Architecture and Engineering Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages O*NET task lead SOC 17-2141

Mechanical Engineers

O*NET task statements lead this Mechanical Engineers card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include Chemical Engineers, Civil Engineers, Electrical Engineers, Industrial Engineers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Mechanical Engineers: Chemical Engineers ($125K) , Civil Engineers ($101K) , Electrical Engineers ($121K) , Industrial Engineers ($102K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Mechanical Engineers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 17-2141 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Read and interpret blueprints, technical drawings, schematics, or computer-generated reports
  2. 2. Research, design, evaluate, install, operate, or maintain mechanical products, equipment, systems or processes to meet requirements
  3. 3. Specify system components or direct modification of products to ensure conformance with engineering design, performance specifications, o…
  4. 4. Confer with engineers or other personnel to implement operating procedures, resolve system malfunctions, or provide technical information
  5. 5. Design integrated mechanical or alternative systems, such as mechanical cooling systems with natural ventilation systems, to improve ener…
  6. 6. Calculate energy losses for buildings, using equipment such as computers, combustion analyzers, or pressure gauges
  7. 7. Investigate equipment failures or difficulties to diagnose faulty operation and recommend remedial actions
  8. 8. Recommend design modifications to eliminate machine or system malfunctions
  9. 9. Recommend the use of utility or energy services that minimize carbon footprints
  10. 10. Research and analyze customer design proposals, specifications, manuals, or other data to evaluate the feasibility, cost, or maintenance…
  11. 11. Perform personnel functions, such as supervision of production workers, technicians, technologists, or other engineers
  12. 12. Apply engineering principles or practices to emerging fields, such as robotics, waste management, or biomedical engineering

Mechanical Engineers: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 17-2141 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 3.9 ; lead knowledge Design. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 3.9
  2. 2. Active Listening 3.9
  3. 3. Critical Thinking 3.9
  4. 4. Mathematics 3.8
  5. 5. Science 3.8
  6. 6. Complex Problem Solving 3.8
  7. 7. Judgment and Decision Making 3.8
  8. 8. Active Learning 3.5

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Design 4.5
  2. 2. Engineering and Technology 4.5
  3. 3. Production and Processing 4.3
  4. 4. Mechanical 4.2
  5. 5. English Language 4.1
  6. 6. Mathematics 3.9
National median after O*NET task lead
$104,110
/year · 12 published task lines above
Lead task: Read and interpret blueprints, technical drawings, schematics, or computer-generated reports
$104K
National median
↑ +9%
Growth 2024-2034
18,100
Annual openings
296,810
Estimated US jobs
Chemical Engineers
Highest-pay peer · $125K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Mechanical Engineers

1. Louisiana $119,540
2. Massachusetts $119,300
3. Alaska $124,340
4. New Mexico $157,710
5. Colorado $124,430
6. Wyoming $117,750
7. Delaware $125,130
8. California $130,900
9. Maryland $122,870
10. District of Columbia $133,300

Other Architecture and Engineering Occupations titles

  1. 1. Electrical Engineers $120,630
  2. 2. Industrial Engineers $102,440
  3. 3. Civil Engineers $100,840
  4. 4. Marine Engineers and Naval Architects $112,230
  5. 5. Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers $106,220
  6. 6. Chemical Engineers $125,040

O*NET publishes 12 leading task statements for Mechanical Engineers (SOC 17-2141). The national OEWS median is $104,110 inside Architecture and Engineering Occupations. Same-group neighbors: Chemical Engineers, Civil Engineers, Electrical Engineers, Industrial Engineers. Lead published task: Read and interpret blueprints, technical drawings, schematics, or computer-generated reports.

Employment Projections expect +9% change between 2024 and 2034 (much faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 18,100 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: Louisiana at $119,540. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Chemical Engineers at $125,040. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Mechanical Engineers pay-rank #15 in Architecture and Engineering Occupations

Mechanical Engineers sits at pay-rank #15 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 17-2141 · national median $104,110 · middle third of Architecture and Engineering Occupations (#15/36). The day-to-day tasks above set this role apart from peers with a similar title.

Mechanical Engineers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 17-2141

Louisiana · top state for Mechanical Engineers

$120K published median

Massachusetts · #2 state pay

$119K · behind Louisiana

Chemical Engineers

Highest-pay peer vs Mechanical Engineers · $125K

Civil Engineers

Lower-pay peer beside Mechanical Engineers · $101K

Compare Mechanical Engineers

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

Role and task next reads

Mechanical 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 Mechanical Engineers mid-table among Architecture and Engineering Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #15 of 36 detailed Architecture and Engineering Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Industrial Engineers ($102K), Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers ($106K), Environmental Engineers ($107K), Civil Engineers ($101K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do mechanical engineers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Mechanical Engineers. Leading ones include: 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, o…; Confer with engineers or other personnel to implement operating procedures, resolve system malfunctions, or provide technical information. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for mechanical engineers? ▼
For SOC 17-2141, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (3.9), Active Listening (3.9), Critical Thinking (3.9), Mathematics (3.8). Knowledge areas emphasize Design, Engineering and Technology, Production and Processing. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Mechanical Engineers? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $104,110 as the national median for Mechanical Engineers. The published 10th-90th range is $73,990 to $164,340. Beside Chemical Engineers ($125,040), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Mechanical Engineers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Mechanical Engineers is +9%. Projected annual openings: about 18,100. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: much faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Mechanical Engineers? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Mechanical Engineers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Mechanical Engineers? ▼
Louisiana ($119,540), Massachusetts ($119,300), Alaska ($124,340) 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 Mechanical Engineers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 17-2141. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Mechanical 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