Pay for mechanical engineers is unusually consistent across the country: $72,780 at the bottom of the range, $168,030 at the top, a spread of only 2.31×. Where you work matters less for this role than it does for most — which usually points to pay being set by structure (scales, licensure, collective agreements) rather than local bidding.
Ten per cent of mechanical engineers earn below $73,990 and ten per cent above $164,340 — a 2.22× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 58%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA) leads and West Arkansas nonmetropolitan area () trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $168,030 | $80.79 | 2.56 | 5,540 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $161,370 | $77.58 | 1.14 | 5,150 |
| Northern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area | $157,710 | $75.82 | 6.93 | 1,120 |
| Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area | $139,320 | $66.98 | 0.27 | 50 |
| Baton Rouge LA | $135,530 | $65.16 | 0.69 | 540 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA | $132,920 | $63.91 | 0.99 | 190 |
| Alaska nonmetropolitan area | $132,790 | $63.84 | 0.29 | 60 |
| Salinas CA | $132,560 | $63.73 | 0.19 | 70 |
| Northeast Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $129,750 | $62.38 | 3.53 | 390 |
| Augusta-Richmond County GA-SC | $128,740 | $61.90 | 2.21 | 980 |
| Peoria IL | $128,710 | $61.88 | 6.7 | 2,120 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $128,180 | $61.62 | 1.47 | 4,530 |
| Columbus IN | $127,700 | $61.40 | 10.52 | 1,000 |
| Lexington Park MD | $127,650 | $61.37 | 4.97 | 670 |
| Ann Arbor MI | $127,310 | $61.21 | 5.43 | 2,280 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $126,990 | $61.05 | 0.9 | 5,390 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $126,590 | $60.86 | 1.13 | 4,500 |
| Lake Charles LA | $126,090 | $60.62 | 0.59 | 110 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT | $125,780 | $60.47 | 0.84 | 650 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $125,350 | $60.27 | 1.32 | 8,310 |
| Midland TX | $125,200 | $60.19 | 1.07 | 250 |
| Central Oregon nonmetropolitan area | $124,800 | $60.00 | 0.67 | 60 |
| Kennewick-Richland WA | $124,780 | $59.99 | 2.3 | 570 |
| Boulder CO | $124,360 | $59.79 | 3.08 | 1,130 |
| Corpus Christi TX | $124,340 | $59.78 | 0.76 | 280 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Arkansas nonmetropolitan area | $72,780 | $34.99 | 0.32 | 50 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $74,400 | $35.77 | 0.33 | 430 |
| Gainesville FL | $75,490 | $36.29 | 0.62 | 180 |
| San Angelo TX | $75,930 | $36.51 | 0.92 | 90 |
| North Arkansas nonmetropolitan area | $76,130 | $36.60 | 0.3 | 70 |
| Johnstown PA | $76,210 | $36.64 | 0.78 | 70 |
| Jonesboro AR | $76,690 | $36.87 | 1.37 | 160 |
| Hattiesburg MS | $76,770 | $36.91 | 0.36 | 40 |
| East Arkansas nonmetropolitan area | $77,470 | $37.25 | 0.47 | 60 |
| Southwest Missouri nonmetropolitan area | $78,340 | $37.66 | 0.28 | 40 |
Columbus has 10.52× the national concentration of mechanical engineers — the densest market in the country for this role, with 1,000 employed locally. Pay there is $127,700, which does not put it near the top of the pay table. Concentration and compensation are different things — a dense market is easier to get hired in and easier to move around within, but the competition that makes it dense also caps what employers need to offer.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus IN | $127,700 | $61.40 | 10.52 | 1,000 |
| Northern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area | $157,710 | $75.82 | 6.93 | 1,120 |
| Peoria IL | $128,710 | $61.88 | 6.7 | 2,120 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MI | $109,470 | $52.63 | 6.19 | 22,500 |
| Ann Arbor MI | $127,310 | $61.21 | 5.43 | 2,280 |
| Lexington Park MD | $127,650 | $61.37 | 4.97 | 670 |
| Niles MI | $106,320 | $51.12 | 4.84 | 550 |
| Elizabethtown KY | $102,590 | $49.32 | 4.56 | 450 |
| Kokomo IN | $105,410 | $50.68 | 4.47 | 300 |
| Huntsville AL | $102,450 | $49.25 | 4.23 | 2,150 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard WA | $109,550 | $52.67 | 4.21 | 750 |
| Southern Michigan nonmetropolitan area | $121,220 | $58.28 | 4.12 | 1,060 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MI | $109,470 | $52.63 | 6.19 | 22,500 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $123,900 | $59.57 | 0.73 | 8,780 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $125,350 | $60.27 | 1.32 | 8,310 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $109,990 | $52.88 | 0.38 | 6,960 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $102,070 | $49.07 | 0.8 | 6,900 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $119,300 | $57.36 | 1.33 | 6,890 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $105,420 | $50.68 | 0.73 | 5,600 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $168,030 | $80.79 | 2.56 | 5,540 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $126,990 | $61.05 | 0.9 | 5,390 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $161,370 | $77.58 | 1.14 | 5,150 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $104,410 | $50.20 | 0.88 | 4,850 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $128,180 | $61.62 | 1.47 | 4,530 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 17-2141. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates are published for 460 of 528 metropolitan areas; the remaining 68 had too few survey responses for BLS to publish without risking disclosure, so they are absent here rather than estimated. For a specialised role that is normal. Read the methodology.