Talent Maps / Jacksonville / Mechanical Engineers

Jacksonville Mechanical Engineer Talent Map (2026)

What mechanical engineers earn in metro Jacksonville, which design firms, utilities, manufacturers and aviation employers hire them, where in the metro they work, and the power, port and manufacturing projects competing for them.

Hiring mechanical engineers in Jacksonville?

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 Jacksonville metro area (Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Nassau and Baker 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 2024 to 2026. Our mechanical engineering recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Jacksonville civil, electrical and industrial engineer talent maps.

$99,500Median mechanical engineer pay in metro JacksonvilleBLS, May 2025

$152,090+What the top 10% of Jacksonville mechanical engineers earnBLS, May 2025

1,785,500People in the Jacksonville metro in July 2025, up about 26,000 in a yearCensus Bureau via FRED

$1.57BJEA’s planned 640 megawatt gas plant, due in service in 2032Jacksonville Today, 2025

$1B+Johnson & Johnson’s Jacksonville Vision manufacturing investment, due in 2028Johnson & Johnson, 2026

$1.4BJaguars stadium renovation, targeted for August 2028Jax Daily Record, 2026

Mechanical engineer salaries in Jacksonville

The median mechanical engineer in metro Jacksonville earns $99,500 a year, $480 below the Florida median of $99,980 and $4,610 below the national median of $104,110. The hourly median is $47.84. Pay is weakest in the lower middle of the range: the 25th percentile is $70,970, against $79,090 statewide. At the 75th percentile Jacksonville moves ahead of Florida, at $129,960 against $128,320.

Annual pay percentile	Jacksonville metro	Florida	United States
10th percentile	$67,920	$66,260	$73,990
25th percentile	$70,970	$79,090	$84,130
Median	$99,500	$99,980	$104,110
75th percentile	$129,960	$128,320	$132,590
90th percentile	$152,090	$153,950	$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.

BLS publishes no estimate for mechanical engineering technologists and technicians (SOC 17-3027) in metro Jacksonville. For context, the Florida median is $59,720, with a range of $37,830 at the 10th percentile to $82,410 at the 90th. The national median is $74,510.

What the spread means in practice: Orlando pays more at the median, $103,380 against Jacksonville’s $99,500, and much more at the 25th percentile, $82,830 against $70,970. Jacksonville has the higher top end. Its 90th percentile is $152,090, while Orlando’s is $140,050. Senior engineers in plant, process and utility work can find the best offers here.

Where Jacksonville’s mechanical engineering work is

Design, engineering and mechanical firms

Stellar is headquartered at 2900 Hartley Road. Founded in 1985, it has more than 700 employees and offers design-build, industrial refrigeration, cold storage, and mechanical and electrical services.

Haskell, headquartered in San Marco and founded in 1965, designs building systems (mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection) and manufacturing systems. RS&H, an employee-owned firm headquartered in Deerwood Park, works in aviation, aerospace, healthcare and transportation.

Power and utilities

JEA’s Brandy Branch station in Baldwin is rated at 710 megawatts. It has one 170 megawatt simple cycle turbine and a combined cycle unit with two 170 megawatt turbines and a 200 megawatt steam turbine.

JEA’s board approved a new $1.57 billion, 640 megawatt combined cycle plant in August 2025.

Manufacturing and life sciences

Johnson & Johnson has operated in Jacksonville for more than 40 years across 1.5 million square feet. It makes more than 1.7 billion ACUVUE contact lenses a year for US patients and has about 3,500 employees in Jacksonville.

Aviation, defense and port

Fleet Readiness Center Southeast employs about 5,000 civilian, military and contract workers and has revenue above $1 billion. Boeing’s Cecil Airport hangar does maintenance on P-8, KC-46 and F/A-18 aircraft.

The SSA container terminal at JAXPORT now runs nine cranes after a $72 million modernization.

Where the talent sits: Jacksonville submarkets

Southside and Deerwood Park

MEPIndustrial refrigeration

Stellar’s Hartley Road headquarters and RS&H’s headquarters at 10748 Deerwood Park Boulevard South put two large design employers in the south of the metro.

San Marco and Downtown

MEPSports venues

Haskell is headquartered on San Marco Boulevard. Downtown holds the Jaguars stadium renovation, whose final bid package includes updated mechanical, electrical, lighting and fire alarm systems.

Westside and Baldwin

PowerAviation MRO

JEA’s Brandy Branch generating station is in Baldwin. Boeing’s maintenance hangar is at Cecil Airport.

Northside and Blount Island

PortPower

JAXPORT’s Blount Island terminal is adding vehicle Berth 21, a $60 million project that was 50% complete in June 2026. The planned JEA plant would sit on the former St. Johns River Power Park site in North Jacksonville.

St. Johns County

AircraftManufacturing

Northrop Grumman’s St. Augustine site, opened in 1980, is the largest private employer facility in the county.

What’s driving demand for mechanical engineers in Jacksonville

JEA’s new gas plant. The $1.57 billion, 640 megawatt combined cycle plant is expected in service in 2032. It replaces aging Unit 3 at Northside and uses GE Vernova equipment. Running it will take about 40 to 50 staff.
Johnson & Johnson Vision. The company announced more than $1 billion of investment on June 15, 2026. It covers a distribution facility and advanced manufacturing and packaging technology, with a target completion of 2028.
Stadium of the Future. The $1.4 billion renovation drew a $696.5 million permit on February 27, 2026, the largest of the project. The city is paying $775 million and the Jaguars $625 million.
Port capacity. The $72 million SSA terminal upgrade finished in 2025 and lifted capacity by 150%, to more than 650,000 TEUs (container units) a year. Work to raise powerlines to a 225-foot air draft is due to finish by the end of 2026.
Aircraft maintenance. Boeing’s $245.8 million hangar at Cecil opened on February 9, 2024, with a 385,000 square foot footprint and eight bays. Boeing also built a $57.3 million component repair facility.
Hotels and towers. The Four Seasons Hotel and Residences, a 10-story, 170-room project estimated at $387.6 million, is expected to finish in June 2027.

Mechanical specialties tied to these projects

HVAC and building systems engineers for the stadium, the Four Seasons and healthcare and corporate work by firms such as Haskell and RS&H.
Power plant engineers for combined cycle units at Brandy Branch and the planned JEA plant.
Industrial refrigeration and process engineers for cold storage and ammonia systems, a Stellar specialty.
Manufacturing and packaging equipment engineers for contact lens production and packaging at Johnson & Johnson.
Aircraft maintenance and structures engineers for Fleet Readiness Center Southeast and Boeing’s Cecil hangar.

The talent pipeline

University of North Florida. UNF’s BS degrees in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, civil engineering and advanced manufacturing engineering are all ABET-accredited.
Florida State College at Jacksonville. Its Engineering Technology (Advanced Manufacturing) associate degree is 60 credits and covers PLCs, CNC machines, hydraulics and pneumatics. It feeds technician roles.
Licensing. Senior roles on building and plant design often require a Florida PE license from the Florida Board of Professional Engineers. The path is an ABET-accredited degree, the FE exam, the PE exam and four years of experience for engineering graduates.
Out of state. Many firms here also recruit from outside the metro. See our expanding into Florida page.

What this means if you’re hiring

Do not benchmark to the national median. Jacksonville’s median is $4,610 below the US, but the 75th percentile of $129,960 is above Florida’s $128,320. Strong candidates expect offers near that line.
Expect Orlando to compete for mid-career people. Orlando’s 25th percentile is $11,860 above Jacksonville’s, so engineers with a few years of experience may look south.
Plan around long projects. The JEA plant runs to 2032, Johnson & Johnson to 2028 and the stadium to 2028, so contract and contract-to-hire roles can be extended.
Build from UNF and FSCJ. Pair UNF graduates with FSCJ technology graduates to fill design and technician roles together.

Need mechanical engineers in Jacksonville?

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

Call 813.701.2797 or see our Jacksonville engineering recruiters page.

Hire mechanical engineers

Frequently asked questions

How much do mechanical engineers make in Jacksonville?

The median mechanical engineer salary in metro Jacksonville is $99,500 a year, according to May 2025 BLS data. The middle half earn between $70,970 and $129,960, and the top 10% earn $152,090 or more.

Do mechanical engineers earn more in Jacksonville or Orlando?

Orlando, at the median. Its median is $103,380 against $99,500 in Jacksonville. Jacksonville’s top 10% earn more, $152,090 against $140,050. See our Orlando mechanical engineer talent map.

Who hires mechanical engineers in Jacksonville?

Design and mechanical firms such as Stellar, Haskell and RS&H, the utility JEA, manufacturers such as Johnson & Johnson, aviation employers such as Boeing, Fleet Readiness Center Southeast and Northrop Grumman, and the port authority JAXPORT.

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