In this post, we will dive into how much mechanical engineers actually get paid, and what is the average mechanical engineer salary.
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Mechanical engineering is an ancient and expansive discipline of engineering that merges the fields of engineering, physics, math and materials.
These are used to research, design, manufacture, test and maintain any kind of mechanical device or system that moves.
Movement can be generated by the a humans or animals muscles, hydraulic/pneumatic actuators, heat and pressure created by combustion (such as the internal combustion engine), the forces associated with gravity and springs and electromagnetism.
Can Mechanical Engineering Make You Rich?
From the Forbes 100 list, of the top 100 wealthiest people in the world 25 of them did not have degrees. Now this says something in itself, but out of the other 75 people who did have degrees, the most prominent major choice in college was engineering.
22 out of the 75 people, which works out at almost 30%! 4 of the others were computer science majors which is also quite similar to software engineering. Similarly, a lot of engineers make their money by honing their skills on 3D CAD programs, like AutoCAD, Revit, Inventor and Fusion 360. So if we include computer science almost 35% of the most wealthy people in the world who have degrees are either computer science or engineering majors. Another way to further your education is by taking a course on a platform like LinkedIn Learning, where you can take courses and obtain certifications online.
A further explanation on how a degree in engineering and specifically mechanical engineering can make you rich can be found here.
Mechanical Engineering Salary Statistics
In the year 1999 the mechanical engineer salary was on average $57,010 in the USA, and by 2018 the average wage had risen to $92,800. This means the average mechanical engineering wage rose by $35,790 over the period of 20 years.
This results in the average yearly growth for a mechanical engineer salary was $1,789 per year. As our current year is not over yet, we can estimate that mechanical engineers in 2019 will make a little over $94,500.
The wage growth has been quite consistent over the years, mechanical engineer wages have not dropped once over the last 20 years. Not even during the Great Recession in 2008!
That is the average mechanical engineer wage for the United States of America, but this takes into account the more lucrative metropolitan areas and the lower paying areas for mechanical engineers that make up the USA.
An example of a lower paying are for mechanical engineers is the El Paso Texas Metropolitan area. Mechanical engineers here make on average $21,100 below the national average, and it is very important to know the metropolitan areas that pay the most for mechanical engineers.
It is also very important to know the amount of job opportunities available in the various metropolitan areas, you can find more information on that here.
Top 5 Highest Paying Metropolitan Areas in the USA
Here are the five metropolitan areas that have the highest mechanical engineer salary on average:
Alburquerque, New Mexico
The fifth highest paying metropolitan area for mechanical engineers is the Alburquerque metropolitan area in New Mexico.
The local pay in this area is $117,360, $24,560 over the national average pay in the USA.
The cost of living is quite low in this area scoring 134 on the Cost of Living (Expatistan) database, and there are over 1,000 job opportunities available here.
San Francisco, California
The metropolitan area in fourth place on this list of the highest paying metropolitan areas in the USA is San Francisco in California.
There are over 3,200 jobs in this area, the local pay in this particular area is on average $117,770, this is $24,900 over the national average.
However, the cost of living in San Francisco is very high! It comes in at a score of 247 on the Cost of Living (Expatistan) database.
Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas
Coming in at third place on the list of the highest paying metropolitan areas in the USA for mechanical engineers is the Beaumont-Port Arthur area in Texas (close to the Houston area).
There are significantly less jobs in this area, just below 400 (390). The local pay for these limited jobs is on average $121,330, a generous $28,530 over the USA average. There was no cost of living information available for Beaumont-Port Arthur at the time this post was written.
San Jose, California
The second highest paying metropolitan area for mechanical engineers in the USA is the well known San Jose area in California.
This is one of the most popular areas for mechanical engineering in the United States having nearly 5,000 (4,700) jobs in the area. The local average pay for these jobs is a competitive $129,000, $36,200 over the national average.
Similar to San Francisco, the cost of living is quite high in San Jose, scoring a 219 on the Cost of Living (Expatistan) database.
Anchorage, Alaska
At number 1, receiving the title of the best paying metropolitan area for mechanical engineers in 2019 is Anchorage in Alaska!
The somewhat isolated metropolitan area boasts just 250 mechanical engineering jobs, however, it makes up for the sparse opportunities by having an average pay of a whopping $147,750!.
This is $54,770 over the national average, which definitely puts it at the top of this “highest paying” list.
The cost of living is also quite reasonable, scoring a relatively low 180 on the Cost of Living (Expatistan) database.
Mechanical Engineering vs Other Engineering Fields
The Bureau of Labor statistics splits engineering into 17 different fields, and of these fields mechanical engineering is the 14th highest paying engineering field.
It is beaten by fields including the civil, chemical, nuclear and petroleum engineering fields.
However, I would not let this deter you from entering the mechanical engineering field. You can find in this post how a career in mechanical engineering can give you the platform to become as successful as your wildest dreams and possibly change the world!
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