How Much Do Mechanical Engineers Make in 2021 (including Starting Salary)

Stan T.Career, SalaryLeave a Comment

Annual Salary, Salary Range, and Highest Paying States and Industries

Mechanical Engineers

Mechanical Engineers perform engineering duties in planning and designing tools, engines, machines, and other mechanically functioning equipment. Oversee installation, operation, maintenance, and repair of equipment such as centralized heat, gas, water, and steam systems.

Salary
$95560
Becoming One
Hard
Education
Bachelor's degree
Job Satisfaction
Job Growth

Personality
Interest Match



Table of contents
  1. Average salary
  2. Starting salary
  3. Salary rank
  4. Salary range
  5. Highest paying states
  6. Highest paying industries

Average salary

Annual salary
$95560 per year
Hourly wage
$46 per hour

Starting salary

Entry-level annual salary
$58,410 to $71,880 per year
Entry-level hourly wage
$28 to $35 per hour

Entry-level Mechanical Engineers with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $58,410 to $71,880 per year or $28 to $35 per hour. Similar to any other job, their salary will increase as they gain experience.

Salary rank

Salary rank
A

We wanted to make it easy for our readers to compare the salary of Mechanical Engineers to all the other careers out there. So we created Salary Rank. We compared the salary of all careers then we gave them a rank of A, B, C, or D depending on where their average salary sit in comparison to other careers.

Salary range

Level Hourly Annual
Highest (Top 10%) $68 $141,060
Senior (Top 25%) $55 $114,380
Middle (Mid 50%) $43 $90,160
Junior (Bottom 25%) $35 $71,880
No experience (Bottom 10%) $28 $58,410

Highest paying states

State Hourly Annual
NM $56 $117,180
DC $56 $115,860
MD $54 $112,090
CA $53 $110,070
LA $51 $106,090
DE $51 $106,040
MA $51 $105,250
CO $50 $104,120
TX $49 $102,660
AK $49 $102,090

Another simple way to increase your salary as a Mechanical Engineer is to move to a higher paying state. However moving to a higher paying state like NM doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the expenses at NM might be much higher than where you are currently living at right now.

According to BLS, the highest paid Mechanical Engineers are in the states of NM, DC, MD, CA and LA.

Highest paying industries

Salary by industry Annual Hourly
Other Pipeline Transportation $127170 $61.14
Waste Treatment and Disposal $122400 $58.84
Oil and Gas Extraction $117000 $56.25
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing $115470 $55.51
Insurance Carriers $114160 $54.88
Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories $111240 $53.48
Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services $110210 $52.99
Office Administrative Services $110190 $52.98
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods $108220 $52.03
Scientific Research and Development Services $107930 $51.89
Chemical Manufacturing $107780 $51.82
Software Publishers $107400 $51.64
Remediation and Other Waste Management Services $107230 $51.55
Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing $107020 $51.45
Spectator Sports $105620 $50.78
Computer Systems Design and Related Services $105140 $50.55
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution $105120 $50.54
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing $104710 $50.34
State Government $103890 $49.95
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services $103750 $49.88
Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil $103560 $49.79
Support Activities for Rail Transportation $103150 $49.59
Federal Executive Branch $103050 $49.54
Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing $102730 $49.39
Nonresidential Building Construction $102210 $49.14
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing $102200 $49.13
Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing $102020 $49.05
Management of Companies and Enterprises $100730 $48.43
Rail Transportation $100640 $48.39
Specialized Design Services $100590 $48.36

Explore Other Careers

Don’t know which career to pursue?

Take the career quiz to find careers that match your personality type. Take The Career Quiz

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.