Average Engineer Salary

Engineer – salary, earnings and starting salary

Here you can find insightful information about the salary of an engineer. What is the starting salary for engineers in America per month and what is your future salary with more professional experience per year? EnİyiMeslekler has summarized the most important information for you.

Are you looking for a job as an engineer? On EnİyiMeslekler you receive free job offers and job inquiries from employers who are looking for engineers.

What is the starting salary for engineers?

In the work of an engineer in particular, there are many different characteristics that influence the salary and especially the starting salary. It starts with the respective course of study. A civil engineer has a different salary than, for example, a mechanical engineer or an industrial engineer.

So what does the salary look like after two years as a young professional and how do I develop it with five years of professional experience or even ten years?

  • The salary as a junior engineer is around $ 47,000 to $ 54,000.
  • The salary as an experienced engineer is around $ 57,000 to $ 70,000.
  • The salary as a senior engineer is around $ 62,000 to $ 96,000.

Dependency of salary engineer on professional experience:

Engineer

Salary

Junior engineer

$ 47,000 to $ 54,000

Engineer (with professional experience)

$ 57,000 to $ 70,000

Senior engineer

$ 62,000 to $ 96,000

Those who do a doctorate in engineering can look forward to an impressive starting salary of around $ 56,000, but a doctorate is extremely time-consuming and is rarely sought. Engineers with a doctorate are often classified as overqualified and do not need their title in their actual professional life, which is why the doctorate is usually completed in cooperation with a company.

As already mentioned, the salary for engineers depends heavily on the respective profession. The career options of an engineer are very broad, from civil, chemical and mechanical engineers to electrical engineers, everything is included. Accordingly, the professional field of a sound engineer, for example, has almost nothing to do with that of the aerospace engineer, and consequently the salary within the various professions is very different.

“You ask yourself: How do I become an engineer?”

On EnİyiMeslekler you can create your free job match and find out how well your skills match your dream job as an engineer.

How is the salary of engineers developing?

What influencing factors are there when it comes to salaries for engineers?

You already know that the various industries have a great influence on the salary and of course the salary development of an engineer, but what other factors determine the salary in this field of work? We have put together the most important points for you here.

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Degree: Bachelor/Master

You are asking yourself: How much do you earn as an engineer with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree?

Overview > job description engineer

In order to start working as an engineer, you need at least a bachelor’s degree. Of course, you can score particularly well with a completed master’s degree, which then also affects your starting salary.

EnİyiMeslekler gives you an overview of the differences in the salary of engineers with Bachelor and Master:

  • With a degree with a bachelor’s degree, the salary for engineers is around 40,500 $ to 50,500 $ per year
  • With a degree with a master’s degree, the salary for engineers is around $ 43,000 to $ 54,000 per year

These salaries are particularly attractive to the new high school graduates. Those who start their studies at an early age and accordingly also continuously exert their bachelor’s degree and thus have their academic degree in their pocket early on, can earn so much at the age of 25.

Although the difference between the starting salaries with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree is not the end of the world, the Master brings you one thing above all else: an education that is both subject-specific and general science perfect. A master’s degree is the right first step, especially if you want to keep climbing the career ladder in the job of engineer.

Industry

Now, of course, the question arises: What are the top salaries in the various industries?

Every branch of industry confronts the specially trained engineer with different, difficult tasks. A chemical and petroleum engineering engineer couldn’t really take on the telecommunications engineering job, and neither could they. This is how the starting salaries of engineers are distributed depending on responsibility, area of ​​work and industry.

How much do you earn in which industry as an engineer at the beginning of your career?

Branch

Gross salary (month)

Gross salary (year)

Chemical and petroleum processing industries

4,398 $

$ 52,782

Vehicle construction/suppliers

4,336 $

$ 52,036

Aerospace

4,202 $

50,426 $

Electrical engineering, precision mechanics and optics

4,139 $

49,669 $

Pharmaceutical industry

4,131 $

$ 49,577

Metal industry

4,099 $

49,198 $

Medical technology

4,005 $

$ 48,061

Mechanical and plant engineering

7,776 $

$ 93,312

Energy and water supply and disposal

3,848 $

46,182 $

Construction/industry

3,498 $

41,978 $

As the list shows, the chemical and pharmaceutical industries are at the top. Engineers in America really earn the best in these industries. As an aerospace engineer or automotive engineer, you not only have a really demanding and interesting job, but also a respectable salary.

But there are also industries, such as software and IT, where there is growing potential for growth in terms of starting salaries.

Size and location

How much do you earn as an engineer in a medium sized company or in a corporation?

With your degree certificate from your engineering studies, the big world of work is now wide open to you. The question now is: where do you start and how does this decision affect your salary?

Dependence of the engineer salary on the company size:

Company size

Gross salary (month)

Gross salary (year)

Up to 500 employees

4,140 $

49,680 $

501 to 1,000 employees

4,931 $

59,172 $

Over 1,000 employees

6,062 $

72,744 $

Deciding on the size of a company to apply for is crucial to the job. Both small start-ups and global corporations have advantages and disadvantages.

For example, the working atmosphere in a smaller company is usually more familiar, but the salary is often lower because the company is just getting started. In large corporations, the world looks completely different again. The salary is usually higher, but it can be that you have a very impersonal relationship with your colleagues.

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Dependency of the engineer salary on the federal state:

Federal state

Gross salary (month)

Gross salary (year)

California

$ 5,476

65,712 $

Texas

5,145 $

$ 61,740

Florida

4,296 $

$ 51,552

New York

3,907 $

$ 46,884

Illinois

4,902 $

58,824 $

Ohio

$ 4,882

$ 58,584

Georgia

5,163 $

$ 61,956

North Carolina

$ 3,770

45,240 $

Michigan

4,916 $

58,992 $

New Jersey

5,121 $

$ 61,452

Virginia

$ 4,793

$ 57,516

Washington

$ 5,447

65,364 $

Arizona

$ 3,787

45,444 $

Arizona-Anhalt

3,638 $

43,656 $

Tennessee

4,329 $

$ 51,948

Indiana

4,023 $

48,276 $

Work experience

How much salary does an engineer with professional experience get?

When working as an engineer, it is not only the degree, the industry and the size and location of the company that are important for the salary development. Work experience also has a great influence.

Several years of professional experience give you a comprehensive understanding of the work of an engineer, you learn what really matters in your work environment and internalize the processes and individual workflow of your company. This routine really pays off at the end of the month with a higher paycheck.

The best way to get an insight into different companies and ways of working is as an intern and maybe even during an internship during your studies. Even after your studies, it can be very useful to gain insights through various internships. This can give you the reassurance that you are really landing in your dream job and your dream company. On our page about internships after graduation, you can find out more aspects that speak in favor of an internship before your actual entry into the big, wide professional world.

Summary > job description engineer:

Graduates who start project management in engineering after completing their studies can achieve very high salary jumps.

To do this, it is important to develop your skills and abilities in such a way that they are in demand as an engineer and also gain practical experience.

Continuing education

What effects does continuing education have on the salary as an engineer?

You never really stop learning in life and that is especially true for your own professional life, because humanity never really stands still. Certain job descriptions change again and again and acquire a new task for which they need a special qualification.

Of course, such developments must also be passed on and disseminated. So that your (future) employer can really see in black and white that you have mastered a certain process, for example, selected certificates will help you. With the right certificates, you can not only stand out as an employee, but also increase your salary significantly at the next salary negotiation.

That is why EnİyiMeslekler has selected the most prestigious and important certifications and further training for the job of engineers and listed them below:

Special features: Salary engineers

Particularly noteworthy is the really excellent salary in any area of ​​engineering. Anyone who ponders the whole day about the improvement of the technical and mechanical processes of machines, electrical circuits, medical devices should also receive appropriate remuneration. “Nothing to swear to the engineer,” said Daniel Düsentrieb.

The top salaries in the engineering industry are among the top earnings in America, salaries between $ 70,000 and $ 80,000 or even up to $ 90,000 annually are not uncommon among engineers with more than 10 years of experience, but all the thick pay slips are waiting, especially in the positions with personnel responsibility. The average for employees with personnel and management responsibility, such as project managers in development, is 101,400 $ per year.

For tips on salary negotiation for an engineer, see the career guide article Salary Negotiation.

Conclusion

As you can see, there is no general way of saying how much an engineer earns. The salary range is wide and depends on various aspects. The most important facts are now at a glance:

  • The starting salary of engineers is on average 49,500 $. With a peak salary of $ 97,500, it can rise very sharply.
  • With a bachelor’s degree, engineers earn between 40,000-50,500 $. A master’s degree earns an average of between $ 43,000 and $ 54,000 a year.
  • An engineer is probably best paid in the chemical and oil processing industry in a large corporation in California.

Finally a…

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