The median annual wage for mechanical engineers is $84,190. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $54,420, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $131,350.

The median annual wages for mechanical engineers in the top industries in which they work are as follows:

Most mechanical engineers work full time, and about 3 in 10 work more than 40 hours a week.

Job Outlook for Mechanical Engineers

Employment of mechanical engineers is projected to grow 9 percent over the next ten years, as fast as the average for all occupations. Mechanical engineers can work in many industries and on many types of projects. As a result, their growth rate will differ by the industries that employ them.

Mechanical engineers are projected to experience faster than average growth in engineering services as companies continue to contract work from these firms. Mechanical engineers will also remain involved in various manufacturing industries, particularly in automotive manufacturing. These engineers will play key roles in improving the range and performance of hybrid and electric cars.

Mechanical engineers often work on the newest industrial pursuits, particularly in automation and robotics. The fields of alternative energies and nanotechnology will also offer new opportunities for occupational growth. Mechanical engineers design production projects to harness developments in nanotechnology, which involves manipulating matter at the tiniest levels. Nanotechnology will result in improvements of technology in fields such as healthcare and in the design of more powerful computer chips .

Job Prospects for Mechanical Engineers

Prospects for mechanical engineers overall are expected to be good. They will be best for those with training in the latest software tools, particularly for computational design and simulation. Such tools allow engineers and designers to take a project from the conceptual phase directly to a finished product, eliminating the need for prototypes.

Mechanical engineering students who can learn to create virtual simulations before proceeding to the design, build, and test stages might find themselves in high demand by companies because these skills will allow firms to reduce product development cycles.

Engineers who have experience or training in three-dimensional printing also will have better job prospects.