Talent Maps / Tampa / Industrial and Manufacturing Engineers

Tampa Industrial and Manufacturing Engineer Talent Map (2026)

What industrial and manufacturing engineers earn in metro Tampa, which manufacturers, distributors and port operators employ them, where in the metro they work, and the logistics and defense projects competing for them.

Hiring manufacturing engineers in Tampa?

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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area, which spans Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando 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 Tampa mechanical, controls and electrical engineer talent maps.

$100,670Median industrial engineer pay in metro TampaBLS, May 2025

$144,030+What the top 10% of Tampa industrial engineers earnBLS, May 2025

550M sq ftDistribution space on the Tampa Bay and Orlando I-4 corridorTampa Bay EDC

3,000+People at Amazon’s Ruskin fulfillment centerTampa Bay EDC

3,000+Jabil employees across three Tampa Bay manufacturing sitesJabil, March 2026

$1.3BPlanned channel deepening and widening at Port Tampa BayBusiness Observer, 2026

Industrial engineer salaries in Tampa

The median industrial engineer in metro Tampa earns $100,670 a year, $940 below the Florida median of $101,610 and $1,770 below the national median of $102,440. The hourly median is $48.40. Tampa’s pay falls short mainly at the top. Its 90th percentile is $144,030, against $156,560 in Florida and $159,860 nationally, a gap of more than $12,000.

Annual pay percentile	Tampa metro	Florida	United States
10th percentile	$62,770	$68,850	$74,370
25th percentile	$78,520	$81,480	$83,600
Median	$100,670	$101,610	$102,440
75th percentile	$123,830	$127,650	$129,250
90th percentile	$144,030	$156,560	$159,860

Industrial Engineers (SOC 17-2112). 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 $59,500 in Tampa, below the national $66,120. Pay ranges from $45,700 at the 10th percentile to $82,350 at the 90th.

Orlando pays more, with a median of $104,920, which is $4,250 above Tampa. Miami’s median is $103,740, and Jacksonville’s is $100,950, just above Tampa’s. Tampa’s 10th percentile of $62,770 is the lowest of the four metros, so entry-level offers here run lower than elsewhere in Florida. See our Orlando industrial engineer talent map.

Where Tampa’s industrial engineers work

Electronics and defense manufacturing

Jabil, founded in 1966 and headquartered in St. Petersburg, has more than 3,000 employees at three sites in the area and is funding manufacturing training at St. Petersburg College.

Raytheon (RTX) employs more than 1,000 people in Largo on engineering, manufacturing and supply chain work, including assembly and test automation. Tampa Brass & Aluminum is adding $58 million of machinery and 50 jobs.

Fulfillment and distribution

Tampa Bay EDC lists Amazon, Coca-Cola, Gordon Food Service, Home Depot, Sysco and Penske among distribution employers. Amazon’s Ruskin center has more than 3,000 employees.

NXTPoint Logistics is opening a 193,000-square-foot third-party logistics center in Hillsborough County, with up to 62 jobs.

Port Tampa Bay

The port aims to reach 1 million TEUs a year under its Vision 2030 plan. In 2026 it added the Sesco cement terminal at Port Redwing, finished a $36 million Cemex aggregates terminal expansion and received two new post-Panamax cranes.

Hospital operations

Tampa General’s $520 million tower adds 144 beds and 32 operating suites in 2027, and its $550 million master plan runs through 2026.

Where the talent sits: Tampa submarkets

St. Petersburg, Largo and Pinellas County

ElectronicsDefense

Jabil’s headquarters is in St. Petersburg. The STAR Center in Largo, anchored by RTX, holds more than 21 businesses and 1,700 employees.

Ruskin and South Hillsborough

Fulfillment

Amazon’s Ruskin fulfillment center has more than 3,000 employees.

The I-4 corridor and Plant City

WarehousingDistribution

Spectrum News reported in June 2026 on a 229,000-square-foot Sabal Park warehouse and a new T.J. Maxx facility in Plant City, as warehouse demand grows along I-4.

The port district

BulkContainersCruise

Port Tampa Bay reports about $18 billion in annual economic impact. Channel dredging is set to begin in 2027.

What’s driving demand for industrial engineers in Tampa

Warehouse growth. Tampa Bay EDC counts more than 550 million square feet of distribution space across the Tampa Bay and Orlando I-4 corridor and 54% employment growth in logistics over five years. A Lee & Associates executive tied the demand to population growth and migration.
Port expansion. The $1.3 billion channel project, new container cranes due to be running by the end of 2026, and a $24 million federal grant for Port Redwing all add cargo-handling work.
Electronics manufacturing. Jabil is marking its 60th year in 2026 and is paying for soldering and mechatronics training at St. Petersburg College, which shows where it wants to build talent.
Defense production. Tampa Brass & Aluminum announced $58 million of new machinery on September 18, 2026 for Air Force and Navy work, and RTX’s Largo plant lists assembly and test automation as a core skill.
Healthcare capacity. Tampa General’s tower and Moffitt’s Speros campus both add large new operating capacity.

Industrial specialties tied to these employers

Manufacturing and process engineers for electronics, defense and precision machining plants.
Warehouse layout and automation engineers for fulfillment and third-party logistics centers. See our guide to hiring a manufacturing engineer.
Supply chain and port operations engineers for cargo, cement and aggregates terminals.
Quality and continuous improvement engineers for hospitals and regulated manufacturers.

The talent pipeline

University of South Florida. USF’s College of Engineering includes a department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering. The Monica Wooden Center for Supply Chain Management & Sustainability on the Tampa campus is described as a first of its kind in Florida.
St. Petersburg College. Jabil’s $1.1 million, three-year gift supports certifications in soldering and mechatronics, and curriculum and scholarships.
Licensing. Industrial engineers do not always need a PE license. When a role calls for one, it is issued by the Florida Board of Professional Engineers after an ABET-accredited degree, the FE and PE exams and qualifying experience.

What this means if you’re hiring

Expect Orlando to compete. Its median of $104,920 is $4,250 above Tampa’s, and distribution work runs along the whole I-4 corridor.
Entry-level offers can run lower. Tampa’s 10th percentile is $62,770, against $68,850 for Florida, so graduate pay needs less room than in other metros.
Price senior roles at the 75th percentile. Plan on $123,830 or more, and note that the 90th percentile of $144,030 is well below the national $159,860.
Use the training pipelines. Jabil’s gift to St. Petersburg College and USF’s supply chain center build local supply for technician and engineer roles.

Need manufacturing engineers in Tampa?

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 813.701.2797 or see our Tampa engineering recruiters page.

Hire manufacturing engineers

Frequently asked questions

How much do industrial engineers make in Tampa?

The median industrial engineer salary in metro Tampa is $100,670 a year, according to May 2025 BLS data. The middle half earn between $78,520 and $123,830, and the top 10% earn $144,030 or more.

Do industrial engineers earn more in Tampa or Orlando?

Orlando. Its median is $104,920, against $100,670 in Tampa, and its 90th percentile is $160,650 against $144,030. See our Orlando industrial engineer talent map.

Who hires industrial engineers in Tampa?

Manufacturers such as Jabil, Raytheon (RTX) and Tampa Brass & Aluminum, distribution employers such as Amazon, Sysco, Home Depot and Penske, Port Tampa Bay and its terminal operators, and hospital systems such as Tampa General and Moffitt.

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