DOL Median Salary
$77,792
From 82,450 DOL filingsBLS Median Salary
$102,320
BLS OEWS 2024 surveyTotal Employers
12,499
Companies with DOL filingsTotal Employment
286,760
Estimated US workers (BLS)DOL Filings vs BLS Survey
What Employers File with DOL
$77,792
This figure comes from 82,450 employer filings with the US Department of Labor under legal obligation. Employers file this salary when sponsoring workers for PERM green cards or H-1B visas.
What BLS Says the Market Pays
$102,320
This figure comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey of 286,760 establishments. This is an independent survey-based estimate of what all workers in this occupation earn.
DOL-filed salaries are 24% lower than BLS survey data, which may reflect that sponsored positions concentrate in high-cost locations or experience-intensive roles.
Salary Distribution
Top Paying Employers for Mechanical Engineers
Ranked by median salary from DOL filings| Rank | Employer | Median Salary | Filings | vs Market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brunel Energy, Inc. | $270,000 | 7 | +163.9% |
| 2 | NES Global LLC | $240,000 | 11 | +134.6% |
| 3 | Noble Drilling Services Inc. | $167,024 | 6 | +63.2% |
| 4 | Canoo, Inc. | $166,000 | 29 | +62.2% |
| 5 | Pony.ai, Inc. | $165,000 | 14 | +61.3% |
| 6 | MARATHON REFINING LOGISTICS SERVICES LLC | $164,800 | 9 | +61.1% |
| 7 | Space Exploration Technologies | $161,000 | 5 | +57.4% |
| 8 | Toyota Research Institute Inc | $160,000 | 8 | +56.4% |
| 9 | LYFT, Inc. | $160,000 | 14 | +56.4% |
| 10 | MARATHON OIL COMPANY | $157,520 | 6 | +54% |
| 11 | Cruise LLC | $156,700 | 22 | +53.2% |
| 12 | TEAM RAHAL INC | $155,000 | 6 | +51.5% |
| 13 | Facebook Inc. | $153,909 | 86 | +50.4% |
| 14 | EXP ENGINEERING INTERNATIONAL, LLC | $152,500 | 9 | +49% |
| 15 | Waymo LLC | $151,000 | 31 | +47.6% |
| 16 | QPS ENGINEERING LLC | $150,800 | 7 | +47.4% |
| 17 | Innovusion | $150,000 | 8 | +46.6% |
| 18 | DOOSAN ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION | $150,000 | 7 | +46.6% |
| 19 | Nuro LLC | $148,000 | 9 | +44.6% |
| 20 | Kiewit Energy Company | $146,683 | 5 | +43.4% |
| 21 | Uber Group, PLLC | $146,000 | 13 | +42.7% |
| 22 | Bayer U.S LLC | $145,200 | 7 | +41.9% |
| 23 | Iljin USA Corporation | $145,000 | 5 | +41.7% |
| 24 | Auris Health Inc | $145,000 | 6 | +41.7% |
| 25 | Occidental Petroleum Corporation | $144,300 | 11 | +41% |
| 26 | Zoox Inc. | $142,500 | 96 | +39.3% |
| 27 | HNTB Corporation | $142,106 | 20 | +38.9% |
| 28 | NIO USA Inc. | $142,000 | 42 | +38.8% |
| 29 | Farasis Energy, Inc. | $142,000 | 10 | +38.8% |
| 30 | Baidu USA LLC | $140,715 | 22 | +37.5% |
| 31 | Frore Systems, Inc. | $140,000 | 7 | +36.8% |
| 32 | EVELOZCITY | $140,000 | 46 | +36.8% |
| 33 | EME CONSULTING ENGINEERING GROUP LLC | $140,000 | 6 | +36.8% |
| 34 | PIONEER NATURAL RESOURCES PUMPING SERVICES LLC | $140,000 | 8 | +36.8% |
| 35 | RCR Race Operations LLC | $140,000 | 6 | +36.8% |
| 36 | GoPro, Inc. | $140,000 | 11 | +36.8% |
| 37 | RED | $140,000 | 5 | +36.8% |
| 38 | Cheniere Energy Inc. | $139,000 | 11 | +35.9% |
| 39 | Technicon Design Corporation | $138,000 | 7 | +34.9% |
| 40 | Artech, LLC | $137,821 | 6 | +34.7% |
| 41 | Fisker, Inc. | $136,000 | 8 | +32.9% |
| 42 | Amec Foster Wheeler USA Corporation | $135,915 | 7 | +32.8% |
| 43 | EDOXX TECHNICAL SERVICES LLC | $135,200 | 12 | +32.1% |
| 44 | Loon LLC | $135,000 | 6 | +31.9% |
| 45 | SPANNER INC | $135,000 | 7 | +31.9% |
| 46 | NEXTEV LLC | $135,000 | 34 | +31.9% |
| 47 | The MathWorks, Inc. | $134,969 | 11 | +31.9% |
| 48 | Exxon Mobil Corporation | $132,800 | 15 | +29.8% |
| 49 | AURIS SURGICAL ROBOTICS INC | $132,400 | 5 | +29.4% |
| 50 | CH2M Hill Inc. | $132,091 | 6 | +29.1% |
Salary by Metro Area
| Metro Area | Median | vs National | Filings | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Altos, CA | $150,000 | +92.8% | 13 | 4 |
| Foster City, CA | $142,500 | +83.2% | 78 | 8 |
| Cupertino, CA | $125,757 | +61.7% | 467 | 16 |
| Mountain View, CA | $125,000 | +60.7% | 218 | 54 |
| San Mateo, CA | $125,000 | +60.7% | 25 | 9 |
| Menlo Park, CA | $120,890 | +55.4% | 126 | 28 |
| Newark, CA | $120,000 | +54.3% | 130 | 19 |
| SAN CARLOS, CA | $112,500 | +44.6% | 18 | 11 |
| Gregory, TX | $110,100 | +41.5% | 14 | 3 |
| OAK PARK, MI | $110,000 | +41.4% | 17 | 5 |
| Gardena, CA | $110,000 | +41.4% | 175 | 26 |
| Redwood City, CA | $109,070 | +40.2% | 56 | 26 |
| Pasadena, TX | $108,500 | +39.5% | 27 | 19 |
| Palo Alto, CA | $108,000 | +38.8% | 447 | 51 |
| Alameda, CA | $107,580 | +38.3% | 33 | 16 |
| Sunnyvale, CA | $107,389 | +38% | 394 | 91 |
| Belmont, CA | $105,788 | +36% | 17 | 7 |
| Santa Clara, CA | $105,768 | +36% | 522 | 94 |
| El Segundo, CA | $105,643 | +35.8% | 33 | 12 |
| Hackberry, LA | $104,750 | +34.7% | 16 | 6 |
| Lathrop, CA | $102,500 | +31.8% | 16 | 3 |
| Torrance, CA | $101,815 | +30.9% | 162 | 39 |
| The Woodlands, TX | $101,000 | +29.8% | 42 | 13 |
| Milpitas, CA | $101,000 | +29.8% | 190 | 43 |
| San Jose, CA | $100,485 | +29.2% | 719 | 209 |
| Burlingame, CA | $100,194 | +28.8% | 18 | 6 |
| Santa Clarita, CA | $100,100 | +28.7% | 11 | 3 |
| Welcome, NC | $100,000 | +28.5% | 11 | 2 |
| Fremont, CA | $100,000 | +28.5% | 832 | 113 |
| Niskayuna, NY | $100,000 | +28.5% | 78 | 5 |
Salary by State
| State | Median | vs National | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $95,000 | -24.8% | 8,877 |
| Idaho | $89,100 | -14.1% | 71 |
| Delaware | $83,616 | -21.1% | 109 |
| Rhode Island | $83,531 | -27.5% | 106 |
| New Mexico | $82,285 | -41.8% | 35 |
| Alaska | $82,108 | -36.8% | 4 |
| Texas | $81,806 | -24.4% | 5,935 |
| Massachusetts | $81,224 | -33.8% | 1,265 |
| Colorado | $80,000 | -26% | 505 |
| Nebraska | $80,000 | -3% | 992 |
| Washington | $79,893 | -27% | 713 |
| Oregon | $79,581 | -21.4% | 320 |
| Michigan | $79,200 | -22.9% | 15,135 |
| Nevada | $78,478 | -20% | 142 |
| New Hampshire | $77,459 | -25.4% | 99 |
| Maryland | $76,315 | -31.7% | 304 |
| Louisiana | $75,544 | -33.8% | 232 |
| Arkansas | $75,000 | -4.5% | 376 |
| Arizona | $75,000 | -26.8% | 355 |
| Virginia | $74,000 | -25.5% | 350 |
| New Jersey | $73,112 | -31.7% | 925 |
| Utah | $73,000 | -26.3% | 229 |
| New York | $73,000 | -30.6% | 1,513 |
| District of Columbia | $72,738 | -44.1% | 38 |
| Minnesota | $72,467 | -26.8% | 681 |
| Illinois | $72,000 | -27.8% | 4,079 |
| Oklahoma | $72,000 | -20.5% | 357 |
| Connecticut | $72,000 | -32.5% | 617 |
| Georgia | $71,136 | -26.5% | 717 |
| North Carolina | $70,571 | -30.1% | 863 |
| Florida | $70,027 | -28% | 1,200 |
| Hawaii | $70,000 | -26.5% | 29 |
| Pennsylvania | $70,000 | -28.2% | 960 |
| South Carolina | $70,000 | -33.6% | 584 |
| Ohio | $70,000 | -27.3% | 3,094 |
| Wisconsin | $69,375 | -26.8% | 1,113 |
| Kentucky | $69,285 | -30.3% | 356 |
| West Virginia | $69,280 | -31.1% | 26 |
| Mississippi | $69,279 | -23.6% | 44 |
| Indiana | $68,536 | -30.9% | 2,773 |
| Alabama | $68,390 | -29.9% | 503 |
| Tennessee | $68,000 | -31.5% | 319 |
| Missouri | $67,365 | -26.7% | 271 |
| Iowa | $67,158 | -31.2% | 390 |
| Wyoming | $66,225 | -43.4% | 22 |
| Kansas | $65,812 | -28.3% | 360 |
| North Dakota | $65,000 | -22.6% | 29 |
| Montana | $63,700 | -35.8% | 10 |
| Vermont | $63,000 | -37.3% | 28 |
| Maine | $61,714 | -39.2% | 35 |
| South Dakota | $60,000 | -33.8% | 13 |
Salary Trend - DOL Data
Education Requirements
From PERM filingsFor Mechanical Engineers positions, 49% of PERM filings required a Bachelor's degree, 47% required a Master's degree, and 1% required no formal degree.
Education by Top Employer
Most common minimum education from PERM filings| Employer | Most Common Education | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Cummins Inc. | Master's | $69,659 |
| Altair ProductDesign, Inc. | Master's | $83,200 |
| General Motors | Bachelor's | $96,602 |
| Tech Mahindra (Americas) Inc. | Not specified | $73,861 |
| Cyient, Inc | Bachelor's | $63,814 |
| Engineering Technology Associates | Master's | $68,000 |
| HCL America INC | Master's | $79,102 |
| L&T Technology Services LLC | Bachelor's | $71,406 |
| Tesla, Inc. | Bachelor's | $105,000 |
| Caterpillar Inc | Master's | $91,176 |
Salary by Industry
Same occupation, different industries (NAICS)The highest-paying industry for Mechanical Engineers is Information (Technology) at $100,036. The lowest-paying industry with significant hiring is Educational Services at $62,186.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a Mechanical Engineers make?
Based on 82,450 DOL filings, the median salary for a Mechanical Engineers is $77,792, ranging from $66,560 to $92,100.
What is the highest salary for a Mechanical Engineers?
The 90th percentile salary is $161,240 according to BLS data.
Which city pays the most for Mechanical Engineers?
Based on DOL filings, Los Altos, CA offers the highest median at $150,000.
Does this data include all Mechanical Engineers salaries or only visa-sponsored workers?
DOL filing data covers positions where the employer filed for PERM green card sponsorship or an H-1B visa. These filings represent a subset of all Mechanical Engineers positions. We compare this data against BLS OEWS data which covers all workers in this occupation.
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Source: US Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) public disclosure files (PERM Form ETA-9089 and LCA Form ETA-9035), and US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Salary figures represent employer filings and government survey estimates, not individual worker pay.