Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2008

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)
45,770 2.6 % $24.06 $50,040 0.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $14.95 $18.40 $23.14 $29.05 $35.24
Annual Wage (2) $31,110 $38,260 $48,130 $60,410 $73,300


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 12,420 $23.69 $49,270
Scientific Research and Development Services 3,880 $26.99 $56,150
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing 2,290 $24.35 $50,660
Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing 2,200 $23.92 $49,750
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 1,610 $27.22 $56,620

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 70 $30.73 $63,910
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing 90 $30.03 $62,460
Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil 90 $29.14 $60,600
Support Activities for Mining (8) $28.89 $60,090
Other Pipeline Transportation 60 $27.65 $57,520


State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest published employment concentrations and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all States with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Michigan 3,720 $24.15 $50,230 0.090%
Mississippi 880 $20.93 $43,530 0.077%
Minnesota 1,950 $24.89 $51,770 0.072%
New Mexico 580 $26.68 $55,490 0.071%
Vermont 190 $22.16 $46,090 0.063%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
District of Columbia 90 $28.88 $60,080 0.014%
Oregon 450 $28.41 $59,080 0.026%
Colorado 700 $27.48 $57,150 0.030%
Washington 1,260 $27.14 $56,460 0.044%
Delaware 130 $27.01 $56,180 0.031%


Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest published employment concentrations and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all Metropolitan areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

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

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Niles-Benton Harbor, MI 260 $24.32 $50,580 0.421%
Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, MA-NH NECTA Division 180 $24.70 $51,380 0.152%
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA 90 $21.80 $45,330 0.140%
Framingham, MA NECTA Division 210 $26.54 $55,200 0.130%
Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, MI Metropolitan Division 1,440 $24.86 $51,720 0.125%

Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Lafayette, IN 50 $34.07 $70,870 0.060%
Bakersfield, CA 40 $31.83 $66,210 0.015%
Kansas City, MO-KS 200 $31.57 $65,670 0.020%
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 60 $30.91 $64,290 0.020%
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 840 $30.07 $62,550 0.091%


About May 2008 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan 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) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include 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.

(8) Estimate not released.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2008 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2008 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2008 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2008 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2008 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: May 04, 2009