Mechanical Engineer Salary (2026)
Typical pay is $104,110 a year, with most mechanical engineers earning between $84,130 and $132,590. Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Salary Calculator›Mechanical Engineer
Nationally, the typical mechanical engineer earns $104,110 a year. Early-career pay starts around $84,130, experienced mechanical engineers earn $132,590 or more, and the top 10% make over $164,340. About 296,810 people work in this occupation in the US. Pay is highest in New Mexico ($157,710) and, among metro areas, in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($168,030).
Mechanical Engineer salary in the United States
Annual pay, BLS survey of May 2025
What mechanical engineers do
Mechanical engineers design, analyze and test machines, thermal systems and mechanical components, from HVAC and plumbing systems in buildings to production equipment, vehicles and consumer products. Most hold a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, use CAD and simulation tools such as SolidWorks, Creo or ANSYS, and those who sign off on building designs need a Professional Engineer (PE) license.
Mechanical Engineer salary by state
Typical annual pay for mechanical engineers in every state where BLS publishes figures, highest first.
| State | Typical | Early career | Experienced |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | $157,710 | $128,080 | $162,880 |
| District of Columbia | $133,300 | $107,300 | $166,360 |
| California | $130,900 | $102,360 | $166,580 |
| Delaware | $125,130 | $97,920 | $128,140 |
| Colorado | $124,430 | $95,710 | $149,790 |
| Alaska | $124,340 | $92,280 | $157,610 |
| Maryland | $122,870 | $98,300 | $156,560 |
| Louisiana | $119,540 | $81,790 | $147,560 |
| Massachusetts | $119,300 | $96,440 | $140,590 |
| Wyoming | $117,750 | $100,060 | $140,600 |
| Rhode Island | $116,230 | $99,350 | $154,690 |
| Texas | $112,410 | $91,420 | $145,090 |
| New Jersey | $112,300 | $92,750 | $136,910 |
| Washington | $110,430 | $94,560 | $139,870 |
| Vermont | $107,330 | $87,360 | $127,100 |
| Connecticut | $105,090 | $86,170 | $133,540 |
| Michigan | $104,890 | $87,640 | $132,160 |
| South Carolina | $104,580 | $84,810 | $133,480 |
| Virginia | $104,180 | $85,410 | $131,250 |
| New Hampshire | $103,660 | $84,210 | $130,120 |
| Oregon | $103,470 | $91,270 | $130,230 |
| Illinois | $102,680 | $83,800 | $130,730 |
| Nevada | $102,680 | $86,030 | $130,390 |
| Utah | $102,500 | $84,500 | $127,780 |
| New York | $102,440 | $84,400 | $129,410 |
| Maine | $102,430 | $83,740 | $127,300 |
| Oklahoma | $101,850 | $82,960 | $128,320 |
| Kentucky | $101,050 | $80,350 | $120,690 |
| North Carolina | $100,720 | $82,490 | $125,050 |
| Georgia | $100,620 | $80,040 | $128,350 |
| Arizona | $100,270 | $82,430 | $128,880 |
| Alabama | $100,230 | $83,800 | $128,100 |
| Florida | $99,980 | $79,090 | $128,320 |
| Indiana | $99,590 | $80,630 | $127,700 |
| Tennessee | $99,550 | $78,730 | $127,500 |
| Missouri | $99,330 | $79,540 | $120,990 |
| Minnesota | $99,140 | $81,860 | $128,690 |
| Ohio | $99,100 | $79,390 | $115,770 |
| Hawaii | $98,740 | $85,820 | $119,700 |
| Mississippi | $98,000 | $75,510 | $127,410 |
| Pennsylvania | $97,920 | $79,090 | $125,270 |
| Iowa | $97,700 | $79,770 | $108,580 |
| West Virginia | $97,390 | $82,910 | $118,490 |
| Wisconsin | $95,870 | $77,920 | $106,950 |
| Montana | $94,190 | $79,240 | $119,820 |
| Idaho | $93,190 | $76,540 | $108,570 |
| South Dakota | $88,380 | $77,160 | $106,850 |
| Nebraska | $88,060 | $74,820 | $108,900 |
| North Dakota | $86,330 | $77,990 | $114,830 |
| Kansas | $86,260 | $79,350 | $104,890 |
| Arkansas | $80,180 | $65,620 | $103,850 |
Highest-paying metro areas
| Metro area | Typical |
|---|---|
| 1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $168,030 |
| 2. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $161,370 |
| 3. Baton Rouge, LA | $135,530 |
| 4. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $132,920 |
| 5. Salinas, CA | $132,560 |
| 6. Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | $128,740 |
| 7. Peoria, IL | $128,710 |
| 8. Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $128,180 |
| 9. Columbus, IN | $127,700 |
| 10. Lexington Park, MD | $127,650 |
| 11. Ann Arbor, MI | $127,310 |
| 12. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $126,990 |
| 13. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $126,590 |
| 14. Lake Charles, LA | $126,090 |
| 15. Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $125,780 |
Pay in Apollo's markets
| Metro | Typical |
|---|---|
| Atlanta | $102,020 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | $105,420 |
| Houston | $125,350 |
| Austin | $106,690 |
| Charlotte | $101,950 |
| Raleigh | $100,000 |
| San Antonio | $104,620 |
| Chicago | $102,070 |
| Orlando | $103,380 |
| Tampa | $100,290 |
| Miami | $99,660 |
| Jacksonville | $99,500 |
| Greenville-Spartanburg | $101,570 |
| Columbia, SC | $102,280 |
| Charleston, SC | $110,820 |
| Savannah | $101,990 |
Related engineering salaries
Mechanical Engineer salary FAQs
How much does a mechanical engineer make in the US?
The typical (median) mechanical engineer in the US earns $104,110 a year, or about $50.05 an hour (BLS, May 2025). Half earn more and half earn less.
What is the entry-level salary for a mechanical engineer in the US?
Early-career mechanical engineers in the US typically earn around $84,130 (the 25th percentile), and the lowest-paid 10% earn under $73,990. Degree, internships, licenses and the industry all move starting pay.
How much do experienced mechanical engineers earn in the US?
Experienced mechanical engineers in the US earn $132,590 or more (the 75th percentile), and the top 10% earn over $164,340.
Which state pays mechanical engineers the most?
New Mexico has the highest typical pay for mechanical engineers at $157,710 a year. The highest-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $168,030 (BLS, May 2025).
Are mechanical engineers in demand?
BLS projects employment in this occupation to grow 11.2% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% for all jobs, with about 17,800 openings a year nationally as people retire, change jobs or the field grows.
Hiring mechanical engineers?
Where these numbers come from
Pay figures come from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program (OEWS), which surveys about 1.1 million employer locations and is the government's main source of pay by occupation and location. This page uses the May 2025 survey, released in 2026, and updates itself when BLS publishes the next year's figures. Job outlook comes from the BLS Employment Projections for 2025–35. Cost of living comes from the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024, where the US average is 100.
Pay is base wages and salary before tax. It does not include bonuses, overtime, benefits or equity. Early career is the 25th percentile (a quarter of workers earn less), Typical is the median and Experienced is the 75th percentile. The bar shows the full range from the 10th to the 90th percentile. The salary rank check estimates a percentile by drawing straight lines between those five published points.
BLS groups some job titles together. Controls engineers, for example, are counted with electrical engineers, and CAD designers with drafters. Each result names the BLS occupation it uses so you can see exactly what is being measured. BLS does not publish every occupation in every area, for example when too few people in a job were surveyed or when a figure does not meet its reliability standards. When a metro figure is missing, the calculator shows the state figure, or the national figure if the state is also missing, and says so.
BLS occupation used on this page: Mechanical Engineers (SOC 17-2141).