Careers / Industrial Engineers
Industrial Engineers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$102,440
United States, 2025
Employment
365,740
United States, 2025
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Job Zone 4
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Design, develop, test, and evaluate integrated systems for managing industrial production processes, including human work factors, quality control, inventory control, logistics and material flow, cost analysis, and production coordination.
- O*NET code
- 17-2112.00
- Job zone
- 4
- Experience required
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
Typical tasks
- Estimate production costs, cost saving methods, and the effects of product design changes on expenditures for management review, action, and control.
- Plan and establish sequence of operations to fabricate and assemble parts or products and to promote efficient utilization.
- Analyze statistical data and product specifications to determine standards and establish quality and reliability objectives of finished product.
- Confer with clients, vendors, staff, and management personnel regarding purchases, product and production specifications, manufacturing capabilities, or project status.
- Communicate with management and user personnel to develop production and design standards.
- Evaluate precision and accuracy of production and testing equipment and engineering drawings to formulate corrective action plan.
- Recommend methods for improving utilization of personnel, material, and utilities.
- Record or oversee recording of information to ensure currency of engineering drawings and documentation of production problems.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$74,370
25th percentile
$83,600
75th percentile
$129,250
90th percentile
$159,860
Most important skills
- Active Listening4.0
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Complex Problem Solving3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Writing3.8
- Monitoring3.4
- Systems Analysis3.3
- Active Learning3.3
- Systems Evaluation3.3
- Mathematics3.3
- Judgment and Decision Making3.1
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 16 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
16
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 | 4.5 | Not selected | 4.5 |
| Active Listening | 4.0 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.9 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Speaking | 3.9 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Writing | 3.8 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Monitoring | 3.4 | 4.3 | Not selected | 4.3 |
| Active Learning | 3.3 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.3 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Mathematics | 3.3 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.3 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Coordination | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Instructing | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Time Management | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Industrial EngineersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage, AK | $171,910 | 110 | 2025 |
| AK | $156,510 | 220 | 2025 |
| Charleston, WV | $143,860 | 160 | 2025 |
| Midland, TX | $141,120 | 320 | 2025 |
| Lexington Park, MD | $139,600 | 160 | 2025 |
| Billings, MT | $139,420 | 110 | 2025 |
| San Jose, CA | $136,950 | 4,800 | 2025 |
| Albuquerque, NM | $132,290 | 820 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $132,230 | 5,470 | 2025 |
| Fort Collins, CO | $131,870 | 650 | 2025 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | $131,740 | 120 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $131,210 | 4,590 | 2025 |
| Portland, OR | $129,890 | 5,230 | 2025 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $129,500 | 470 | 2025 |
| Lake Charles, LA | $129,260 | 180 | 2025 |
| WA | $129,050 | 6,130 | 2025 |
| Houma, LA | $128,690 | 60 | 2025 |
| OR | $128,290 | 5,810 | 2025 |
| NM | $128,090 | 1,140 | 2025 |
| New Orleans, LA | $127,340 | 460 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Industrial Engineers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.