Industrial Engineers: Career Overview
Design, develop, test, and evaluate integrated systems for managing industrial production processes, including human work factors, quality control, inventory control, logistics and material flow, cost analysis, and production coordination.
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What Tasks Do Industrial Engineers Take On?
Typical responsibilities of industrial engineers include:
- Estimate production costs, cost saving methods, and the effects of product design changes on expenditures for management review, action, and control.
- Plan and establish sequence of operations to fabricate and assemble parts or products and to promote efficient utilization.
- Analyze statistical data and product specifications to determine standards and establish quality and reliability objectives of finished product.
- Confer with clients, vendors, staff, and management personnel regarding purchases, product and production specifications, manufacturing capabilities, or project status.
- Communicate with management and user personnel to develop production and design standards.
- Evaluate precision and accuracy of production and testing equipment and engineering drawings to formulate corrective action plan.
- Recommend methods for improving utilization of personnel, material, and utilities.
- Record or oversee recording of information to ensure currency of engineering drawings and documentation of production problems.
What Industrial Engineers Need to Know
Top industrial engineers rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
These are the skills most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Continuous Improvement Engineer
- District Plant Engineer
- Documentation Engineer
- Efficiency Analyst
- Efficiency Engineer
- Efficiency Expert
- Engineer
- Engineering Inspector
How Many Industrial Engineers Are There?
There are about 199,768 industrial engineers working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to decline by -0.9% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Industrial Engineers Make?
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $120,863 |
| Hourly median | $58.11 |
| 10th percentile | $85,878 |
| 25th percentile | $103,371 |
| 75th percentile | $138,356 |
| 90th percentile | $155,848 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Alaska | $142,980 |
| Louisiana | $126,960 |
| Oregon | $124,560 |
| California | $123,070 |
| Wyoming | $122,540 |
| Washington | $119,670 |
| New Mexico | $119,390 |
| District of Columbia | $118,960 |
| Delaware | $118,670 |
| Idaho | $112,490 |
| Rhode Island | $110,470 |
| Arizona | $110,100 |
| Maryland | $109,560 |
| Massachusetts | $108,350 |
| Colorado | $106,980 |
| West Virginia | $104,610 |
| New Jersey | $103,880 |
| Texas | $103,430 |
| Florida | $103,340 |
| Montana | $103,210 |
| Vermont | $101,780 |
| New York | $101,770 |
| Minnesota | $101,600 |
| Connecticut | $101,020 |
| Utah | $100,710 |
| New Hampshire | $100,550 |
| Nevada | $100,170 |
| Illinois | $99,990 |
| Virginia | $99,990 |
| Iowa | $99,960 |
| Hawaii | $99,850 |
| Michigan | $99,680 |
| Ohio | $99,490 |
| Maine | $99,260 |
| Alabama | $99,120 |
| South Carolina | $98,830 |
| Georgia | $98,550 |
| Tennessee | $98,230 |
| North Carolina | $97,150 |
| Indiana | $97,080 |
| Kansas | $96,650 |
| Pennsylvania | $96,320 |
| Arkansas | $95,860 |
| Kentucky | $95,780 |
| Missouri | $95,610 |
| Oklahoma | $95,180 |
| Nebraska | $95,150 |
| Wisconsin | $95,090 |
| Mississippi | $93,110 |
| South Dakota | $89,450 |
| North Dakota | $84,610 |
| Puerto Rico | $80,120 |
Where Industrial Engineers Earn the Most
Pay for industrial engineers vary by region. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $122,119 | 11.3% | 0.76 |
| Rocky Mountains | $105,362 | 3.3% | 0.90 |
| New England | $105,126 | 5.8% | 1.28 |
| Southwest | $104,420 | 11.4% | 0.92 |
| Middle Atlantic | $101,437 | 10.2% | 0.71 |
| Southeast | $99,872 | 21.1% | 0.98 |
| Plains States | $99,145 | 9.4% | 1.88 |
| Great Lakes | $98,771 | 26.7% | 2.14 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Industrial Engineers
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage, AK | AK | $166,350 | 130 |
| Charleston, WV | WV | $141,900 | 150 |
| Vallejo, CA | CA | $140,500 | 230 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | LA | $139,130 | 770 |
| Midland, TX | TX | $137,110 | 300 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $136,290 | 3,850 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $133,790 | 4,630 |
| Lexington Park, MD | MD | $132,020 | 170 |
Industry Breakdown
The bulk of industrial engineers work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 237,030 | $100,060 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 50,290 | $106,420 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 15,770 | $115,210 |
| Wholesale Trade | 15,570 | $101,700 |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 7,860 | $97,440 |
| Information | 2,170 | $128,220 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 2,110 | $148,850 |
| Construction | 2,000 | $96,320 |
Below are examples of industries where industrial engineers work:
Software Industrial Engineers Use
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD (hot technology)
- Computer aided design CAD software: Bentley MicroStation (hot technology)
- Object or component oriented development software: C++ (hot technology)
- Computer aided design CAD software: Dassault Systemes SolidWorks (hot technology)
- Enterprise application integration software: Extensible markup language XML (hot technology)
- Application server software: GitHub (hot technology)
- Program testing software: JUnit (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Linux (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
Work Environment
The work environment for industrial engineers reflects the following characteristics:
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Telephone Conversations
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Contact With Others
Getting Started in This Career
Entry-level industrial engineers positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Industrial Production Managers (Primary-Short)
- Quality Control Systems Managers (Supplemental)
- Architectural and Engineering Managers (Supplemental)
- Logistics Engineers (Primary-Long)
- Project Management Specialists (Supplemental)
- Electrical Engineers (Primary-Long)
- Electronics Engineers, Except Computer (Supplemental)
- Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists (Primary-Long)
Where to Study
Students preparing for industrial engineers commonly pursue programs in:
Engineering
3 programs across 3 majors
Engineering Technologies and Engineering-Related Fields
2 programs across 1 majors
References
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 17-2112.00 (Industrial Engineers).
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