Architecture & Engineering
Mechanical Engineers
SOC 17-2141
Design machines and mechanical systems, from engines to medical devices.
The job
Median pay
$104k
$84k to $133k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing fast
+11% projected
Openings a year
18k
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
7/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
77th pct
More exposed than 77% of occupations · modeled estimate · 82nd pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
61/100
Key skills
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Mathematics
- Writing
- Speaking
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. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 34,630 | 7.9 | 4.1× | $105k |
| California | 30,530 | 1.7 | 0.9× | $131k |
| Texas | 22,080 | 1.6 | 0.8× | $112k |
| Ohio | 14,390 | 2.6 | 1.4× | $99k |
| Pennsylvania | 13,550 | 2.2 | 1.2× | $98k |
| Illinois | 11,790 | 1.9 | 1.0× | $103k |
| Florida | 10,740 | 1.1 | 0.6× | $100k |
| North Carolina | 9,560 | 1.9 | 1.0× | $101k |
| Indiana | 8,690 | 2.7 | 1.4× | $100k |
| New York | 8,590 | 0.9 | 0.5× | $102k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 8,240 | 2.3 | 1.2× | $110k |
| Massachusetts | 7,680 | 2.1 | 1.1× | $119k |
| Virginia | 7,470 | 1.8 | 0.9× | $104k |
| Wisconsin | 7,470 | 2.5 | 1.3× | $96k |
| Colorado | 7,190 | 2.5 | 1.3× | $124k |
| Maryland | 6,550 | 2.4 | 1.2× | $123k |
| Minnesota | 5,890 | 2.0 | 1.1× | $99k |
| South Carolina | 5,780 | 2.5 | 1.3× | $105k |
| Alabama | 5,623 | 2.7 | 1.4× | $100k~ |
| Georgia | 5,290 | 1.1 | 0.6× | $101k |
| Arizona | 5,050 | 1.6 | 0.8× | $100k |
| Missouri | 4,870 | 1.7 | 0.9× | $99k |
| Kansas | 4,630 | 3.2 | 1.7× | $86k |
| Connecticut | 4,600 | 2.7 | 1.4× | $105k |
| New Jersey | 4,180 | 1.0 | 0.5× | $112k |
| Kentucky | 4,170 | 2.1 | 1.1× | $101k |
| Tennessee | 3,930 | 1.2 | 0.6× | $100k |
| Iowa | 3,470 | 2.2 | 1.2× | $98k |
| Utah | 3,370 | 1.9 | 1.0× | $103k |
| Oregon | 2,920 | 1.5 | 0.8× | $103k |
| New Hampshire | 2,760 | 4.0 | 2.1× | $104k |
| New Mexico | 2,710 | 3.1 | 1.6× | $158k |
| Oklahoma | 2,270 | 1.3 | 0.7× | $102k |
| Louisiana | 1,890 | 1.0 | 0.5× | $120k |
| Mississippi | 1,570 | 1.3 | 0.7× | $98k |
| Rhode Island | 1,560 | 3.1 | 1.6× | $116k |
| Arkansas | 1,410 | 1.1 | 0.6× | $80k |
| Nevada | 1,410 | 0.9 | 0.5× | $103k |
| Idaho | 1,070 | 1.2 | 0.7× | $93k |
| Nebraska | 950 | 0.9 | 0.5× | $88k |
| Maine | 890 | 1.4 | 0.7× | $102k |
| North Dakota | 790 | 1.8 | 1.0× | $86k |
| West Virginia | 760 | 1.1 | 0.6× | $97k |
| Delaware | 610 | 1.3 | 0.7× | $125k |
| South Dakota | 560 | 1.2 | 0.6× | $88k |
| Hawaii | 530 | 0.8 | 0.4× | $99k |
| Vermont | 530 | 1.7 | 0.9× | $107k |
| Washington DC | 510 | 0.7 | 0.4× | $133k |
| Montana | 500 | 1.0 | 0.5× | $94k |
| Alaska | 380 | 1.2 | 0.6× | $124k |
| Wyoming | 230 | 0.8 | 0.4× | $118k |
Top metro areas
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI22,500 jobs · $109k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA8,780 jobs · $124k median
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX8,310 jobs · $125k median
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ6,960 jobs · $110k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN6,900 jobs · $102k median
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH6,890 jobs · $119k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX5,600 jobs · $105k median
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA5,540 jobs · $168k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Mechanical 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.