Industrial Engineers Salary: $101,140 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 350,230 industrial engineers work nationally, and $101,140 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown rose about 5% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.0% annual growth.
Industrial Engineers: what the data shows
Common questions about industrial engineers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a industrial engineers?
Industrial Engineers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 17-2112.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 350,230 workers.
What does a industrial engineers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Working with Computers, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Thinking Creatively, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a industrial engineers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $101,140 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $130,739 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $80,674 |
| 25th percentile | $100,109 |
| Median (50th) | $126,415 |
| 75th percentile | $155,874 |
| 90th percentile | $182,119 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Speaking, Writing, and knowledge areas including Engineering and Technology, Production and Processing, Mechanical, Design. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is industrial engineers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.0% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 10.3%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 21.7%.
Current U.S. headcount: 350,230.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do industrial engineerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 350,230 | 19.8% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 348,040 | 19.7% |
| Manufacturing | 237,030 | 13.4% |
| Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 53,150 | 3.0% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 50,290 | 2.9% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 50,290 | 2.9% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Industrial Engineers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Sound Engineering Technicians | 13,050 | $66,430 |
| Helpers--Production Workers | 167,490 | $38,220 |
| Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians | 18,740 | $38,420 |
| Dental Laboratory Technicians | 33,920 | $48,310 |
| Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks | 385,000 | $57,770 |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | — | — |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians | — | — |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Industrial Engineers workforce.
Employment Over Time
350,230 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Industrial Engineers grew from 74,180 in 2009 to 101,600 in 2025 (37.0%).
Historical employment for Industrial Engineers from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$101,140 Median pay (BLS national)
Industrial Engineers earn $101,140 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Industrial Engineers.
Salary distribution for Industrial Engineers.
Employment Growth Projections
2.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
112,094 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 10.3%
123,672 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 21.7%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.0% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Industrial Engineers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Industrial Engineers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Industrial Engineers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Industrial Engineers.
Wage Trends by Industry
2.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Industrial Engineers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Industrial Engineers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- MI: 31,850 employees, $102,930 avg wage
- TX: 29,620 employees, $112,250 avg wage
- CA: 25,830 employees, $127,280 avg wage
- OH: 22,310 employees, $102,260 avg wage
- MN: 18,000 employees, $106,710 avg wage
- IL: 16,590 employees, $102,320 avg wage
- FL: 15,310 employees, $114,030 avg wage
- WI: 12,660 employees, $96,730 avg wage
- NY: 12,640 employees, $109,040 avg wage
- PA: 12,550 employees, $99,500 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Industrial Engineers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 17,080 employees, $107,800 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 14,250 employees, $109,130 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 10,640 employees, $104,160 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 10,150 employees, $112,350 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 8,900 employees, $120,710 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 8,450 employees, $118,590 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 8,210 employees, $122,230 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 7,910 employees, $113,340 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 5,900 employees, $108,180 avg wage
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA: 5,440 employees, $133,600 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Industrial Engineers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Industrial Engineers in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Industrial Engineers is about 350,230 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Industrial Engineers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Industrial Engineers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Industrial Engineers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Industrial Engineers in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Mathematics.
Common majors for Industrial Engineers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Industrial Engineers workers.
Education level distribution for Industrial Engineers.
Skills
Industrial Engineers need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Speaking.
Required skills for Industrial Engineers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Industrial Engineers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Industrial Engineers include Engineering and Technology, Production and Processing, Mechanical, Design, English Language.
Knowledge areas required for Industrial Engineers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Industrial Engineers include Written Expression, Inductive Reasoning, Written Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning, Oral Comprehension.
Required abilities for Industrial Engineers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Industrial Engineers.
Daily Activities
Industrial Engineers spend their time on activities such as Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Working with Computers, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Thinking Creatively.
Most important work activities for Industrial Engineers.
About
Industrial Engineers
Industrial Engineers earn $101,140 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
17-2112 - Industrial Engineers
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Industrial Engineers reports an average salary of $130,739, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 350,230 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.0%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.