Industrial Engineers Salary: $130,739 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 350,230 industrial engineers nationally earn a mean of $130,739. Employment in the series shown rose about 5% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.0% annual growth.
Key Statistics
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 percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $80,674 |
| 25th percentile | $100,109 |
| Median (50th) | $126,415 |
| 75th percentile | $155,874 |
| 90th percentile | $182,119 |
What education do you need?
For Industrial 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 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 Workforce in 2023
The Industrial Engineers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Industrial Engineers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$130,739 Average Wage
In 2023, Industrial Engineers earned an average of $130,739.
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.
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: 24,720 employees, $131,024 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Industrial Engineers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 6,000 employees, $124,371 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 3,850 employees, $149,413 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 3,110 employees, $125,367 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 2,900 employees, $123,200 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 2,390 employees, $139,119 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 2,150 employees, $150,479 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 1,300 employees, $112,630 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 640 employees, $123,806 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 370 employees, $111,829 avg wage
- Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 300 employees, $125,501 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 workforce of Industrial Engineers in 2023 was 350,230 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
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
The average yearly wage for Industrial Engineers was $130,739 in 2023.
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.