The median annual wage for mechanical engineering technicians is $54,480. 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 $34,030, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $82,810.

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

Most mechanical engineering technicians work full time.

Job Outlook for Mechanical Engineering Technicians

Employment of mechanical engineering technicians is projected to grow 5 percent over the next ten years, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Firms may contract the work of mechanical engineering technicians from industries that provide engineering services, research and development, and consulting services. Contracting for this work allows firms to hire these services at a lower cost than employing in-house technicians.

Mechanical engineering technicians may find work as assistants to mechanical engineers and thus work in emerging fields, such as automation, three-dimensional printing, robotics, and alternative energies.

Job Prospects for Mechanical Engineering Technicians

Mastering new technology and software will likely become more important for workers in this occupation. Those who gain skills to help deploy the latest technological developments, such as three-dimensional design software, should have the best job prospects.