Highest-paying architecture and engineering jobs
Compare pay across the BLS architecture and engineering occupational group.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment ProjectionsPeriod: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wagesRetrieved 2026-10-05T08:25:31+00:00
SOC major group 17, including architects, engineers, technologists, and technicians. National BLS detailed occupations only. Wages are median annual employee wages, not starting salaries or self-employed earnings. Missing wages are excluded from pay rankings. A “+” means a lower bound, not an exact wage; equal reported bounds share a rank. Education describes the typical entry requirement, not a guarantee of eligibility. Training, licensing, and experience may still be needed.
| Rank | Name | Typical education | Median annual wage | Projected growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Computer hardware engineers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $161,740 | 9.1% |
| 2 | Petroleum engineers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $144,910 | 2.0% |
| 3 | Aerospace engineers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $134,960 | 8.3% |
| 4 | Nuclear engineers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $133,970 | 0.4% |
| 5 | Electronics engineers, except computer DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $130,220 | 3.7% |
| 6 | Chemical engineers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $125,040 | 4.7% |
| 7 | Engineers, all other DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $122,930 | 3.7% |
| 8 | Electrical engineers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $120,630 | 9.9% |
| 9 | Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $115,160 | 5.4% |
| 10 | Materials engineers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $112,860 | 7.5% |
| 11 | Marine engineers and naval architects DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $112,230 | 6.7% |
| 12 | Bioengineers and biomedical engineers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $109,370 | 7.6% |
| 13 | Environmental engineers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $107,110 | 6.3% |
| 14 | Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $106,220 | 3.8% |
| 15 | Mechanical engineers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $104,110 | 11.2% |
| 16 | Industrial engineers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $102,440 | 12.4% |
| 17 | Civil engineers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $100,840 | 6.4% |
| 18 | Architects, except landscape and naval DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: Internship/residency. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $99,280 | 4.3% |
| 19 | Agricultural engineers DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $98,590 | 6.9% |
| 20 | Aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians DetailsEducation: Associate's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Associate's degree | $82,890 | 11.9% |
| 21 | Cartographers and photogrammetrists DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $81,390 | 7.4% |
| 22 | Landscape architects DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: Internship/residency. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $79,870 | 4.4% |
| 23 | Engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other DetailsEducation: Associate's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Associate's degree | $78,350 | 2.8% |
| 24 | Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians DetailsEducation: Associate's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Associate's degree | $78,190 | 2.4% |
| 25 | Electrical and electronics drafters DetailsEducation: Associate's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Associate's degree | $76,870 | -3.4% |
| 26 | Surveyors DetailsEducation: Bachelor's degree. Experience: None. Training: Internship/residency. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Bachelor's degree | $75,440 | 5.8% |
| 27 | Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians DetailsEducation: Associate's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Associate's degree | $74,510 | 1.3% |
| 28 | Electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians DetailsEducation: Associate's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Associate's degree | $73,900 | 2.6% |
| 29 | Mechanical drafters DetailsEducation: Associate's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Associate's degree | $71,550 | -6.0% |
| 30 | Calibration technologists and technicians DetailsEducation: Associate's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Associate's degree | $67,820 | 4.8% |
| 31 | Architectural and civil drafters DetailsEducation: Associate's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Associate's degree | $66,150 | 5.2% |
| 32 | Industrial engineering technologists and technicians DetailsEducation: Associate's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Associate's degree | $66,120 | 3.1% |
| 33 | Civil engineering technologists and technicians DetailsEducation: Associate's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Associate's degree | $64,950 | 3.2% |
| 34 | Drafters, all other DetailsEducation: Associate's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Associate's degree | $63,520 | -7.3% |
| 35 | Environmental engineering technologists and technicians DetailsEducation: Associate's degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Associate's degree | $59,920 | 3.1% |
| 36 | Surveying and mapping technicians DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $54,240 | 5.8% |
Wages marked + are top-coded: the published figure is the lower bound of the capped wage.
36 ranked entries.