Engineering jobs have always been known for their respectable salaries. However, even within the general engineering category, some specific industries and specialties offer more than others.
Fields like petroleum, nuclear, and software engineering are all known to offer appealing salaries and are usually at the top of such lists. However, several other less-celebrated roles come with amazing salary packages as well.
In the guide below, we will be breaking down some of the top-paying job titles for engineers across the country. We will also be highlighting the average salaries to expect across each discipline.
The following are the top 10 highest-paying engineering jobs for candidates to consider.
Aerospace Engineer
- $134,830 annual average salary (BLS)
Aerospace engineers work on all sorts of aircraft, researching and developing systems to improve the functionality of these flying machines. Naturally, safety is also a big part of being an Aerospace engineer.
Professionals in the field help improve the safety of airplanes and other aircraft, while also carrying out constant research to reduce environmental impact and fuel efficiency, among other areas.
It is important to note that Aerospace engineers are different from aviation maintenance technicians/engineers in terms of their duties and the educational requirements necessary to become a professional in each field.
Petroleum Engineer
- $141,280 annual average salary (BLS)
Petroleum engineers have a reputation for being some of the highest-paid professionals in the engineering world. This reputation is backed up by data from various sources, including the government platform Bureau of Labour Statistics, which puts their national average salary at around $141,280 per year.
Petroleum engineers oversee oil and natural gas extraction from the earth. They carry out research across several areas of oil and gas exploration, and they optimize tools that can make the process more efficient.
It is also very important for a petroleum engineer to be good at record-keeping. They must maintain a tight record of the amount they drill per day and utilize this data for several optimization steps.
Electrical Engineer
- $118,780 annual average salary (BLS)
Electrical engineers are very well-rewarded for their efforts, thanks in part to the field’s absolute importance to our daily lives. Without electrical engineers, it would be impossible to enjoy many modern technologies that rely on electricity electricity, such as telecommunication systems, satellites, and even mobile devices.
An electrical engineer must be adept in electrical systems, but they must also be able to combine this knowledge with other technical knowledge in mathematics, physics, and electronics principles. Professionals in this field must also be able to work with multiple tools, including circuit simulation software, oscilloscopes, and CAD tools.
Nuclear Engineer
- $127,520 annual average salary (BLS)
As a nuclear engineer, a day’s work involves working at power plants and establishing procedures to optimize specific processes. The end goal of these processes is usually geared towards power generation through nuclear energy.
In addition to ensuring the processes run smoothly and efficiently, nuclear engineers can also be hired as research experts. In this case, they will be tasked with developing unique solutions to specific challenges.
Chemical Engineer
- $121,860 annual average salary (BLS)
Although they can be found in several sectors, the pharmaceutical and food industries are the most popular work environments for chemical engineers. It is the duty of these professionals to develop and optimize chemical manufacturing processes for the safe and effective creation of food and drugs.
Apart from a solid knowledge of engineering and chemistry, chemical engineers must also be proficient in operating with industry-scale devices and equipment.
Materials Engineer
- $108,310 annual average salary (BLS)
A materials engineer can expect to work with raw materials. By understanding the fundamental principles of engineering and combining this with a deep knowledge of materials and their physical/chemical properties, professionals in this field can develop processes to convert these raw materials into finished products as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
Materials engineers can work across several industries. What’s more, the products they engineer can be utilized in several scenarios, including aircrafts, in medical environments, and even in sports.
Environmental Engineer
- $104,170 annual average salary (BLS)
Environmental engineers have a deep understanding of our environment, including the chemistry of soil and the atmosphere, and the biology of the natural world around us. They draw upon this knowledge to come up with solutions that solve the plethora of environmental issues that we currently deal with, and will no doubt have to deal with in the upcoming years.
An environmental engineer must have a love for research, be able to analyze tons of data, and come up with quality reports showing their findings that will help design water treatment systems, waste management processes, and pollution control technologies. Companies work closely with environmental engineers for research purposes and to ensure compliance with environmental regulations in their products and services.
Biomedical Engineer
- $106,950 annual average salary (BLS)
The field of engineering overlaps with several other areas and walks of life. Engineers who are capable of leveraging engineering principles in the field of biology and biochemistry are known as biomedical engineers.
They utilize their technical experience to research and develop tools and resources that can be used to improve our health.
This may include developing artificial organs, publishing academic papers, and collaborating with healthcare experts to achieve desired results. The data from the Bureau of Labour Statistics shows that biomedical engineers across the country take home an annual average salary of around $106,950.
Computer Engineer
- $155,020 annual average salary (BLS)
Computer engineers are responsible for designing and developing the hardware and software components of a company’s products or services. Professionals in this field may choose to further specialize as software engineers, in which case they will only be working on software applications.
They can also choose to focus on the hardware side, where they work with computer architecture to design more efficient processors, circuits, and embedded systems.. This will include designing processors, circuits, embedded systems, and integrated hardware-software solutions
Industrial Engineer
- $101,140 annual average salary (BLS)
Industrial engineers are professionals who are capable of leveraging their vast knowledge of ideal industrial processes to eliminate inefficiency during the manufacturing process. They are called upon to develop control systems, review schedules, and implement other measures that can reduce waste and help companies significantly cut production costs.
For their efforts, professionals in this field are very well rewarded, boasting a national average salary of $101,140 per year, according to figures provided by the Bureau of Labour Statistics.
Candidates looking to work as industrial engineers can expect to secure employment in an array of industries such as healthcare, business administration, production systems, logistics, supply chains, and operations, among others.
Tips for Becoming a Top Earner in Any Engineering Field
Even the lowest-paying engineering fields are known to offer more competitive salaries than several other disciplines.
One of the most important things to keep in mind when trying to become a top earner in any engineering field is the importance of specialization. Even broad disciplines like computer engineering offer opportunities for further specialization that can help candidates boost their yearly income.
Another area of potential focus for a better salary is experience. The longer an engineer spends on the job, the more they attain unique expertise and experience that make them highly valuable to their companies and give them an edge if they look to change their place of employment.
An engineer can also develop transferable skills, including leadership and teamwork, to become a top earner in their chosen field.
Obtaining professional certifications, pursuing high-level credentials, and networking with fellow professionals and leaders in the field are other effective ways of becoming a top engineering earner.
