Electrical Engineers Salary: $111,910 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 188,790 electrical engineers work nationally, and $111,910 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 16% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.1% annual growth.
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 percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| 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 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 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Electrical Engineers grew from 77,040 in 2009 to 92,500 in 2025 (20.1%).
Historical employment for Electrical 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
$111,910 Median pay (BLS national)
Electrical Engineers earn $111,910 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 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.
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:
- CA: 23,650 employees, $148,390 avg wage
- TX: 15,470 employees, $118,620 avg wage
- MI: 10,840 employees, $108,310 avg wage
- WA: 10,010 employees, $130,870 avg wage
- NY: 7,720 employees, $118,770 avg wage
- PA: 7,660 employees, $119,550 avg wage
- FL: 7,400 employees, $112,780 avg wage
- NC: 6,560 employees, $118,960 avg wage
- OH: 6,030 employees, $104,100 avg wage
- VA: 5,990 employees, $124,080 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Electrical Engineers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 7,870 employees, $136,790 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 6,580 employees, $140,500 avg wage
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 6,300 employees, $111,820 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 5,960 employees, $125,440 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 4,910 employees, $119,570 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA: 4,750 employees, $189,040 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 4,460 employees, $117,260 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 4,340 employees, $118,690 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 3,920 employees, $134,820 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 3,720 employees, $128,600 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 U.S. workforce for Electrical Engineers is about 188,790 people in our OEWS extract.
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
Electrical Engineers earn $111,910 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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.