Microsystems Engineers Career, Salary and Skills
Microsystems Engineers have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $122,930 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 154,070. Wage data is published for 301 locations.
Occupation description
Research, design, develop, or test microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices.
O*NET code
17-2199.06
Job zone
5
Typical education
Master's Degree
Experience
Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
National salary and employment
Median annual
$122,930
Hourly median
$59.10
Employment
154,070
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
$66,810
10th
$90,970
25th
$122,930
Median
$158,090
75th
$189,950
90th
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Active Listening | 4.00 | 4.25 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.75 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.88 | 4.25 |
| Writing | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Science | 3.62 | 3.88 |
| Monitoring | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Speaking | 3.62 | 4.00 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.62 | 3.75 |
Typical tasks
- Investigate characteristics such as cost, performance, or process capability of potential microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device designs, using simulation or modeling software.
- Create or maintain formal engineering documents, such as schematics, bills of materials, components or materials specifications, or packaging requirements.
- Conduct analyses addressing issues such as failure, reliability, or yield improvement.
- Plan or schedule engineering research or development projects involving microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology.
- Propose product designs involving microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, considering market data or customer requirements.
- Develop formal documentation for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices, including quality assurance guidance, quality control protocols, process control checklists, data collection, or reporting.
- Communicate operating characteristics or performance experience to other engineers or designers for training or new product development purposes.
- Create schematics and physical layouts of integrated microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) components or packaged assemblies consistent with process, functional, or package constraints.
Technology
- Adobe Photoshop
- Anisotropic Crystalline Etch Simulation ACES
- Ansys Fluent
- ANSYS LS-DYNA
- ANSYS Multiphysics
- Apple macOS
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Bash
- Beige Bag Software B2 Spice
- C
- C#
- C++
- Cadence PSpice
- CAzM
Microsystems Engineers salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Microsystems Engineers Salary in CAMedian $130,850 · Employment 28,610
- Microsystems Engineers Salary in TXMedian $115,810 · Employment 10,820
- Microsystems Engineers Salary in Washington, DCMedian $151,340 · Employment 9,230
- Microsystems Engineers Salary in FLMedian $105,410 · Employment 8,600
- Microsystems Engineers Salary in MIMedian $121,000 · Employment 7,700
- Microsystems Engineers Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $125,060 · Employment 7,530
- Microsystems Engineers Salary in MDMedian $129,770 · Employment 7,340
- Microsystems Engineers Salary in OHMedian $120,470 · Employment 7,000
- Microsystems Engineers Salary in LAMedian $99,070 · Employment 6,310
- Microsystems Engineers Salary in Detroit, MIMedian $126,250 · Employment 5,800
- Microsystems Engineers Salary in New York, NYMedian $135,300 · Employment 5,780
- Microsystems Engineers Salary in NYMedian $117,600 · Employment 5,760
Related careers
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- Calibration Technologists and TechniciansNational median $67,820
- Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and TechniciansNational median $73,900
- Mechanical Engineering Technologists and TechniciansNational median $74,510
- Robotics TechniciansNational median $73,900
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and TechniciansNational median $78,190
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.