The 18 highest paying engineering jobs - Degreechoices.com (2024)

So you’re pretty sure you want to become an engineer, but you’re not certain what kind. And as a shrewd individual, you know you want a high salary after graduation so you can pay off any student loans as fast as possible.

But how do you know what engineering programs are best for your goals?

If you’re reading this article, you probably Googled something like “highest paying engineering jobs.”

You have questions. We have answers.

Read on to find out which engineering jobs have the best salaries, and which colleges are offering the best-value engineering programs in 2023-2024.

As a bonus, we’re also throwing in some well-compensated, engineering-adjacent jobs that aren’t, strictly speaking, engineering.

The highest paying engineering jobs with a bachelor’s degree

The highest-paid engineers are computer hardware engineers, petroleum engineers, and aerospace engineers.

Data on average earnings and number of jobs comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. We are showing the latest available data, which is for May 2022.

No matter what branch of engineering you choose, know that it’s a solid, well-paid job. However, it does require a bachelor’s degree, meaning you’ll most likely need to take out some student loans.

» Also read: Is college still worth it? Sometimes…

To help you make an informed choice on college, we rank schools objectively based on value for money, using our carefully designed methodology. Affordable colleges that lead to high salaries are ranked highest.

In the list below, alongside the highest paying engineering jobs, we list the colleges offering the best-value degrees for each position, so you can become an engineer without totally messing up your personal finances.

Before we proceed, a little warning. Engineering is difficult. Many students who enter drop out. Do some soul searching first and convince yourself you can make friends with Excel before proceeding.

1. Computer hardware engineer

• Average salary: $132,360
• Number of jobs: 78,100

Computer hardware engineers specialize in the physical components of computers, which they design, develop, and test, ensuring new machines are compatible with cutting-edge technologies.

The most sure-fire way of becoming a computer hardware engineer is to major in, you guessed it, computer engineering. However, you can also study electrical, electronics, or communications engineering.

According to our metrics, computer engineering is an outstanding degree, meaning it’s in the top 5% of all majors by value for money.

The top 4 computer engineering programs, by value for money, are:

1. CUNY City College
2. University of Florida
3. Florida International University
4. University of Washington

2. Petroleum engineer

• Average salary: $131,800
• Number of jobs: 21,400

As a petroleum engineer, you will work on getting oil and gas out from underground and into circulation. This will often involve optimizing production processes.

The best majors for aspiring petroleum engineers are petroleum engineering, as well as geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering. In terms of educational investment value, petroleum engineering is an outstanding degree to have, meaning it ranks in the 5% of all majors according to our methodology.

Here are the 4 best colleges for petroleum engineering:

1. The University of Texas Permian Basin
2. Texas A&M University, College Station
3. University of Louisiana at Lafayette
4. The University of Texas at Austin

3. Aerospace engineer

• Average salary: $126,880
• Number of jobs: 63,800

People can fly, and they have aerospace engineers to thank for that. As an aerospace engineer, you’ll be in charge of designing and developing safe, efficient aircraft and spacecraft, as well as all the complex systems needed to get big metal tubes off the ground.

Engineers in the aerospace industry come from multiple backgrounds: they typically major in aerospace, aeronautical, or astronautical engineering, but many have also studied mechanical engineering or electrical/electronics engineering.

In terms of educational ROI, aeronautical engineering is a very good major– it’s in the top 20% of all majors. The top schools are:

1. University of Florida
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3. University of Washington
4. New Mexico State University

4. Nuclear engineer

• Average salary: $122,480
• Number of jobs: 13,800

As a nuclear engineer, you will design and develop stuff that relates to nuclear energy. Many nuclear engineers work at power plants. Note that while this is a captivating and unique line of work, there are less jobs out there for nuclear engineers than for other types of engineers.

Generally, nuclear engineers study nuclear engineering, which is an outstanding major in terms of value for money – in the top 5% of all college degrees. The best nuclear engineering programs in the U.S. are:

1. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
2. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
3. Georgia Institute of Technology
4. The University of Tennessee Knoxville

5. Electronics engineer (but not computer engineers)

• Average salary: $108,170
• Number of jobs: 106,640

Electronics engineers are all about circuits and wires, bringing gadgets to life, and designing systems that use electricity. Out of the top 5 highest paying engineering jobs, it’s by far the one with the most available positions, meaning it’s unlikely you’ll have to move out of state to find a job.

The typical electronics engineer studied electrical/electronics engineering or telecommunications engineering in college, which is another outstanding-value degree, in the top 5% of all college majors. The best electrical, electronics, and communications engineering degrees are:

1. University of California, Berkeley
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3. CUNY City College
4. Stanford University

6. Chemical engineer

• Average salary: $106,260
• Number of jobs: 20,800

Chemical engineers take raw materials and transform them into valuable products, ensuring that this process is as efficient, safe, and environmentally friendly as possible.

Most chemical engineers studied (drum roll please) chemical engineering. This major is very good according to our methodology, meaning it ranks among the top 20% of all majors. Other popular majors for chemical engineers include ceramic sciences and engineering, biomolecular engineering, polymer/plastics engineering, paper science engineering, and engineering chemistry.

Here are the best chemical engineering programs in the nation:

1. University of Florida
2. Florida State University
3. University of California, Berkeley
4. Rice University

7. Engineers, all others

• Average salary: $104,600
• Number of jobs: 150,420

This is a grab-bag designation for all the engineers that don’t fit neatly into other categories. Because this category is so broad, we can’t go into much detail about the nature of the work, although we can say that there is a pretty decent number of jobs on the market for these miscellaneous engineers.

According to IPEDS, the degrees that lead to jobs in this “all other” umbrella include general engineering, applied engineering, architectural engineering, geotechnical engineering, water resources engineering, laser engineering, ocean engineering, surveying engineering, nanotechnology, electromechanical engineering, and many, many others.

The 4 best programs that the Department of Education has generically labeled “engineering” are shown below.

1. CUNY City College
2. California State University, Los Angeles
3. University of Florida
4. Florida International University

8. Electrical engineer

• Average salary: $103,320
• Number of jobs: 182,210

While the name may be similar, an electrical engineer is not the same as an electronics engineer. While electronics engineers focus on circuits and devices for processing information, an electrical engineer is more concerned with generating and distributing power, i.e., keeping the lights on.

Electrical engineers usually have a degree in electrical and electronics engineering, electromechanical engineering, or electrical and computer engineering.

Because our ranking system consolidates electrical, electronics, and communications engineering degrees (which are in the top 5% of all college majors in terms of value for money), the top 4 colleges will be the same as for electronics engineers. Here they are again:

1. University of California, Berkeley
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3. CUNY City College
4. Stanford University

9. Health and Safety Engineer

• Average salary: $100,660
• Number of jobs: 21,520

Health and safety engineers are responsible for making sure that built environments are safe, which is especially vital in industrial settings and workplaces. This designation does not include mining safety engineers, who are in a class of their own (see mining and geological engineers).

Most health and safety engineers majored in environmental/environmental health engineering, or what the Department of Education has labeled “engineering, other.” Environmental health engineering is an average degree in terms of value for money: it’s in the top 40% of all majors.

The top programs are shown below:

1. CUNY City College
2. University of Florida
3. University of California, Riverside
4. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

10. Materials engineer

• Average salary: $100,140
• Number of jobs: 22,300

Materials engineers work to develop new types of materials or study existing ones. These new substances can be used in a variety of industries, making our stuff more durable and greener.

Besides materials engineering, materials engineers may have studied ceramics engineering, metallurgical engineering, textile sciences and engineering, polymer/plastics engineering, or materials science.

Materials engineering is a very good major: in the top 20% of all bachelor’s level degrees.

The best material engineering degrees by value for money are shown below:

1. University of Florida
2. University of Washington
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
4. Arizona State University

11. Bioengineer/biomedical engineer

• Average salary: $99,550
• Number of jobs: 19,700

Bioengineers and biomedical engineers use engineering principles to develop solutions for medical and biological challenges. They create medical devices and improve healthcare technologies.

The most typical degrees for bioengineers include bioengineering, biomedical engineering, chemical and biomolecular engineering, and biological/biosystems engineering.

Biomedical engineering is in the top 20% of all majors by value for money. The top bioengineering/biomedical engineering programs are listed below.

1. CUNY City College
2. Florida International University
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
4. University of California, Los Angeles

12. Mining and geological engineer

• Average salary: $97,490
• Number of jobs: 7,500

Mining engineers oversee the technical aspects of extracting valuable minerals from the earth, ensuring efficient and safe methods while minimizing environmental impact. While this is a lucrative career, there aren’t many jobs out there.

To become a mining or geological engineer, your best bet is to study mining and mineral engineering, geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering, or geological/geophysical engineering.

Geological/geophysical engineering is an average degree in terms of value for money, placing it in the top 40% of all majors. The best bachelor’s degrees in Geological/geophysical engineering are available at:

1. University of Wisconsin Madison
2. University of Nevada, Reno
3. Colorado School of Mines
4. Missouri University of Science and Technology

13. Marine engineer/naval architect

• Average salary: $96,910
• Number of jobs: 8,000

Marine engineers build ships and make sure all the systems needed to keep them afloat are safe and efficient. Note that this is different than a “ship engineer,” who works onboard the ship and makes sure nothing breaks down.

If you want to become a marine engineer, your best bet is to study naval architecture or marine engineering. Note that most other types of engineering have more jobs available.

Marine engineering is an outstanding major – it pays off better than 95% of all degrees. The top 5 marine engineering programs in the U.S. are:

1. Massachusetts Maritime Academy
2. Maine Maritime Academy
3. SUNY Maritime College
4. University of Michigan Ann Arbor

14. Environmental engineer

• Average salary: $96,530
• Number of jobs: 47,300

Environmental engineers use their engineering skills to solve environmental problems like air and water pollution. They may also be involved in sustainable resource management.

If you want to become an environmental engineer, the most direct route is to study environmental engineering, although you could enter the field with a degree in water resources engineering or geoenvironmental engineering as well.

According to our ranking system, environmental engineering is an average major in terms of value for money. It’s better than 60% of all degrees. The best environmental engineering programs are:

1. CUNY City College
2. University of Florida
3. University of California, Riverside
4. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

15. Industrial engineer

• Average salary: $96,350
• Number of jobs: 327,300

Industrial engineers are in charge of inventing and ameliorating systems used in industrial production. This often means designing and improving the machines used to make stuff. While it is not the best-compensated type of engineering, there are many job openings throughout the country.

In college, industrial engineers typically studied industrial engineering, systems engineering, manufacturing engineering, packaging science, or engineering management. Industrial engineering ranks as an outstanding major – in the top 5% of all degrees you can get in terms of value for money. The 5 best industrial engineering programs are shown below:

1. Florida State University
2. University of Central Florida
3. University of South Florida
4. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

16. Mechanical engineer

• Average salary: $96,310
• Number of jobs: 286,100

Mechanical engineers develop various mechanical devices. They are also in charge of testing them and making sure they work efficiently. This branch of engineering has lots of job opportunities.

Most mechanical engineers studied mechanical engineering, which is a very good major – in the top 20% of all degrees. Other good majors for mechanical engineering include the similarly named engineering mechanics and electromechanical engineering.

According to our methodology, the best mechanical engineering programs are:

1. CUNY City College
2. California State University, Los Angeles
3. University of Florida
4. Florida International University

17. Civil engineer

• Average salary: $89,940
• Number of jobs: 326,300

The most common type of engineer, civil engineers design infrastructural elements like roads, bridges, buildings, and water systems. Many work for the government or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Others may work alongside architects at engineering consulting firms.

While most civil engineers studied civil engineering (a very good major by value for money), others majored in geotechnical engineering, structural engineering, transportation and highway engineering, water resources engineering, or construction engineering.

The best-value civil engineering programs are:

1. CUNY City College
2. California State University, Los Angeles
3. University of Florida
4. Florida International University

18. Agricultural engineer

• Average salary: $83,260
• Number of jobs: 1,600

This niche form of engineering involves applying engineering principles to technologies used in agriculture, including farming, food production, and natural resource management.

Most agricultural engineers studied agricultural engineering. This is a very good major by value for money, placing it in the top 20% of all degrees.

The best schools for agricultural engineering are:

1. University of Georgia
2. Purdue University
3. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
4. University of Maryland, College Park

Bonus: other hot jobs you can get with an engineering degree

Getting an engineering degree doesn’t mean you have to become an engineer. If you want to branch out, employers will value your analytical skills, deep understanding of “how things work,” and affinity with numbers.

Furthermore, not all engineering degrees feed into jobs that have “engineer” in the name. This is especially true for computer engineering majors.

Below, we list some jobs you can get with an engineering degree that aren’t just “engineer.”

Highest paying engineering master’s

The truth is, you don’t need a master’s degree to become an engineer.

However, grad school may unlock better-paying positions in your field. An MS in engineering could land you a role with more responsibility that requires advanced technical knowledge – or it could help you make the move to management.

So instead of giving you a list of jobs, we present the average earnings of master’s degree holders in various engineering fields – and the salary increase this represents compared to a bachelor’s.

This data comes from IPEDS, which groups degrees into CIP codes representing a field of study. We have not included any CIP codes with less than 5 schools.

Note that many of these master’s-level salary figures are actually lower than the median earnings for the specific jobs listed earlier. That’s because the data shown here represents average earnings only 4 years after graduation – which is pretty early in an engineer’s career.

Meanwhile, the jobs data in the first list is the average for all engineers – whether they just graduated or they’re about to retire – regardless of their qualifications and educational attainment.

Highest paying states for engineers

What states have the highest-paid engineers depends on the type of engineering. For each job, we list the top 5 states by average (mean) earnings as of May 2022. Data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Aerospace engineers

Top-paying states for aerospace engineers:

1. Nebraska – $141,420
2. District of Columbia – $141,250
3. California – $139,840
4. Colorado – $139,000
5. Washington – $136,840

Agricultural engineers

Top-paying states for agricultural engineers:

1. California – $ 109,130
2. Texas – $ 108,780
3. Nebraska – $ 99,460
4. Ohio – $ 98,730
5. Indiana – $ 97,060

Bioengineers/Biomedical engineers

Top-paying states for bioengineers and biomedical engineers:

1. New Mexico – $ 133,790
2. Arizona – $ 125,010
3. California – $ 123,160
4. New Jersey – $ 116,640
5. Washington – $ 116,290

Chemical engineers

Top-paying states for chemical engineers:

1. Texas – $ 148,150
2. New Mexico – $ 148,010
3. Louisiana – $ 134,310
4. Oklahoma – $ 131,020
5. Maryland – $ 130,180

Civil engineers

Top-paying states for civil engineers:

1. Rhode Island – $ 119,260
2. Louisiana – $ 113,540
3. California – $ 113,290
4. Alaska – $ 108,970
5. Colorado – $ 103,730

Computer hardware engineers

Top-paying states for computer hardware engineers:

1. California – $ 166,940
2. Massachusetts – $ 141,960
3. Oregon – $ 141,670
4. Virginia – $ 139,500
5. Colorado – $ 136,150

Electrical engineers

Top-paying states for electrical engineers:

1. California – $ 150,940
2. New Mexico – $ 126,280
3. Massachusetts – $ 126,150
4. District of Columbia – $ 125,910
5. Utah – $ 125,710

Electronics engineers

Top-paying states for electronics engineers:

1. District of Columbia – $ 139,240
2. California – $ 138,610
3. New Jersey – $ 132,930
4. Maryland – $ 132,820
5. Washington – $ 124,720

Engineers, all others

Top-paying states for miscellaneous engineers:

1. District of Columbia – $ 143,680
2. Alabama – $ 129,920
3. Virginia – $ 128,620
4. California – $ 124,640
5. New Mexico – $ 123,170

Environmental engineers

Top-paying states for environmental engineers:

1. Nevada – $ 127,390
2. Idaho – $ 114,880
3. California – $ 114,500
4. Texas – $ 113,940
5. Oregon – $ 111,860

Health and safety engineers

Top-paying states for health and safety engineers:

1. Louisiana – $ 128,220
2. California – $ 122,230
3. Idaho – $ 116,790
4. New Jersey – $ 116,570
5. Minnesota – $ 114,220

Industrial engineers

Top-paying states for industrial engineers:

1. Alaska – $ 140,020
2. California – $ 117,370
3. Louisiana – $ 116,950
4. Maryland – $ 114,000
5. Hawaii – $ 113,620

Marine engineers/naval architects

Top-paying states for marine engineers and naval architects:

1. District of Columbia – $ 146,600
2. California – $ 135,960
3. Maryland – $ 124,570
4. New Jersey – $ 116,660
5. Washington – $ 107,580

Materials engineers

Top-paying states for materials engineers:

1. Washington – $ 131,490
2. Maryland – $ 115,330
3. Massachusetts – $ 119,190
4. Oregon – $ 116,940
5. Texas – $ 115,330

Mechanical engineers

Top-paying states for mechanical engineers:

1. New Mexico – $ 126,080
2. District of Columbia – $ 122,670
3. Louisiana – $ 118,250
4. California – $ 118,200
5. Alaska – $ 115,300

Mining and geological engineers

Top-paying states for mining and geological engineers:

1. New Mexico – $ 132,430
2. Texas – $ 127,360
3. Idaho – $ 126,640
4. Colorado – $ 122,320
5. Alaska – $ 121,720

Nuclear engineers

Top-paying states for nuclear engineers:

1. Kentucky – $ 193,040
2. Arizona – $ 157,120
3. California – $ 154,890
4. District of Columbia – $ 152,580
5. Idaho – $ 149,100

Final thoughts

You’re on the right track. If you’re thinking about majoring in engineering, know that it’s one of the most sure-fire tracks to financial stability out there. As an engineer, you have a very good chance of scoring a high-paying job right out of college, even if you don’t have a master’s degree.

To set yourself up for success even more, choose a college that won’t leave you struggling to pay off your debt (hint: avoid expensive private colleges).

We know which engineering degrees offer the best value for money, so explore our rankings to find a good fit that won’t leave you gasping for air financially after graduation.

Or, search for an engineering program that suits your needs today using our quiz below.