Salary Survey
It is true that every occupation has its independent salary and wages structure depending on job profile, responsibility and accountability, tenure, performance and geographical area. Typical earnings in the field of engineering are compensated as piece rate, hourly wages, annual salaries, commission, tips and bonuses.
A handbook of survey carried out in year 2008 holds data matrix primarily provided by Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Survey where it says about the statistics of salary and compensation offered by engineers of various disciplines. The information was provided by Bachelor, Master and Ph.D. students, professional associations, private companies and unions. According to the survey, the salary and compensation for engineers significantly varies by education, specialty and industry. Following is the data matrix showing the wage distribution in year 2008 which was published by United States Department of Labor.
| Engineering Specialty |
Lowest [10%] |
Lowest [25%] |
Median |
Highest [25%] |
Highest [10%] |
| Aerospace engineers |
$58,130td> |
$72,390 |
$92,520 |
$114,530 |
$134,570 |
| Agricultural engineers |
43,150 |
55,430 |
68,730 |
86,400 |
108,470 |
| Biomedical engineers |
47,640 |
59,420 |
77,400 |
98,830 |
121,970 |
| Chemical engineers |
53,730 |
67,420 |
84,680 |
105,000 |
130,240 |
| Civil engineers |
48,140 |
58,960 |
74,600 |
94,470 |
115,630 |
| Computer hardware engineers |
59,170 |
76,250 |
97,400 |
122,750 |
148,590 |
| Electrical engineers |
52,990 |
64,910 |
82,160 |
102,520 |
125,810 |
| Electronics engineers, except computer |
55,330 |
68,400 |
86,370 |
106,870 |
129,920 |
| Environmental engineers |
45,310 |
56,980 |
74,020 |
94,280 |
115,430 |
| Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors |
43,540 |
56,190 |
72,490 |
90,740 |
106,220 |
| Industrial engineers |
47,720 |
59,120 |
73,820 |
91,020 |
107,270 |
| Marine engineers and naval architects |
43,070 |
57,060 |
74,140 |
94,840 |
118,630 |
| Materials engineers |
51,420 |
63,830 |
81,820 |
102,040 |
124,470 |
| Mechanical engineers |
47,900 |
59,230 |
74,920 |
94,400 |
114,740 |
| Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers |
45,020 |
57,970 |
75,960 |
96,030 |
122,750 |
| Nuclear engineers |
68,300 |
82,540 |
97,080 |
115,170 |
136,880 |
| Petroleum engineers |
57,820 |
80,040 |
108,020 |
148,700 |
166,400 |
| Engineers, all other |
49,270 |
67,360 |
88,570 |
110,310 |
132,070 |
The average starting salary of engineers is the highest as compared to graduates from any other field of study. Besides the significant salary and wages compensation, the engineering students also enjoy benefits like health insurance, sick leave (in some cases) and paid vacation. Besides these traditional benefits, flexible hours of working, profit sharing plans are also offered to highly skilled engineers. Some of the companies also provide tuition for dependent children, childcare, housing assistance and summers off.
According to the National Association of colleges and employers survey carried out in year 2009, the starting salary of graduates of Bachelor degree of engineering students earn as follows:
| Engineering Specialty |
Average Salary |
| Petroleum |
$83,121 |
| Chemical |
64,902 |
| Mining and Mineral |
64,404 |
| Computer |
61,738 |
| Nuclear |
61,610 |
| Electrical/electronics and communications |
60,125 |
| Mechanical |
58,766 |
| Industrial/manufacturing |
58,358 |
| Materials |
57,349 |
| Aerospace/aeronautical/astronautical |
56,311 |
| Agricultural |
54,352 |
| Bioengineering and biomedical |
54,158 |
| Civil |
52,048 |
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