Talent Maps / Charlotte / Industrial and Manufacturing Engineers

Charlotte Industrial and Manufacturing Engineer Talent Map (2026)

What industrial and manufacturing engineers earn in Charlotte, which plants employ them, where they work and the pharmaceutical, grid equipment and data center supply expansions competing for them.

Hiring manufacturing 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 industrial and manufacturing engineers in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area, where Eli Lilly’s Concord plant, Siemens Energy’s Charlotte hub, Daimler Truck’s plants and new suppliers to AI data centers all hire from the same pool. 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 engineering recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Charlotte mechanical, controls and aerospace talent maps.

$102,090Median industrial engineer pay in CharlotteBLS, May 2025

$128,640Median industrial production manager pay in CharlotteBLS, May 2025

105,200Manufacturing jobs in metro Charlotte, down 2.7% from a year earlierBLS, August 2026 (preliminary)

1,181Jobs Jabil plans at a new Rowan County plantNC Commerce, June 2025

750+Employees at Eli Lilly’s $2 billion Concord plantPharma Manufacturing, June 2025

$421MSiemens Energy’s North Carolina expansion, including CharlotteCity of Charlotte, February 2026

Industrial engineer salaries in Charlotte

The median industrial engineer in metro Charlotte earns $102,090 a year, almost level with the national median of $102,440 and $2,780 above the North Carolina median of $99,310. Entry pay is strong: Charlotte’s 10th percentile of $75,670 is above both the state and national figures. The top is lower: Charlotte’s highest-paid 10% earn $140,000 or more, about $19,900 below the national figure.

Annual pay percentile	Charlotte metro	North Carolina	United States
10th percentile	$75,670	$68,930	$74,370
25th percentile	$83,990	$81,190	$83,600
Median	$102,090	$99,310	$102,440
75th percentile	$124,550	$121,090	$129,250
90th percentile	$140,000	$139,110	$159,860

Industrial Engineers (SOC 17-2112), which includes most manufacturing engineers. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025, via O*NET OnLine.

Industrial production managers in Charlotte earn a median of $128,640, and the top 10% earn $213,220 or more. Jabil expects its Rowan County jobs to add more than $73.2 million in annual payroll. Read our guide on how to hire a manufacturing engineer.

Where Charlotte’s industrial and manufacturing engineers work

Pharmaceuticals

Eli Lilly’s Concord campus covers 1.3 million square feet in 10 connected buildings on a 400-acre former Philip Morris site. It began commercial production of injectable medicines at the end of 2024 and had more than 750 employees by mid-2025, after a $2 billion investment.

Grid and energy equipment

Siemens Energy is expanding large power transformer and generator production at its plant off Westinghouse Boulevard and resuming gas turbine manufacturing after a six-year pause. Its February 2026 plan covers $421 million and 500 jobs across North Carolina.

Trucks

Daimler Truck builds trucks in Mount Holly and Cleveland, in Rowan County, and makes parts in Gastonia. The Cleveland plant is its largest US manufacturing hub. Mount Holly put 573 workers on temporary layoff in July 2025 as truck orders slowed.

Data center equipment and aerospace

Jabil plans a $500 million plant in Rowan County for cloud and AI data center customers. In Monroe, ATI is weighing about $300 million of expansion and an unnamed company plans a $200 million aerospace materials plant.

Where the talent sits: Charlotte submarkets

Concord and Cabarrus County

Pharma

Eli Lilly’s injectable medicine and device campus.

Southwest Charlotte

Energy equipment

Siemens Energy’s transformer, generator and gas turbine plant off Westinghouse Boulevard.

Gaston County

Trucks

Daimler Truck’s Mount Holly assembly plant and Gastonia parts plant.

Rowan County

TrucksElectronics

Daimler Truck’s Cleveland plant and Jabil’s planned data center equipment plant.

Monroe and Union County

AerospaceMetals

ATI’s specialty materials operations and a planned aerospace materials plant on Goldmine Road.

What’s driving demand for industrial engineers in Charlotte

The data center supply chain. Jabil plans 1,181 jobs and about $500 million over several years in Rowan County, and is recruiting manufacturing and engineering professionals.
Grid equipment. Siemens Energy is adding transformer and generator capacity in Charlotte. Charlotte-based Duke Energy has signed 7.6 GW of data center load in its service areas.
Daimler’s next plant. Daimler Truck has narrowed its search for its largest US plant to a couple of sites, with construction expected to start in late 2026 and operations in 2029. Trade press calls the Carolinas a heavy favorite, but no site has been announced.
A shrinking base. Metro Charlotte had about 105,200 manufacturing jobs in August 2026, down 2.7% from a year earlier, so growth is concentrated in a few large projects.

The talent pipeline

UNC Charlotte. Its Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering offers an ABET-accredited BS in systems engineering and master’s options including engineering management. Research areas include production systems, logistics and operations research.
Engineering technology. UNC Charlotte’s School of Energy offers ABET-accredited mechanical and electromechanical engineering technology degrees.
Central Piedmont Community College. Its engineering division offers computer-integrated machining, mechanical and mechatronics engineering technology programs. More than 2,950 current UNC Charlotte undergraduates transferred from Central Piedmont.
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. It is a named workforce partner on the Jabil project.

What this means if you’re hiring

Charlotte pays national rates at the median. Plan on the 75th percentile ($124,550) for experienced engineers. Senior candidates from Raleigh, where the 90th percentile is $152,010, will expect more.
New plants are hiring at the same time. Jabil, Siemens Energy and the Monroe aerospace projects are all staffing up, so good candidates will have several offers.
Watch truck volumes. Daimler’s 2025 layoffs show how fast truck demand can swing, and its new plant decision could reshape the market if it lands nearby.
Build from technicians. Central Piedmont’s machining and mechatronics graduates can grow into process and manufacturing engineering roles.

Need manufacturing engineers in Charlotte?

Apollo Technical has recruited engineers since 2010. Our recruiting teams place industrial, manufacturing, process and quality engineers on a contract, contract-to-hire and direct hire basis.

Call 919.710.8098 or see our Charlotte engineering recruiters page.

Hire manufacturing engineers

Frequently asked questions

How much do industrial engineers make in Charlotte?

The median industrial engineer salary in metro Charlotte is $102,090 a year, according to May 2025 BLS data. The middle half earn between $83,990 and $124,550, and the top 10% earn $140,000 or more.

Do industrial engineers earn more in Charlotte or Raleigh?

Raleigh pays slightly more. Charlotte’s median is $102,090, about $1,900 below Raleigh’s $104,030. The gap is wider at the top: $140,000 against $152,010 at the 90th percentile. See our Raleigh industrial engineer talent map.

Which plants are hiring in Charlotte?

The largest current projects are Jabil in Rowan County, Siemens Energy in Charlotte, ATI and a planned aerospace materials plant in Monroe, and Eli Lilly’s Concord campus.

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