How much does a engineer make?
Answer: A typical engineer in the United States makes $122,930 a year (median, May 2025, US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Line up 100 people; this is the one in the middle (median). about 154,000 people work in this job. Well above the US-wide typical pay ($50,980).
If 100 people had this job
Lowest at bottom-left, highest at top-rightHover over a person to see their yearly pay
Engineer pay in the United States (May 2025, median and spread)
| Lower earner (10th from bottom) | Typical person (median) | Higher earner (10th from top) | People in this job |
|---|---|---|---|
| $66,810 | $122,930 | $189,950 | about 154,000 |
| State | Typical person (median) | People in this job |
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | $162,070 | about 2,000 |
| Alabama | $152,550 | about 3,000 |
| District of Columbia | $151,920 | about 4,000 |
| Virginia | $148,160 | about 5,000 |
| Washington | $134,570 | about 4,000 |
Why does pay differ?
In the U.S., more experience, useful licenses, and hard-to-find skills in a specialty can lead to higher pay; pay also changes with location, employer, or industry. Hours and responsibility can matter too, while skill usually matters more than fame.
What if you lived in a different state?
Pay varies a lot by state in the USTop 5 and bottom 3 states, typical (median) yearly pay.
What does a engineer do?
All engineers not listed separately. Excludes “Sales Engineers” (41-9031), “Locomotive Engineers” (53-4011), and “Ship Engineers” (53-5031).
What's a typical day like?
A robotics engineer, one specialty in this broad group, might review a design and build or test a robot. They check sensor results, debug its program, and record changes.
How to get this job
In the U.S., many start work in their early 20s after a related engineering bachelor's degree; internships help. If a job needs a PE license, the usual path is an accredited degree, the FE exam, about four years of experience, and the PE exam.
Did you know?
The “All Other” group includes robotics, photonics, and nanosystems engineers, plus separate wind- and solar-energy engineering specialties.
What about Japan?
Nearly the same jobThe US figure is the median and the Japan figure is the average, so it's not a perfect comparison. Prices differ too.
Similar jobs
Jobs using similar skills (O*NET)Earn more in the same field
Architecture and Engineering jobs that pay a bit moreSources and data
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (bls.gov); descriptions and related jobs from O*NET 31.0. Figures as of May 2025, full-time yearly pay (hourly × 2,080 hours). bls.gov/oes · O*NET OnLine
Pages used for the text
- www.onetonline.org/link/summary/17-2199.00
- www.onetonline.org/link/summary/17-2199.08
- www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2015/article/print/wage-differences.htm
- www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2018/article/engineers.htm?view_full
- ncees.org/engineering/engineering-licensure
- www.bls.gov/oes/2023/May/oes172199.htm
Data: US BLS OEWS, May 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY