Careers / Manufacturing Engineers
Manufacturing 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, integrate, or improve manufacturing systems or related processes. May work with commercial or industrial designers to refine product designs to increase producibility and decrease costs.
- O*NET code
- 17-2112.03
- Job zone
- 4
- Experience required
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
Typical tasks
- Prepare documentation for new manufacturing processes or engineering procedures.
- Design layout of equipment or workspaces to achieve maximum efficiency.
- Troubleshoot new or existing product problems involving designs, materials, or processes.
- Investigate or resolve operational problems, such as material use variances or bottlenecks.
- Identify opportunities or implement changes to improve manufacturing processes or products or to reduce costs, using knowledge of fabrication processes, tooling and production equipment, assembly methods, quality control standards, or product design, materials and parts.
- Apply continuous improvement methods, such as lean manufacturing, to enhance manufacturing quality, reliability, or cost-effectiveness.
- Provide technical expertise or support related to manufacturing.
- Incorporate new manufacturing methods or processes to improve existing operations.
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
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Mathematics4.0
- Complex Problem Solving4.0
- Active Listening3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Monitoring3.9
- Judgment and Decision Making3.9
- Operations Monitoring3.9
- Writing3.8
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Systems Evaluation3.8
- Systems Analysis3.8
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 27 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
27
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 | 4.8 | Not selected | 4.8 |
| Mathematics | 4.0 | 4.5 | Not selected | 4.5 |
| Monitoring | 3.9 | 4.6 | Not selected | 4.6 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.9 | 4.6 | Not selected | 4.6 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.8 | 4.6 | Not selected | 4.6 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 4.0 | 4.3 | Not selected | 4.3 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.8 | 4.5 | Not selected | 4.5 |
| Writing | 3.8 | 4.4 | Not selected | 4.4 |
| Active Learning | 3.6 | 4.5 | Not selected | 4.5 |
| Active Listening | 3.9 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Speaking | 3.9 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Technology Design | 3.6 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Time Management | 3.5 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Troubleshooting | 3.5 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Operations Analysis | 3.3 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.3 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.3 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Instructing | 3.1 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Science | 3.1 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Persuasion | 3.1 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Coordination | 3.0 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Management of Material Resources | 3.0 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Negotiation | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Service Orientation | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
National median $82,890
Compare with Manufacturing EngineersSupplemental
National median $78,190
Compare with Manufacturing EngineersSupplemental
National median $74,510
Compare with Manufacturing EngineersSupplemental
National median $66,120
Compare with Manufacturing 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 Manufacturing 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.