Manufacturing Engineers Career, Salary and Skills
Manufacturing Engineers have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $102,440 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 365,740. Wage data is published for 403 locations.
Occupation description
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
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Experience
Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
National salary and employment
Median annual
$102,440
Hourly median
$49.25
Employment
365,740
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 4.00 | 4.50 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.75 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 4.00 | 4.25 |
| Active Listening | 3.88 | 4.12 |
| Monitoring | 3.88 | 4.62 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.88 | 4.62 |
| Speaking | 3.88 | 4.12 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Writing | 3.75 | 4.38 |
Typical tasks
- 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.
- Prepare documentation for new manufacturing processes or engineering procedures.
Technology
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- C
- CNC Mastercam
- Computer numerical control CNC software
- Dassault Systemes CATIA
- Dassault Systemes SolidWorks
- Eko
- FileMaker Pro
- Geometric CAMWorks
- IBM Notes
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Exchange
- Microsoft Internet Explorer
Manufacturing Engineers salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Manufacturing Engineers Salary in CAMedian $124,600 · Employment 32,680
- Manufacturing Engineers Salary in MIMedian $101,680 · Employment 30,990
- Manufacturing Engineers Salary in TXMedian $104,560 · Employment 30,980
- Manufacturing Engineers Salary in OHMedian $100,060 · Employment 23,480
- Manufacturing Engineers Salary in ILMedian $100,540 · Employment 18,640
- Manufacturing Engineers Salary in MNMedian $102,660 · Employment 17,580
- Manufacturing Engineers Salary in Detroit, MIMedian $104,110 · Employment 17,350
- Manufacturing Engineers Salary in FLMedian $101,610 · Employment 14,050
- Manufacturing Engineers Salary in Minneapolis, MNMedian $104,730 · Employment 13,970
- Manufacturing Engineers Salary in PAMedian $99,560 · Employment 13,180
- Manufacturing Engineers Salary in WIMedian $96,980 · Employment 13,070
- Manufacturing Engineers Salary in Chicago, ILMedian $101,760 · Employment 12,750
Related careers
- Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and TechniciansNational median $82,890
- Logistics EngineersNational median $82,320
- Robotics TechniciansNational median $73,900
- Materials ScientistsNational median $117,790
- Team AssemblersNational median not published
- Microsystems EngineersNational median $122,930
- Electrical EngineersNational median $120,630
- 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.