Architecture & Engineering
Industrial Engineers
SOC 17-2112
Eliminate waste and boost efficiency in systems ranging from factories to hospitals.
The job
Median pay
$102k
$84k to $129k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing fast
+12% projected
Openings a year
23k
BLS projection
Typical education
Bachelor's
Our model
AI displacement risk
High
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
8/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
81st pct
More exposed than 81% of occupations · modeled estimate · 81st pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
62/100
Key skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Monitoring
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 32,680 | 1.8 | 0.8× | $125k |
| Michigan | 30,990 | 7.0 | 3.0× | $102k |
| Texas | 30,980 | 2.2 | 0.9× | $105k |
| Ohio | 23,480 | 4.2 | 1.8× | $100k |
| Illinois | 18,640 | 3.1 | 1.3× | $101k |
| Minnesota | 17,580 | 6.0 | 2.5× | $103k |
| Florida | 14,050 | 1.4 | 0.6× | $102k |
| Pennsylvania | 13,180 | 2.2 | 0.9× | $100k |
| Wisconsin | 13,070 | 4.4 | 1.9× | $97k |
| New York | 11,810 | 1.2 | 0.5× | $103k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana | 11,680 | 3.6 | 1.6× | $97k |
| North Carolina | 11,580 | 2.3 | 1.0× | $99k |
| Massachusetts | 11,470 | 3.2 | 1.3× | $109k |
| Georgia | 8,940 | 1.8 | 0.8× | $100k |
| South Carolina | 7,960 | 3.5 | 1.5× | $101k |
| Alabama | 7,650 | 3.6 | 1.5× | $100k |
| Arizona | 7,520 | 2.3 | 1.0× | $108k |
| Tennessee | 7,440 | 2.3 | 1.0× | $99k |
| New Jersey | 6,870 | 1.6 | 0.7× | $104k |
| Washington | 6,130 | 1.7 | 0.7× | $129k |
| Kentucky | 6,070 | 3.0 | 1.3× | $97k |
| Connecticut | 6,020 | 3.5 | 1.5× | $104k |
| Oregon | 5,810 | 3.0 | 1.3× | $128k |
| Virginia | 5,580 | 1.4 | 0.6× | $103k |
| Utah | 5,520 | 3.2 | 1.4× | $104k |
| Colorado | 5,200 | 1.8 | 0.8× | $110k |
| Missouri | 5,070 | 1.7 | 0.7× | $99k |
| Maryland | 3,900 | 1.4 | 0.6× | $120k |
| Iowa | 3,600 | 2.3 | 1.0× | $98k |
| Kansas | 3,450 | 2.4 | 1.0× | $100k |
| Mississippi | 2,450 | 2.1 | 0.9× | $96k |
| Oklahoma | 2,170 | 1.3 | 0.5× | $98k |
| New Hampshire | 1,940 | 2.8 | 1.2× | $101k |
| Arkansas | 1,710 | 1.3 | 0.6× | $98k |
| Louisiana | 1,710 | 0.9 | 0.4× | $123k |
| Nevada | 1,570 | 1.0 | 0.4× | $102k |
| Idaho | 1,330 | 1.6 | 0.7× | $101k |
| Nebraska | 1,160 | 1.1 | 0.5× | $98k |
| New Mexico | 1,140 | 1.3 | 0.6× | $128k |
| Maine | 1,030 | 1.6 | 0.7× | $101k |
| Rhode Island | 990 | 2.0 | 0.8× | $109k |
| West Virginia | 850 | 1.2 | 0.5× | $108k |
| South Dakota | 830 | 1.8 | 0.8× | $93k |
| Delaware | 820 | 1.7 | 0.7× | $120k |
| North Dakota | 600 | 1.4 | 0.6× | $97k |
| Vermont | 440 | 1.4 | 0.6× | $103k |
| Montana | 390 | 0.8 | 0.3× | $104k |
| Wyoming | 240 | 0.9 | 0.4× | $122k |
| Alaska | 220 | 0.7 | 0.3× | $157k |
| Washington DC | 160 | 0.2 | 0.1× | $103k |
| Hawaii | 50 | 0.1 | 0.0× | $124k |
Top metro areas
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI17,350 jobs · $104k median
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI13,970 jobs · $105k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN12,750 jobs · $102k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA11,460 jobs · $113k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX10,680 jobs · $106k median
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH9,010 jobs · $119k median
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX8,620 jobs · $112k median
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ8,540 jobs · $106k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Industrial Engineers interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.