Manufacturing Engineers: Job Description
Design, integrate, or improve manufacturing systems or related processes. May work with commercial or industrial designers to refine product designs to increase producibility and decrease costs.
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What Do Manufacturing Engineers Perform?
The core tasks performed by manufacturing engineers include:
- Troubleshoot new or existing product problems involving designs, materials, or processes.
- Investigate or resolve operational problems, such as material use variances or bottlenecks.
- Identify opportunities or implement changes to improve manufacturing processes or products or to reduce costs, using knowledge of fabrication processes, tooling and production equipment, assembly methods, quality control standards, or product design, materials and parts.
- Apply continuous improvement methods, such as lean manufacturing, to enhance manufacturing quality, reliability, or cost-effectiveness.
- Provide technical expertise or support related to manufacturing.
- Incorporate new manufacturing methods or processes to improve existing operations.
- Review product designs for manufacturability or completeness.
- Determine root causes of failures or recommend changes in designs, tolerances, or processing methods, using statistical procedures.
Skills and Knowledge
Effective manufacturing engineers combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
The competencies most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Other Manufacturing Engineers Job Titles
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Advance Manufacturing Engineer
- Automation Engineer
- Design Engineer
- Engineer
- Facility Engineer
- Foundry Process Engineer
- Lean Manufacturing Engineer
- Manufacturing Applications Engineer
Employment and Demand
There are roughly 46,633 manufacturing engineers working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to decline by -3.2% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Manufacturing Engineers
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $91,427 |
| Hourly median | $43.96 |
| 10th percentile | $61,719 |
| 25th percentile | $76,573 |
| 75th percentile | $106,281 |
| 90th percentile | $121,135 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Manufacturing Engineers Make in Different U.S. States?
| 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 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Compensation for manufacturing engineers differ across the country. 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 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| 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 |
Which Industries Hire Manufacturing Engineers
The largest employers of manufacturing 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 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Tech Stack
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD (hot technology)
- Development environment software: C (hot technology)
- Computer aided design CAD software: Dassault Systemes SolidWorks (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)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Project management software: Microsoft Project (hot technology)
- Document management software: Microsoft SharePoint (hot technology)
- Process mapping and design software: Microsoft Visio (hot technology)
- Development environment software: Microsoft Visual Basic (hot technology)
What the Workplace Is Like
The on-the-job environment of manufacturing engineers reflects the following characteristics:
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Telephone Conversations
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
Getting Started in This Career
Entry-level manufacturing engineers positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Industrial Production Managers (Primary-Short)
- Logistics Engineers (Supplemental)
- Chemical Engineers (Primary-Short)
- Electrical Engineers (Supplemental)
- Electronics Engineers, Except Computer (Primary-Long)
- Industrial Engineers (Primary-Short)
- Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists (Primary-Long)
- Validation Engineers (Primary-Long)
Where to Study
Future manufacturing engineers often complete programs in:
Engineering
3 programs across 3 majors
Engineering Technologies and Engineering-Related Fields
2 programs across 1 majors
References
This profile draws on 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: 17-2112.03 (Industrial Engineers).
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