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The national median salary for Electrical Engineers is $120,640 per year ($58.00/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $92,830 and $152,942 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $184,309 per year. There are approximately 198,750 electrical engineers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Research, design, develop, test, or supervise the manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment, components, or systems for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+7.2%
Faster than average
Annual openings
12K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
192K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
12% from new growth88% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services
NAICS 541300
47K
$105,470
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution
NAICS 221100
20K
$122,430
Scientific Research and Development Services
NAICS 541700
11K
$135,190
Management of Companies and Enterprises
NAICS 551100
10K
$130,610
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing
NAICS 334500
9K
$121,610
Wage range across top 5 industries: $105,470 to $135,190 (28% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$36.80
$76,544
P25
$44.63
$92,830
P50MEDIAN
$58.00
$120,640
P75
$73.53
$152,942
P90
$88.61
$184,309
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average electrical engineers salary?
The national median salary for Electrical Engineers is $120,640 per year ($58.00/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $92,830 and $152,942 annually.
How much do top-earning electrical engineers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Electrical Engineers is $184,309 per year ($88.61/hr). The 75th percentile is $152,942 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for electrical engineers?
Entry-level Electrical Engineers (10th percentile) earn approximately $76,544 per year ($36.80/hr). The 25th percentile is $92,830 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.