Mechanical Engineer vs Automotive Engineer: pay, outlook, education and work, side by side.
Every row comes from one named source and says which career leads on that one dimension. There is no overall score.
Mechanical Engineer vs Automotive Engineer: BLS reports both under one occupation (SOC 17-2141), so pay and projections are identical; O*NET describes the two separately. The shared occupation's national median annual wage is $104,110 (BLS, May 2025) and BLS projects its national employment to change +11.2% from 2025 to 2035. Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree vs Bachelor's degree. Which fits better depends on what you value; the table shows who leads on each dimension, with no overall winner.
Side by side
Data Differences smaller than a stated threshold read “About the same” (pay 5%, growth 2 points, openings 10%, one education level, ORS 10 points, O*NET 0.2).
Pick what matters to you; the matching rows are highlighted. Nothing is combined into a score.
| Dimension · source | Mechanical EngineerSOC 17-2141 | Automotive EngineerSOC 17-2141 | Leads on this dimension |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wageBLS OEWS, May 2025 (national) · Same BLS occupation for both titles: identical figures. | $104,110 | $104,110 | Same BLS figure |
| EmploymentBLS OEWS, May 2025 · Same BLS occupation: identical figures. | 296,810 | 296,810 | Same BLS figure |
| Projected employment change, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) · Same BLS occupation: identical figures. | +11.2% | +11.2% | Same BLS figure |
| Projected numeric change in jobs, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) · A count, not a rate: it scales with the size of the occupation. | +33,500 jobs | +33,500 jobs | Same BLS figure |
| Projected openings (annual average)BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35 · Same BLS occupation: identical figures. | 17,800 a year | 17,800 a year | Same BLS figure |
| Typical entry-level educationBLS Employment Projections · typical, not a legal requirement · Same BLS occupation: identical figures. | Bachelor's degree | Bachelor's degree | Same BLS figure |
| Typical work experience in a related occupationBLS Employment Projections · Same BLS occupation: identical figures. | None | None | Same BLS figure |
| Typical on-the-job trainingBLS Employment Projections · Same BLS occupation: identical figures. | None | None | Same BLS figure |
| Pressure level (O*NET, 1–5; lower = less)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 2.83 | 2.96 | About the same |
| Social-contact level (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context · not ranked: neither direction is better | 3.92 | 3.90 | Not ranked |
| Freedom to make decisions (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 4.25 | 4.00 | Mechanical Engineer |
| Work styles O*NET rates most importantO*NET® 31.0 work styles (occupation ratings, not a personality test) | Attention to Detail, Dependability, Innovation | Attention to Detail, Innovation, Dependability | Not ranked |
Choose based on what matters to you
Data Each line restates a measured difference from the table; nothing here predicts how you will feel about a job.
- more decision-making freedom matters (4.25 vs 4.00)
Which skills each one leans on
Data O*NET 31.0 skill ratings: level (0–7) and importance.
Skill-profile match: 82% (similarity of the two O*NET skill profiles, importance × level; 100% = identical).
- Installation (+2.1 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Equipment Maintenance (+1.9 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Repairing (+1.8 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Troubleshooting (+0.8 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Technology Design (+3.9 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Programming (+0.6 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Critical Thinking (+0.6 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Mathematics (+0.4 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
What each career involves
Data Core tasks from O*NET 31.0.
Mechanical Engineer
- Read and interpret blueprints, technical drawings, schematics, or computer-generated reports.
- Research, design, evaluate, install, operate, or maintain mechanical products, equipment, systems or processes to meet requirements.
- Specify system components or direct modification of products to ensure conformance with engineering design, performance specifications, or environmental regulations.
- Confer with engineers or other personnel to implement operating procedures, resolve system malfunctions, or provide technical information.
Automotive Engineer
- Conduct or direct system-level automotive testing.
- Provide technical direction to other engineers or engineering support personnel.
- Perform failure, variation, or root cause analyses.
- Calibrate vehicle systems, including control algorithms or other software systems.
Moving between these careers
Data The comparison shows which; the career-change guides show how.
- Mechanical Engineer → Automotive Engineer: skills to build: Technology Design, Programming, Critical Thinking. Careers after Mechanical Engineer
- Automotive Engineer → Mechanical Engineer: skills to build: Installation, Equipment Maintenance, Repairing.
Go deeper
Mechanical Engineer career hub · Mechanical Engineer salary · Mechanical Engineer how to become · Mechanical Engineer career change
Common questions
Which pays more, Mechanical Engineer or Automotive Engineer?
Which is growing faster?
Which is better?
How this page is built
BLS reports both under one occupation (SOC 17-2141), so pay and projections are identical; O*NET describes the two separately. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025 national median for each occupation's SOC code. Outlook: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 (growth, numeric change and annual openings are separate metrics). Requirements rows: 2025 preliminary BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, shown only when both roles have detailed-occupation estimates. Work environment: O*NET 31.0 work context. This page includes information from the O*NET® 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. TryHired has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Searches this page answers include “mechanical engineer vs automotive engineer”, “automotive engineer vs mechanical engineer salary”, “automotive engineer vs mechanical engineer” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
- Any one employer's pay, schedule or culture.
- Job security, ease of hiring or work-life balance: these are not measured here.
- Which career you will prefer: the rows describe the occupations, not you.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 national projections (growth, openings, typical entry-level education and experience).
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025 estimates (preliminary: two of the third wave's samples, collected August 2023 to July 2025; released January 16, 2026), public domain.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (all jobs, including self-employed).