Architecture and Engineering Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages O*NET task lead SOC 17-2112

Industrial Engineers

O*NET task statements lead this Industrial Engineers card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include Nuclear Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors, Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Industrial Engineers: Nuclear Engineers ($134K) , Mechanical Engineers ($104K) , Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors ($115K) , Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers ($106K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Industrial Engineers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 17-2112 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Estimate production costs, cost saving methods, and the effects of product design changes on expenditures for management review, action…
  2. 2. Plan and establish sequence of operations to fabricate and assemble parts or products and to promote efficient utilization
  3. 3. Analyze statistical data and product specifications to determine standards and establish quality and reliability objectives of finished p…
  4. 4. Confer with clients, vendors, staff, and management personnel regarding purchases, product and production specifications, manufacturing c…
  5. 5. Communicate with management and user personnel to develop production and design standards
  6. 6. Evaluate precision and accuracy of production and testing equipment and engineering drawings to formulate corrective action plan
  7. 7. Recommend methods for improving utilization of personnel, material, and utilities
  8. 8. Record or oversee recording of information to ensure currency of engineering drawings and documentation of production problems
  9. 9. Draft and design layout of equipment, materials, and workspace to illustrate maximum efficiency using drafting tools and computer
  10. 10. Direct workers engaged in product measurement, inspection, and testing activities to ensure quality control and reliability
  11. 11. Develop manufacturing methods, labor utilization standards, and cost analysis systems to promote efficient staff and facility utilization
  12. 12. Review production schedules, engineering specifications, orders, and related information to obtain knowledge of manufacturing methods, pr…

Industrial Engineers: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 17-2112 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 4.0 ; lead knowledge Engineering and Technology. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 4.0
  2. 2. Active Listening 4.0
  3. 3. Critical Thinking 4.0
  4. 4. Speaking 3.9
  5. 5. Complex Problem Solving 3.9
  6. 6. Writing 3.8
  7. 7. Monitoring 3.4
  8. 8. Mathematics 3.3

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Engineering and Technology 4.4
  2. 2. Production and Processing 4.3
  3. 3. Mechanical 4.2
  4. 4. Design 4.1
  5. 5. English Language 4.0
  6. 6. Mathematics 3.9
National median after O*NET task lead
$102,440
/year · 12 published task lines above
Lead task: Estimate production costs, cost saving methods, and the effects of product design changes on expenditures for management review, action…
$102K
National median
↑ +11%
Growth 2024-2034
25,200
Annual openings
365,740
Estimated US jobs
Nuclear Engineers
Highest-pay peer · $134K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Industrial Engineers

1. Maryland $119,930
2. Louisiana $122,920
3. Alaska $156,510
4. Wyoming $122,070
5. Washington $129,050
6. California $124,600
7. New Mexico $128,090
8. Hawaii $123,800
9. Oregon $128,290
10. Delaware $120,190

Other Architecture and Engineering Occupations titles

  1. 1. Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors $115,160
  2. 2. Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers $106,220
  3. 3. Mechanical Engineers $104,110
  4. 4. Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers $109,370
  5. 5. Marine Engineers and Naval Architects $112,230
  6. 6. Nuclear Engineers $133,970

O*NET publishes 12 leading task statements for Industrial Engineers (SOC 17-2112). The national OEWS median is $102,440 inside Architecture and Engineering Occupations. Same-group neighbors: Nuclear Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors, Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers. Lead published task: Estimate production costs, cost saving methods, and the effects of product design changes on expenditures for management review, action….

Employment Projections expect +11% change between 2024 and 2034 (much faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 25,200 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Maryland at $119,930. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Nuclear Engineers at $133,970. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Industrial Engineers pay-rank #16 in Architecture and Engineering Occupations

Industrial Engineers sits at pay-rank #16 of 36 detailed Architecture and Engineering Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 17-2112 · national median $102,440 · middle third of Architecture and Engineering Occupations (#16/36). The day-to-day tasks above set this role apart from peers with a similar title.

Industrial Engineers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 17-2112

Maryland · top state for Industrial Engineers

$120K published median

Louisiana · #2 state pay

$123K · behind Maryland

Nuclear Engineers

Highest-pay peer vs Industrial Engineers · $134K

Mechanical Engineers

Lower-pay peer beside Industrial Engineers · $104K

Compare Industrial Engineers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Industrial Engineers with another occupation →

Role and task next reads

Industrial Engineers full salary map

State and metro OEWS after the task lead

Compare tasks and pay

Side-by-side with another occupation

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Industrial Engineers mid-table among Architecture and Engineering Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #16 of 36 detailed Architecture and Engineering Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Civil Engineers ($101K), Mechanical Engineers ($104K), Architects, Except Landscape and Naval ($99K), Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers ($106K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do industrial engineers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Industrial Engineers. Leading ones include: Estimate production costs, cost saving methods, and the effects of product design changes on expenditures for management review, action…; Plan and establish sequence of operations to fabricate and assemble parts or products and to promote efficient utilization; Analyze statistical data and product specifications to determine standards and establish quality and reliability objectives of finished p…; Confer with clients, vendors, staff, and management personnel regarding purchases, product and production specifications, manufacturing c…. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for industrial engineers? ▼
For SOC 17-2112, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (4.0), Active Listening (4.0), Critical Thinking (4.0), Speaking (3.9). Knowledge areas emphasize Engineering and Technology, Production and Processing, Mechanical. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Industrial Engineers? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $102,440 as the national median for Industrial Engineers. The published 10th-90th range is $74,370 to $159,860. Beside Nuclear Engineers ($133,970), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Industrial Engineers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Industrial Engineers is +11%. Projected annual openings: about 25,200. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: much faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Industrial Engineers? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Industrial Engineers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Industrial Engineers? ▼
Maryland ($119,930), Louisiana ($122,920), Alaska ($156,510) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Industrial Engineers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 17-2112. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Industrial Engineers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics