Talent Maps / Greenville-Spartanburg / Industrial and Manufacturing Engineers

Greenville-Spartanburg Industrial and Manufacturing Engineer Talent Map (2026)

What industrial and manufacturing engineers earn in Greenville-Spartanburg, which automakers, plants and logistics operators employ them, where in the Upstate they work, and the new factories competing for them.

Hiring manufacturing engineers in Greenville-Spartanburg?

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 Greenville-Spartanburg. BLS reports it as two metro areas: Greenville-Anderson-Greer, which spans Anderson, Greenville, Laurens and Pickens counties, and Spartanburg, which spans Spartanburg and Union counties. Pay figures come from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey (May 2025), and the demand picture uses project and company data published from 2025 to 2026. Our manufacturing engineering recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Greenville-Spartanburg mechanical, controls and electrical engineer talent maps.

$101,300Median industrial engineer pay in metro GreenvilleBLS, May 2025

$133,360+What the top 10% of Greenville industrial engineers earnBLS, May 2025

9.4%Share of Greenville metro jobs in production occupations, against 5.5% nationallyBLS, May 2025

11,000+Workers at BMW Plant Spartanburg, BMW’s largest plant worldwideWardsAuto, 2026

700+Jobs Isuzu expects by 2028 at its $280 million truck plant in PiedmontIsuzu, 2025

300,000Annual rail lifts Inland Port Greer can now handle after a $55 million expansionSC Ports, 2026

Industrial engineer salaries in Greenville-Spartanburg

The median industrial engineer in the Greenville-Anderson-Greer metro earns $101,300 a year, $240 above the South Carolina median of $101,060 and $1,140 below the national median of $102,440. The hourly median is $48.70. The Spartanburg median is $99,860. Pay falls short mainly at the top. Greenville’s 90th percentile is $133,360, which is $26,500 below the national $159,860, and Spartanburg’s is $126,680.

Annual pay percentile	Greenville metro	Spartanburg metro	South Carolina	United States
10th percentile	$76,590	$65,090	$75,000	$74,370
25th percentile	$82,240	$81,210	$82,460	$83,600
Median	$101,300	$99,860	$101,060	$102,440
75th percentile	$124,920	$121,450	$123,490	$129,250
90th percentile	$133,360	$126,680	$136,720	$159,860

Industrial Engineers (SOC 17-2112). Greenville metro is Greenville-Anderson-Greer. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025, via O*NET OnLine. Wage surveys run about a year behind current offers.

Industrial engineering technologists and technicians, who support time studies, layout and process improvement, earn a median of $73,790 in Greenville, $7,670 above the national $66,120. Spartanburg’s median is $67,860. Greenville pay runs from $45,560 at the 10th percentile to $83,600 at the 90th.

Charlotte is almost level. Its median is $102,090, which is $790 above Greenville’s, and its 90th percentile of $140,000 is $6,640 higher. See our Charlotte industrial engineer talent map.

Where Greenville-Spartanburg’s industrial engineers work

Automotive and trucks

BMW Plant Spartanburg built more than 400,000 X models last year, the seventh year above 400,000, and more than 7.3 million since 1994. It can now build one vehicle with five drivetrain types on a single line.

Isuzu’s 1 million square foot plant in Piedmont will build N-Series and F-Series trucks, with capacity of 50,000 units by 2030.

Tires and turbines

Michelin North America is headquartered in Greenville, with more than 1,400 employees at that campus. Michelin is Greenville County’s largest manufacturing employer and GE Vernova is second.

GE Vernova plans to triple its Greenville gas turbine output to 80 units a year.

Aerospace and batteries

Lockheed Martin’s F-16 line in Greenville supports more than 1,500 skilled jobs. BMW Plant Woodruff uses AI to raise overall equipment effectiveness, with more than 300 employees and 250 robots.

Ports and logistics

Inland Port Greer handled nearly 200,000 rail moves in 2025, a record, for more than 150 customers. Colliers reported that Greenville-Spartanburg led South Carolina’s industrial absorption in the third quarter of 2025.

Where the talent sits: Greenville-Spartanburg submarkets

Greer and the I-85 corridor

AutomotiveIntermodal

BMW Plant Spartanburg sits near the I-85 and SC 101 interchange by GSP airport. Inland Port Greer runs overnight rail service to the Port of Charleston six days a week.

Woodruff

BatteriesCooling

BMW’s battery plant sits 15 miles from Plant Spartanburg. Airsys opened a 60-acre headquarters campus here in 2026 and expects 215 jobs on site, with full manufacturing from 2027.

Greenville

TiresTurbines

Michelin’s North American headquarters and GE Vernova’s 1.55-million-square-foot turbine factory are both in Greenville.

Piedmont

Trucks

Isuzu’s plant sits on 200 acres in Greenville County, with production due to begin in 2027.

Spartanburg County

AerospaceFood and beverage

Woodward’s flight control plant is due online in summer 2027. OneSpartanburg also cites expansions from Milo’s Tea and Keurig Dr Pepper.

What’s driving demand for industrial engineers in Greenville-Spartanburg

New plants. Isuzu, Woodward, BMW Woodruff and Airsys all start or ramp production between December 2026 and 2027.
Retooled vehicle lines. BMW finished its $1.7 billion South Carolina investment in 2026 and plans at least six fully electric models in the state by 2030.
Turbine output. GE Vernova is installing more than 500 pieces of new equipment at its Greenville plant.
Fighter production. Peru ordered 12 F-16 Block 70 jets in April 2026, to be built in Greenville.
Freight. Inland Port Greer’s expansion added a larger container yard and 9,000 feet of rail to handle longer trains.
Investment. Site Selection reports the Upstate drew $7.6 billion of projects last year and employs more than 117,000 people in manufacturing.

Industrial specialties tied to these employers

Manufacturing and process engineers for vehicle, truck, turbine and aerospace plants. See our guide to hiring a manufacturing engineer.
Production planning and lean engineers for multi-drivetrain assembly lines.
Battery process and quality engineers for cell-to-pack assembly.
Logistics and material flow engineers for intermodal, warehouse and plant supply.

The talent pipeline

Clemson University. Clemson’s industrial engineering B.S. is ABET-accredited. Senior capstone projects serve outside clients such as Boeing, Milliken and Schneider Electric.
Greenville Technical College. Its new Center for Welding and Automation Excellence, with added school district seats, raised welding training capacity from 120 to 486 seats. The college says only 14% of 1,600 manufacturing students took part in work-based learning, and the state offers employers a tax break for each student they hire this way.
Licensing. Industrial engineers do not always need a PE license. When a role calls for one, it is issued by the South Carolina Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors.

What this means if you’re hiring

Expect Charlotte to compete. Its median is $790 above Greenville’s, and its 90th percentile is $6,640 higher.
Entry pay differs by metro. Spartanburg’s 10th percentile is $65,090, which is $11,500 below Greenville’s $76,590.
Price senior roles at the 75th percentile. Plan on $124,920 or more, and note that the 90th percentile of $133,360 is well below the national $159,860.
Watch BMW. FITSNews reported in August 2026 that BMW had warned state officials it may cut jobs. BMW has announced no cuts.

Need manufacturing engineers in Greenville-Spartanburg?

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

Call 803.832.4646 or see our Greenville engineering recruiters and Spartanburg engineering recruiters pages.

Hire manufacturing engineers

Frequently asked questions

How much do industrial engineers make in Greenville-Spartanburg?

The median industrial engineer salary in the Greenville-Anderson-Greer metro is $101,300 a year, according to May 2025 BLS data. The middle half earn between $82,240 and $124,920, and the top 10% earn $133,360 or more. The Spartanburg median is $99,860.

Do industrial engineers earn more in Greenville-Spartanburg or Charlotte?

Charlotte, by a small margin. Its median is $102,090, against $101,300 in Greenville, and its 90th percentile is $140,000 against $133,360. See our Charlotte industrial engineer talent map.

Who hires industrial engineers in Greenville-Spartanburg?

Automakers such as BMW and Isuzu, manufacturers such as Michelin, GE Vernova, Lockheed Martin and Woodward, and logistics operators such as SC Ports at Inland Port Greer.

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