Occupational Employment and Wages, 2002

17-3027 Mechanical Engineering Technicians

Apply theory and principles of mechanical engineering to modify, develop, and test machinery and equipment under direction of engineering staff or physical scientists.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
53,630 3.1 % $20.60 $42,850 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $13.03 $15.96 $19.85 $24.51 $29.18
Annual Wage (2) $27,110 $33,190 $41,280 $50,970 $60,700

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Architectural and engineering services 8,760 $21.02 $43,710 1 31
Scientific research and development services 2,720 $21.70 $45,140 2 24
Electronic instrument manufacturing 2,670 $20.29 $42,210 3 45
Semiconductor and electronic component mfg. 2,050 $20.50 $42,650 4 40
Employment services 2,040 $20.04 $41,680 5 50

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
ISPs and web search portals (6) $28.88 $60,060 (6) 1
Federal government (OES designation) 120 $28.75 $59,790 52 2
Power generation and supply 400 $25.51 $53,060 26 3
Natural gas distribution 60 $25.44 $52,920 78 4
Wired telecommunications carriers 60 $25.03 $52,070 77 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
West Virginia 550 $18.13 $37,720 0.081% 192
Minnesota 2,100 $20.93 $43,540 0.081% 229
Michigan 3,550 $21.64 $45,020 0.081% 224
New Mexico 560 $25.12 $52,250 0.077% 79
Connecticut 1,170 $20.07 $41,740 0.071% 268

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
New Mexico 560 $25.12 $52,250 0.077% 79
Delaware 160 $24.36 $50,670 0.040% 119
New Jersey 960 $23.61 $49,110 0.025% 226
Louisiana 810 $23.14 $48,120 0.044% 118
Washington 890 $23.06 $47,960 0.035% 216

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Nashua, NH PMSA 190 $19.14 $39,800 0.211%
San Jose, CA PMSA 1,520 $22.76 $47,330 0.170%
Steubenville-Weirton, OH-WV MSA 80 $19.04 $39,600 0.167%
Janesville-Beloit, WI MSA 90 $20.80 $43,250 0.137%
Elmira, NY MSA 50 $19.92 $41,440 0.123%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Sacramento, CA PMSA 170 $28.85 $60,000 0.023%
Bakersfield, CA MSA 30 $27.76 $57,740 0.013%
Charleston, WV MSA (6) $27.29 $56,750 (6)
Richland-Kennewick-Pasco, WA MSA 30 $27.12 $56,400 0.038%
Hamilton-Middletown, OH PMSA 30 $26.51 $55,140 0.023%

About 2002 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Data for detailed occupations does not sum to the totals because the totals include data for occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Architecture and Engineering Occupations

2002 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

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List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download 2002 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: November 26, 2003