in Charlotte

The median mechanical engineer in metro Charlotte earns $101,950 a year, $1,230 more than the North Carolina median of $100,720 and $2,160 less than the national median of $104,110. The pay range is narrower than the national one: the top 10% earn $157,120 or more, about $7,200 below the national figure, while entry pay is slightly above it.

Annual pay percentile	Charlotte metro	North Carolina	United States
10th percentile	$74,530	$71,260	$73,990
25th percentile	$85,180	$82,490	$84,130
Median	$101,950	$100,720	$104,110
75th percentile	$126,180	$125,050	$132,590
90th percentile	$157,120	$155,550	$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 $63,770 in Charlotte, against $74,510 nationally. Nuclear engineers, who work on the same plants and equipment, earn a median of $131,850. BLS publishes no Charlotte or North Carolina estimate for petroleum engineers. Atlanta’s median is $102,020; compare it in our Atlanta mechanical engineer talent map.

Where Charlotte’s mechanical engineers work

Power generation equipment

Siemens Energy has worked in North Carolina since 1969 and had more than 1,250 employees in Charlotte in 2024. In Charlotte it is adding generator capacity and building the company’s first US large power transformer factory, off Westinghouse Boulevard.

Its $421 million North Carolina expansion, announced in February 2026, restarts gas turbine manufacturing in Charlotte after a six-year pause. The first turbines are expected to ship in two to three years.

Utilities and nuclear

Charlotte-based Duke Energy runs the largest nuclear fleet in the US: 11 reactors at six sites with 10,819 MW. Two of those plants, McGuire and Catawba, are in the metro, and both are in line for power uprates.

EPRI’s Charlotte campus has 107,600 square feet of labs for nondestructive evaluation, welding and materials testing.

Trucks and motorsports

Daimler Truck North America’s Cleveland plant is its largest US manufacturing site. Its Mount Holly plant builds Freightliner Business Class M2 trucks and is bringing back 400 laid-off workers and hiring 200 more by the end of 2026 for a second shift.

Hendrick Motorsports fields four NASCAR Cup Series teams from Concord.

Pharma and precision parts

Eli Lilly’s Concord plant makes injectable diabetes and obesity medicines. Lilly doubled its investment there to $2 billion and planned 600 jobs.

Schaeffler’s Americas headquarters in Fort Mill, SC, has two manufacturing plants and a Technology Center on a 60-acre campus.

Where the talent sits: Charlotte submarkets

Steele Creek and Westinghouse Boulevard

Power equipmentManufacturing

Siemens Energy’s generator, transformer and gas turbine operations.

Lake Norman and York County

NuclearUtilities

Duke Energy’s McGuire and Catawba nuclear stations.

Concord and Cabarrus County

PharmaMotorsports

Lilly’s Concord plant and Hendrick Motorsports.

Gaston and Rowan counties

Trucks

Daimler Truck’s Mount Holly, Gastonia and Cleveland plants.

Fort Mill

BearingsAutomotive

Schaeffler’s Americas headquarters, plants and Technology Center.

University City

ResearchUniversity

EPRI’s Charlotte campus and UNC Charlotte.

What’s driving demand for mechanical engineers in Charlotte

Nuclear uprates. Duke is preparing power uprate and 24-month fuel cycle projects at McGuire and Catawba, with balance-of-plant work planned from 2027 and major equipment purchases for the uprates.
Gas turbines return. Siemens Energy is restarting gas turbine manufacturing in Charlotte, which ran from 2011 to 2020, as part of its $421 million state expansion.
Truck demand. Daimler Truck North America’s orders rose 156% year over year in the second quarter of 2026. It plans its largest US assembly plant, site not yet chosen, with construction starting by the end of 2026 and operations in 2029.
Utility build-out. Duke plans 14 GW of new generation over five years and has broken ground on 5 GW of new gas generation in the Carolinas and Indiana.
A large but softer base. Metro Charlotte had about 105,200 manufacturing jobs in August 2026, down 2.7% from a year earlier.

The talent pipeline

UNC Charlotte. Its BS in mechanical engineering is ABET accredited, with concentrations in motorsports, energy, aerospace, biomedical and precision metrology engineering.
UNC Charlotte School of Energy. Its BS in mechanical engineering technology is ABET accredited, in a school built around power systems training.
Central Piedmont Community College. Its two-year mechatronics engineering technology degree trains technicians in mechanical, electrical and industrial control skills.
Growth. North Carolina is projected to grow from 9,440 mechanical engineers in 2024 to 10,600 in 2034, with about 620 openings a year.
Licensing. PE licenses are issued by the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors.

What this means if you’re hiring

Charlotte pays close to the state median. It sits $1,230 above North Carolina and $2,160 below the US. Plan on the 75th percentile ($126,180) for experienced engineers.
Power and nuclear work pays more. Nuclear engineers earn a median of $131,850, and Duke, Siemens Energy and EPRI compete for rotating equipment, thermal and materials engineers.
Truck plants are hiring again. Daimler’s Mount Holly second shift and its planned new plant will pull on plant and manufacturing engineers.
UNC Charlotte is the main local source. Its motorsports and energy concentrations feed the region’s racing and power employers, so internships and campus ties matter.

Need mechanical engineers in Charlotte?

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 919.710.8098 or see our Charlotte engineering recruiters page.

Hire mechanical engineers

Frequently asked questions

How much do mechanical engineers make in Charlotte?

The median mechanical engineer salary in metro Charlotte is $101,950 a year, according to May 2025 BLS data. The middle half earn between $85,180 and $126,180, and the top 10% earn $157,120 or more.

Do mechanical engineers earn more in Charlotte or Raleigh?

Charlotte pays slightly more. Charlotte’s median is $101,950, about $1,950 above Raleigh’s $100,000. See our Raleigh mechanical engineer talent map.

Who hires mechanical engineers in Charlotte?

Duke Energy, Siemens Energy, EPRI, Daimler Truck North America, Eli Lilly, Schaeffler and Hendrick Motorsports.

Sources (22)