Highest-paying jobs in engineering
The 18 engineering occupations BLS publishes, ranked by national median pay, with the education each typically needs to enter.
The highest-paying engineering occupation is Architectural and Engineering Managers, with a BLS national median of $171,270 a year (May 2025). 17 of the 18 engineering occupations BLS publishes have a median of $100,000 or more.
All 18 occupations
Data BLS OEWS May 2025 national median annual wages.
| # | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Typical entry-level education | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $171,270 | $82.34 | Bachelor's degree | 220,260 |
| 2 | Computer Hardware Engineer | $161,740 | $77.76 | Bachelor's degree | 76,660 |
| 3 | Petroleum Engineer | $144,910 | $69.67 | Bachelor's degree | 18,060 |
| 4 | Aerospace Engineer | $134,960 | $64.89 | Bachelor's degree | 67,710 |
| 5 | Nuclear Engineer | $133,970 | $64.41 | Bachelor's degree | 15,280 |
| 6 | Electronics Engineer | $130,220 | $62.60 | Bachelor's degree | 96,900 |
| 7 | Chemical Engineer | $125,040 | $60.12 | Bachelor's degree | 21,070 |
| 8 | Electrical Engineer | $120,630 | $58.00 | Bachelor's degree | 198,750 |
| 9 | Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors | $115,160 | $55.36 | Bachelor's degree | 21,450 |
| 10 | Materials Engineer | $112,860 | $54.26 | Bachelor's degree | 22,770 |
| 11 | Marine Engineers and Naval Architects | $112,230 | $53.96 | Bachelor's degree | 8,250 |
| 12 | Biomedical Engineer | $109,370 | $52.58 | Bachelor's degree | 23,480 |
| 13 | Environmental Engineer | $107,110 | $51.50 | Bachelor's degree | 38,340 |
| 14 | Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers | $106,220 | $51.07 | Bachelor's degree | 6,080 |
| 15 | Mechanical Engineer | $104,110 | $50.05 | Bachelor's degree | 296,810 |
| 16 | Industrial Engineer | $102,440 | $49.25 | Bachelor's degree | 365,740 |
| 17 | Civil Engineer | $100,840 | $48.48 | Bachelor's degree | 367,840 |
| 18 | Agricultural Engineer | $98,590 | $47.40 | Bachelor's degree | 1,480 |
Pay versus size
Data The largest engineering occupation by employment is Civil Engineer (367,840 employed, median $100,840). The median of the 18 occupation medians is not a BLS figure and is not shown; each row is the occupation's own BLS median.
How this page is built
Occupations in BLS engineers (SOC 17-2000) and architectural and engineering managers (11-9041), ranked by BLS national median annual wage (OEWS May 2025); BLS residual “all other” categories are left out. Education is the BLS typical entry-level education, not a legal requirement.
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- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025–35 (released Aug 27, 2026; public domain): typical entry-level education, work experience, on-the-job training, projected change and annual openings.