Highest Paying Jobs in Engineering (2026 Rankings)
The highest paying job in engineering is architectural and engineering manager, with a median salary of $167,740, about $71,000 above the field-wide median of $96,690. Computer hardware engineers ($155,020) and petroleum engineers ($141,280) rank second and third, followed by aerospace engineers ($134,830) and electronics engineers ($127,590). Every one of the top 20 lists a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry education, but several associate’s-degree technician roles still pay close to $80,000.
The rankings below cover 25 of the 37 engineering occupations tracked, ordered by median annual salary. Salary and employment figures are from 2024, and growth projections run from 2024 to 2034.
| # | Career | Median salary | Growth 2024–34 | Openings / yr | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Architectural and engineering managers | $167,740 | +3.8% | 14,500 | Bachelor's degree |
| 2 | Computer hardware engineers | $155,020 | +7.3% | 4,700 | Bachelor's degree |
| 3 | Petroleum engineers | $141,280 | +1.3% | 1,200 | Bachelor's degree |
| 4 | Aerospace engineers | $134,830 | +6.1% | 4,500 | Bachelor's degree |
| 5 | Electronics engineers, except computer | $127,590 | +6.2% | 5,700 | Bachelor's degree |
| 6 | Nuclear engineers | $127,520 | -1.1% | 800 | Bachelor's degree |
| 7 | Chemical engineers | $121,860 | +2.6% | 1,100 | Bachelor's degree |
| 8 | Engineers, all other | $117,750 | +2.1% | 9,300 | Bachelor's degree |
| 9 | Electrical engineers | $111,910 | +7.2% | 11,700 | Bachelor's degree |
| 10 | Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors | $109,660 | +4.4% | 1,500 | Bachelor's degree |
| 11 | Materials engineers | $108,310 | +5.7% | 1,500 | Bachelor's degree |
| 12 | Bioengineers and biomedical engineers | $106,950 | +5.2% | 1,300 | Bachelor's degree |
| 13 | Marine engineers and naval architects | $105,670 | +5.8% | 600 | Bachelor's degree |
| 14 | Environmental engineers | $104,170 | +3.9% | 3,000 | Bachelor's degree |
| 15 | Mechanical engineers | $102,320 | +9.1% | 18,100 | Bachelor's degree |
| 16 | Industrial engineers | $101,140 | +11.0% | 25,200 | Bachelor's degree |
| 17 | Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers | $101,020 | +0.7% | 400 | Bachelor's degree |
| 18 | Civil engineers | $99,590 | +5.0% | 23,600 | Bachelor's degree |
| 19 | Architects, except landscape and naval | $96,690 | +3.9% | 7,800 | Bachelor's degree |
| 20 | Agricultural engineers | $84,630 | +5.9% | 100 | Bachelor's degree |
| 21 | Aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians | $79,830 | +8.1% | 900 | Associate's degree |
| 22 | Landscape architects | $79,660 | +3.5% | 1,700 | Bachelor's degree |
| 23 | Cartographers and photogrammetrists | $78,380 | +6.4% | 1,000 | Bachelor's degree |
| 24 | Engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other | $77,390 | +1.5% | 5,700 | Associate's degree |
| 25 | Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians | $77,180 | +0.6% | 8,400 | Associate's degree |
The top five highest paying engineering jobs
1. Architectural and engineering managers: $167,740
Architectural and engineering managers lead the list by a wide margin. Their median is $12,720 above the second-ranked job and roughly 1.7 times the field median. The occupation is also large, with 212,500 jobs in 2024 and about 14,500 openings a year, which is more than the next four highest paying occupations combined (16,100 openings) come close to only when added together.
The typical entry education is listed as a bachelor’s degree. What the data does not capture is prior work experience. A management title generally sits above engineering roles rather than replacing them, so for most people this is a later-career destination rather than a first job. Projected growth is 3.8% over the decade, slower than several individual engineering disciplines, so openings come largely from turnover in a big workforce rather than from rapid expansion.
2. Computer hardware engineers: $155,020
Computer hardware engineers are the highest paid non-management engineers in the data. They combine a high median with above-average growth of 7.3% from 2024 to 2034. The catch is size: 76,800 jobs and about 4,700 openings a year, roughly a third of the openings available to engineering managers. Entry is typically with a bachelor’s degree.
3. Petroleum engineers: $141,280
Petroleum engineers earn the third-highest median but sit in one of the smallest and slowest-growing occupations near the top. The field had 19,600 jobs in 2024, projected growth is just 1.3%, and there are about 1,200 openings a year. The pay is strong; the number of seats is limited.
4. Aerospace engineers: $134,830
Aerospace engineers pair a median near $135,000 with 6.1% projected growth, 71,600 jobs and about 4,500 openings a year. Among the top four, only computer hardware engineering has a faster growth projection.
5. Electronics engineers, except computer: $127,590
Electronics engineers round out the top five. With 95,900 jobs, 6.2% growth and about 5,700 openings a year, this occupation offers more annual openings than any other top-five job except management.
What separates the top of the list from the rest
Education does not explain the pay gap. All 20 of the highest paying engineering occupations list a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry point, from managers at $167,740 down to agricultural engineers at $84,630. That is a spread of more than $83,000 between jobs with the same entry credential, so the choice of specialty matters at least as much as the degree level.
Three patterns stand out in the top tier:
- Electronics and computing pay well. Computer hardware engineers (#2), electronics engineers (#5) and electrical engineers (#9, $111,910) all sit in the top ten, and all three have growth projections above 6%.
- Energy specialties pay well but are small. Petroleum engineers (#3) and nuclear engineers (#6, $127,520) both rank high, yet they have just 19,600 and 15,400 jobs respectively. Nuclear engineering is the only occupation in the top 25 with a projected decline, at -1.1%, and offers about 800 openings a year.
- Process and materials fields cluster in the low $100,000s. Chemical engineers ($121,860), materials engineers ($108,310) and bioengineers ($106,950) all clear $100,000 but have relatively small workforces of roughly 21,000 to 23,000 jobs each.
In total, 17 of the 25 occupations shown have median salaries above $100,000. Civil engineers fall just short at $99,590, and architects sit exactly at the field median of $96,690.
Pay versus opportunity: the big-employer disciplines
The highest median is not the same as the most attainable job. The largest engineering occupations sit in the middle of the pay rankings, and they offer far more openings than the specialties above them.
- Industrial engineers: $101,140 median, 351,100 jobs, 11% projected growth (the fastest in the list) and about 25,200 openings a year.
- Civil engineers: $99,590 median, 368,900 jobs (the largest occupation shown), 5% growth and about 23,600 openings a year.
- Mechanical engineers: $102,320 median, 293,100 jobs, 9.1% growth and about 18,100 openings a year.
Together those three occupations account for about 66,900 annual openings. The entire top ten by salary adds up to about 55,000. For a student weighing majors, that means a mechanical or industrial engineering degree offers a median roughly $33,000 to $34,000 lower than computer hardware engineering, but with about four to five times as many openings each year and faster growth. Both mechanical and industrial engineering also sit on the usual path toward management, the top-paying role on the list.
Growth outlook among the top earners
Ranking the top ten by projected 2024–2034 growth gives a different order than ranking by pay:
- Computer hardware engineers: 7.3%
- Electrical engineers: 7.2%
- Electronics engineers, except computer: 6.2%
- Aerospace engineers: 6.1%
- Health and safety engineers: 4.4%
- Architectural and engineering managers: 3.8%
- Chemical engineers: 2.6%
- Engineers, all other: 2.1%
- Petroleum engineers: 1.3%
- Nuclear engineers: -1.1%
Computer hardware engineering is the only occupation that ranks in the top three for both pay and growth among these ten. Electrical engineering offers a useful balance: its median is lower at $111,910, but it has 192,000 jobs and about 11,700 openings a year, the second most in the top ten after management.
Well-paid engineering jobs that need less schooling
Three occupations in the top 25 list an associate’s degree rather than a bachelor’s as the typical entry education:
- Aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians: $79,830 median, 8.1% projected growth, about 900 openings a year. This is the fastest-growing occupation in the list after industrial and mechanical engineering.
- Engineering technologists and technicians, all other: $77,390 median, 1.5% growth, about 5,700 openings a year.
- Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians: $77,180 median, 0.6% growth, about 8,400 openings a year.
These medians land at roughly 80% of the field median, and above several bachelor’s-level occupations such as landscape architects ($79,660) and cartographers and photogrammetrists ($78,380). The trade-off is the ceiling relative to the corresponding engineering role. Aerospace technicians earn $55,000 less at the median than aerospace engineers, and electrical and electronic technicians earn about $34,700 less than electrical engineers. For someone who wants to start working sooner, or who plans to add a bachelor’s degree later, the technician route offers solid pay with lower upfront schooling. Growth differs sharply, though: the aerospace technician outlook is strong, while the two broader technician categories are close to flat, with openings driven mainly by replacement needs.
Who each option suits
- Maximum long-run earnings: an engineering degree followed by a move into management. Architectural and engineering managers lead at $167,740 with about 14,500 openings a year.
- Highest pay as a practicing engineer with growth: computer hardware engineering ($155,020, 7.3% growth), followed by aerospace and electronics engineering.
- High pay, narrow market: petroleum and nuclear engineering. Both pay above $127,000, but they combine for only about 2,000 openings a year and have low or negative growth.
- Most openings and flexibility: industrial, civil and mechanical engineering, each with medians near or just above $100,000 and the three largest workforces in the field.
- Shorter education path: aerospace engineering technician, with a $79,830 median and 8.1% growth on an associate’s degree.
What this data does and doesn’t cover
The figures are national medians from 2024 with 2024–2034 projections. They do not break pay down by state, metro area or ZIP code, by years of experience, or by employer, so a reader cannot use them to compare, for example, how an engineer’s salary stretches against local housing costs in a particular city. The education field reflects the typical entry credential only and does not capture work experience or licensing requirements. Where official sources report very high medians as a floor, the top values should be read as minimums. To compare these occupations with careers in other fields, see the Repit careers hub, which links to individual pages for each occupation listed here.
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest paying engineering job?
Architectural and engineering managers have the highest median salary in engineering at $167,740. Among non-management roles, computer hardware engineers lead at $155,020.
Which engineering jobs pay over $100,000?
Seventeen of the 25 engineering occupations ranked have medians above $100,000, from engineering managers at $167,740 down to mining and geological engineers at $101,020. Civil engineers fall just below at $99,590.
Which high-paying engineering field is growing fastest?
Among the ten highest paying engineering jobs, computer hardware engineers have the fastest projected growth at 7.3% from 2024 to 2034. Across the full list, industrial engineers grow fastest at 11%, with a $101,140 median.
Can you get a well-paid engineering job without a bachelor's degree?
Yes. Aerospace engineering and operations technicians typically enter with an associate's degree and earn a $79,830 median with 8.1% projected growth, and two other technician roles pay about $77,000.
What is the median salary for engineering jobs?
The median of the median salaries across the 37 engineering occupations tracked is $96,690, the same as the median for architects.
Sources and methodology
Median annual wages, 2024 employment, 2024–2034 projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics and Employment Projections, 2024). Occupations are grouped by Standard Occupational Classification codes.