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Salaries for engineers vary significantly by specialty, industry, and education. Even so, as a group, engineers earn some of the highest average starting salaries among those holding bachelor’s degrees. The following tabulation shows average starting salary offers for engineers, according to a 2005 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
| Curriculum | Bachelor's | Master's | Ph.D. | | | | | | | Aerospace/aeronautical/astronautical | $50,993 | $62,930 | $72,529 | | Agricultural | 46,172 | 53,022 | — | | Bioengineering and biomedical | 48,503 | 59,667 | — | | Chemical | 53,813 | 57,260 | 79,591 | | Civil | 43,679 | 48,050 | 59,625 | | Computer | 52,464 | 60,354 | 69,625 | | Electrical/electronics and communications | 51,888 | 64,416 | 80,206 | | Environmental/environmental health | 47,384 | — | — | | Industrial/manufacturing | 49,567 | 56,561 | 85,000 | | Materials | 50,982 | — | — | | Mechanical | 50,236 | 59,880 | 68,299 | | Mining & mineral | 48,643 | — | — | | Nuclear | 51,182 | 58,814 | — | | Petroleum | 61,516 | 58,000 | — |
Variation in median earnings and in the earnings distributions for engineers in the various branches of engineering also is significant. For engineers in specialties covered in this statement, earnings distributions by percentile in May 2004 are shown in the following tabulation. | Specialty | 10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 90% | | | | | | | | | Aerospace | $52,820 | $64,380 | $79,100 | $94,900 | $113,520 | | Agricultural | 37,680 | 43,270 | 56,520 | 77,740 | 90,410 | | Biomedical | 41,260 | 51,620 | 67,690 | 86,400 | 107,530 | | Chemical | 49,030 | 60,920 | 76,770 | 94,740 | 115,180 | | Civil | 42,610 | 51,430 | 64,230 | 79,920 | 94,660 | | Computer hardware | 50,490 | 63,730 | 81,150 | 102,100 | 123,560 | | Electrical | 47,310 | 57,540 | 71,610 | 88,400 | 108,070 | | Electronics, except computer | 49,120 | 60,280 | 75,770 | 92,870 | 112,200 | | Environmental | 40,620 | 50,740 | 66,480 | 83,690 | 100,050 | | Health and safety, except mining safety | 39,930 | 49,900 | 63,730 | 79,500 | 92,870 | | Industrial | 42,450 | 52,210 | 65,020 | 79,830 | 93,950 | | Marine engineers and naval architects | 43,790 | 54,530 | 72,040 | 89,900 | 109,190 | | Materials | 44,130 | 53,510 | 67,110 | 83,830 | 101,120 | | Mechanical | 43,900 | 53,070 | 66,320 | 82,380 | 97,850 | | Mining and geological, including mining safety | 39,700 | 50,500 | 64,690 | 83,050 | 103,790 | | Nuclear | 61,790 | 73,340 | 84,880 | 100,220 | 118,870 | | Petroleum | 48,260 | 65,350 | 88,500 | 113,180 | 140,800 |
In the Federal Government, mean annual salaries for engineers ranged from $100,059 in ceramic engineering to $70,086 in agricultural engineering in 2005. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition, Engineers Search for
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