It is always useful for hiring organizations and professionals managing their careers to keep tabs on salary and compensation trends. The field of engineering is fascinating in terms of the diversity of the field itself and the number of trends involved that are seemingly at odds with each other.
For instance, retiring baby boomer engineers are leaving skill gaps and professional shortages in the market. The law of supply and demand tells us that shortages drive price increases. However, engineering compensation is increasing only 2–4% on average.
In addition, the 10-year job growth rates for a number of engineering disciplines, such as electrical and chemical engineering, are expected to be considerably slower than the nation’s overall job growth, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This slower job growth in important engineering fields is occurring even though we know the engineering profession is critically important to our future economy.
So what is behind these contradictions? As explored in greater detail in the 2017 Guide to Midwest Engineering Compensation, because engineering is such a diverse field even within the disciplines themselves, averages can mask important microtrends. While the average Midwest engineering compensation figures listed below are very helpful, it is also very useful to explore some of the trends influencing the market for engineering hiring organizations and engineering professionals.
Engineers with expertise in rapidly growing fields, such as solar energy, environmental engineering, and medical devices, are in high demand. As markets shift and market-disrupting innovations develop, high-growth industries will also change at—in all likelihood—an unprecedented pace.
While many engineers pursue master’s degrees and sometimes doctoral degrees, obtaining additional licensing and specialized certifications can be a tremendous boost to career opportunities and learning potential.
Highly specialized engineers with very specific sets of experiences are in high demand in some industries.
Many organizations now look for engineering and technical talent skilled at understanding, operating within, and pulling together the bigger picture. Engineers skilled at communicating across teams and facilitating collaboration are often in very high demand.
Geography plays a large role. Although Midwest compensation figures did not show great levels of variation, many industries tend to be concentrated in various regions. As just one example, the demand for engineers with pharmaceutical and medical device expertise is very high in the Boston area.
180 Engineering explored Midwest engineering salary trends in detail in the 2017 Guide to Midwest Engineering Compensation. This guide includes compensation data segmented in the following manners: ten engineering disciplines key to the product and manufacturing life-cycles, years of experience, education levels, titles, and five of the major metropolitan areas within the Midwest.
Download the 2017 Guide to Midwest Engineering Compensation.
Midwest Compensation Averages by Discipline
Electrical Engineer Midwest Average
Years of Experience |
Average Salary |
75th Percentile |
90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 – 2 years | $74,982 | $86,200 | $98,800 |
| 3 – 5 years | $80,916 | $90,800 | $103,800 |
| 6 – 10 years | $82,010 | $94,400 | $108,800 |
| 11 – 15 years | $82,733 | $95,600 | $109,000 |
| 16 – 20 years | $86,570 | $100,800 | $114,600 |
| 21+ years | $89,478 | $104,200 | $119,000 |
Manufacturing Engineer Midwest Average
Years of Experience |
Average Salary |
75th Percentile |
90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 – 2 years | $72,334 | $82,000 | $93,200 |
| 3 – 5 years | $78,988 | $88,800 | $98,800 |
| 6 – 10 years | $81,000 | $92,200 | $107,800 |
| 11 – 15 years | $81,529 | $93,000 | $106,400 |
| 16 – 20 years | $82,412 | $94,200 | $111,000 |
| 21+ years | $86,360 | $98,800 | $112,600 |
Mechanical Engineer Midwest Average
Years of Experience |
Average Salary |
75th Percentile |
90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 – 2 years | $72,871 | $84,400 | $94,400 |
| 3 – 5 years | $79,573 | $89,600 | $100,200 |
| 6 – 10 years | $79,250 | $90,400 | $103,800 |
| 11 – 15 years | $80,435 | $91,400 | $104,400 |
| 16 – 20 years | $82,904 | $94,400 | $113,000 |
| 21+ years | $85,697 | $97,600 | $114,600 |
Product Management Midwest Average
Years of Experience |
Average Salary |
75th Percentile |
90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 – 2 years | $77,119 | $88,400 | $99,200 |
| 3 – 5 years | $82,271 | $93,600 | $103,600 |
| 6 – 10 years | $85,269 | $95,800 | $113,200 |
| 11 – 15 years | $88,861 | $101,600 | $122,800 |
| 16 – 20 years | $93,467 | $108,200 | $131,600 |
| 21+ years | $97,801 | $112,800 | $139,600 |
Program Management Midwest Average
Years of Experience |
Average Salary |
75th Percentile |
90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 – 2 years | $79,090 | $88,600 | $104,400 |
| 3 – 5 years | $87,005 | $100,800 | $115,000 |
| 6 – 10 years | $90,128 | $101,200 | $120,600 |
| 11 – 15 years | $96,745 | $112,600 | $133,800 |
| 16 – 20 years | $101,150 | $119,400 | $140,800 |
| 21+ years | $106,404 | $123,800 | $144,600 |
Quality Engineer Midwest Average
Years of Experience |
Average Salary |
75th Percentile |
90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 – 2 years | $71,312 | $82,800 | $92,800 |
| 3 – 5 years | $77,508 | $88,200 | $101,800 |
| 6 – 10 years | $77,816 | $89,000 | $102,200 |
| 11 – 15 years | $78,896 | $91,200 | $103,200 |
| 16 – 20 years | $82,629 | $94,400 | $109,600 |
| 21+ years | $85,650 | $98,400 | $113,600 |
Sales Engineer Midwest Average
Years of Experience |
Average Salary |
75th Percentile |
90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 – 2 years | $67,258 | $76,000 | $91,800 |
| 3 – 5 years | $83,139 | $96,800 | $111,400 |
| 6 – 10 years | $82,000 | $95,000 | $109,800 |
| 11 – 15 years | $85,185 | $99,800 | $119,200 |
| 16 – 20 years | $85,629 | $102,200 | $121,000 |
| 21+ years | $85,784 | $98,400 | $120,000 |
Software Engineer Midwest Average
Years of Experience |
Average Salary |
75th Percentile |
90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 – 2 years | $75,421 | $87,200 | $100,200 |
| 3 – 5 years | $89,903 | $104,200 | $121,600 |
| 6 – 10 years | $80,330 | $95,000 | $107,400 |
| 11 – 15 years | $83,150 | $98,000 | $113,800 |
| 16 – 20 years | $84,348 | $99,600 | $116,600 |
| 21+ years | $87,697 | $103,000 | $121,000 |
System Engineer Midwest Average
Years of Experience |
Average Salary |
75th Percentile |
90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 – 2 years | $73,756 | $85,000 | $98,400 |
| 3 – 5 years | $81,095 | $92,800 | $106,600 |
| 6 – 10 years | $79,182 | $92,200 | $105,800 |
| 11 – 15 years | $80,734 | $94,600 | $110,200 |
| 16 – 20 years | $82,846 | $96,200 | $113,800 |
| 21+ years | $86,396 | $99,600 | $117,600 |
Test Engineer Midwest Average
Years of Experience |
Average Salary |
75th Percentile |
90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 – 2 years | $73,929 | $84,600 | $95,600 |
| 3 – 5 years | $81,397 | $93,200 | $106,600 |
| 6 – 10 years | $80,850 | $92,800 | $104,400 |
| 11 – 15 years | $84,765 | $98,200 | $110,600 |
| 16 – 20 years | $86,425 | $99,000 | $117,400 |
| 21+ years | $88,586 | $102,000 | $117,800 |
Download the 2017 Guide to Midwest Engineering Compensation.
