Mechanical Engineering

Stem Major

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2017

43,095

growing 9.65%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$7,486

growing 2.63%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$39,012

growing 1.84%

Average Wage

$111,636

growing 2.11%

People in Workforce

4.48M

growing 4.23%

Average Employee Age

43.1

declining 0.617%

About

The locations with the highest concentration of Mechanical Engineering degree recipients are , Los Angeles, CA, and Atlanta, GA. The locations with a relatively high number of Mechanical Engineering degree recipients are Houghton, MI, Golden, CO, and Socorro, NM. The most common degree awarded to students studying Mechanical Engineering is a bachelors degree.

Engineering Mechanical Engineering

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Mechanical Engineering and the types of students that study this field. Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus awards the most degrees in Mechanical Engineering in the US, but Rensselaer at Hartford and Kettering University have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Mechanical Engineering.

Tuition costs for Mechanical Engineering majors are, on average, $7,486 for in-state public colleges, and $39,012 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Mechanical Engineering programs are Public, 4-year or above institutions (230 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (31,957 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Mechanical Engineering

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Mechanical Engineering, is Public, 4-year or above (31,957 completions).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Mechanical Engineering programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$7,486

Median In-State Public

$39,012

Median Out of State Private

Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus has the most Mechanical Engineering degree recipients, with 847 degrees awarded in 2017.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Mechanical Engineering.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Rensselaer at Hartford
48.8%
Kettering University
36.9%
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
29.5%

Out of all institutions that offer Mechanical Engineering programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Rensselaer at Hartford and Kettering University have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Mechanical Engineering, with 48.8% and 36.9%, respectively.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Mechanical Engineering

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Mechanical Engineering by year.

Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for Mechanical Engineering.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Engineering graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Engineering majors is $111,636 and the most common occupations are Software developers, Miscellaneous engineers, including nuclear engineers, and Other managers.

The industry that employs the most Engineering majors is Architectural, engineering & related services, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Footwear manufacturing.

Wages

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Mechanical Engineering is from the 2 Digit Course Engineering.

$111,636

Average Wage in Workforce

± $1,124

2.11%

1 Year Growth

± 1.39%

The average salary for Engineering majors is $111,636 and the most common occupations are Software developers, Miscellaneous engineers, including nuclear engineers, and Other managers.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Engineering majors.

Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Mechanical Engineering is from the 2 Digit Course Engineering.

Highest Paying Pumas

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Engineering majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Engineering majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

Occupations

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Mechanical Engineering is from the 2 Digit Course Engineering.

The most common occupations Engineering majors, by number of employees, are Software developers, Miscellaneous engineers, including nuclear engineers, and Other managers.

Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Mechanical Engineering is from the 2 Digit Course Engineering.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Engineering majors working as Chemical engineers, Petroleum, mining & geological engineers, including mining safety engineers, and Civil engineers.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Mechanical Engineering is from the 2 Digit Course Engineering.

The highest paid occupations by median income for Engineering majors are Surgeons, Derrick, rotary drill, & service unit operators, & roustabouts, oil, gas, & mining, and Physicians.

Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Mechanical Engineering is from the 2 Digit Course Engineering.

4.48M

2018 Workforce

± 51,177

4.23%

1 Year Growth

± 1.57%

The number of Engineering graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 4.23%, from 4.3M in 2017 to 4.48M in 2018.

The largest single share of Engineering graduates go on to work as Software developers (7.68%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Engineering by share of the total number of graduates.

Industries

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Mechanical Engineering is from the 2 Digit Course Engineering.

The most common industries that employ Engineering majors, by number of employees, are Architectural, engineering & related services, Computer Systems Design, and Construction.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Mechanical Engineering is from the 2 Digit Course Engineering.

The highest paying industries of Engineering majors, by average wage, are Footwear manufacturing, Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals, and Offices of physicians.

Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Mechanical Engineering is from the 2 Digit Course Engineering.

4.48M

2018 Workforce

± 51,177

4.23%

1 Year Growth

± 1.57%

The number of Engineering graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 4.23%, from 4.3M in 2017 to 4.48M in 2018.

The industry which employs the most Engineering graduates by share is Architectural, engineering & related services, followed by Computer Systems Design. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Engineering.

Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Mechanical Engineering is from the 2 Digit Course Engineering.

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Engineering majors

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Engineering majors.

Diversity

Demographic information on those who earn a degree in Engineering in the US. The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Engineering is 43.1, and the most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Male employees are more likely to hold Engineering degrees, and White students earn the majority (23,915) of the degrees.

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Mechanical Engineering is from the 2 Digit Course Engineering.

43.1

Average Age in 2018

± 0.152 Years

0.617%

1 Year Change

± 0.503%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Engineering. The most common ages of employees with this major are 34 and 30 years old, which represent 2.87% and 2.84% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Mechanical Engineering are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Research Doctorate.

Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Mechanical Engineering is from the 2 Digit Course Engineering.

The most common degree types held by the working population in Engineering are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Doctorate degree.

Gender Imbalance for Common Institutions

Male (85.6%)

Most Common Gender with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by gender at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Mechanical Engineering.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
23,915 degrees awarded
Non-resident Alien
8,261 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
4,081 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Mechanical Engineering for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Gender

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Gender Combination

White Male
17,896 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino Male
3,035 degrees awarded
White Female
2,848 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by gender for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Mechanical Engineering. White Male students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and gender.

Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Mechanical Engineering is from the 2 Digit Course Engineering.

Most Common Countries of Origin

India
465,258 degree recipients
China
143,585 degree recipients
Mexico
77,047 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

India
4.4 times more than expected
Libya
3.84 times more than expected
United Arab Emirates
3.27 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in India that hold Engineering degrees (4.4 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is India (465,258 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Mechanical Engineering field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Mechanical Engineering majors need many skills, but most especially Speaking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Mechanical Engineering majors need more than the average amount of Mathematics, Technology Design, and Science.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Mechanical Engineering majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Mathematics is very distinctive for majors, but the Speaking, Reading Comprehension, and Instructing are the three most important skills for people in the field.