Electrical Engineers Salary: $152,423 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 188,790 electrical engineers nationally earn a mean of $152,423. Employment in the series shown fell about 16% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.1% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Electrical Engineers: what the data shows
Common questions about electrical engineers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a electrical engineers?
Electrical Engineers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 17-2071.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 188,790 workers.
What does a electrical engineers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Scheduling Work and Activities, Documenting/Recording Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a electrical engineers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $111,910 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $152,423 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $83,314 |
| 25th percentile | $108,008 |
| Median (50th) | $144,175 |
| 75th percentile | $182,889 |
| 90th percentile | $225,681 |
What education do you need?
For Electrical Engineers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Writing, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Speaking, Active Learning, and knowledge areas including Engineering and Technology, Computers and Electronics, Design, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is electrical engineers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.1% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 5.9%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 12.1%.
Current U.S. headcount: 188,790.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do electrical engineerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 188,790 | 18.5% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 177,930 | 17.4% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 63,300 | 6.2% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 63,300 | 6.2% |
| Manufacturing | 57,830 | 5.7% |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | 42,860 | 4.2% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Electrical 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Civil Engineers | 355,410 | $99,590 |
| Materials Engineers | 22,770 | $108,310 |
| Mechanical Engineers | 286,760 | $102,320 |
| Aerospace Engineers | 68,440 | $134,830 |
| Software Developers | 1,654,440 | $133,080 |
| Electrical and Electronics Repairers | 59,990 | $71,300 |
| Electricians | 742,580 | $62,350 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Electrical Engineers workforce.
Employment Over Time
188,790 Workforce in 2023
The Electrical Engineers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Electrical Engineers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$152,423 Average Wage
In 2023, Electrical Engineers earned an average of $152,423.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Electrical Engineers.
Salary distribution for Electrical Engineers.
Employment Growth Projections
1.1% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
97,940 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 5.9%
103,700 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 12.1%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.1% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Electrical Engineers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Electrical Engineers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Electrical Engineers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Electrical Engineers.
Wage Trends by Industry
1.7% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Electrical Engineers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Electrical Engineers.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 22,350 employees, $153,111 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Electrical Engineers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 5,360 employees, $143,555 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 4,750 employees, $194,178 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 2,520 employees, $134,030 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 2,200 employees, $140,990 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 1,640 employees, $158,580 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 1,430 employees, $139,070 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 1,180 employees, $175,734 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 910 employees, $118,156 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 460 employees, $133,584 avg wage
- Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 420 employees, $125,726 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Electrical Engineers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Electrical Engineers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Electrical Engineers in 2023 was 188,790 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Electrical 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 Electrical Engineers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Electrical Engineers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Electrical Engineers in 2023 were Electrical Engineering, Engineering, Physics.
Common majors for Electrical Engineers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Electrical Engineers workers.
Education level distribution for Electrical Engineers.
Skills
Electrical Engineers need many skills, but most especially Writing, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Speaking.
Required skills for Electrical Engineers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Electrical Engineers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Electrical Engineers include Engineering and Technology, Computers and Electronics, Design, English Language, Mathematics.
Knowledge areas required for Electrical Engineers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Electrical Engineers include Written Expression, Written Comprehension, Inductive Reasoning, Deductive Reasoning, Problem Sensitivity.
Required abilities for Electrical Engineers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Electrical Engineers.
Daily Activities
Electrical Engineers spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Scheduling Work and Activities, Documenting/Recording Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge.
Most important work activities for Electrical Engineers.
About
Electrical Engineers
The average yearly wage for Electrical Engineers was $152,423 in 2023.
SOC Code
17-2071 - Electrical Engineers
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Electrical Engineers reports an average salary of $152,423, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 188,790 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.1%, 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.