Electronics Engineers, Except Computer
SOC 17-2072 · 2024-2034
Research, design, develop, or test electronic components and systems for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use employing knowledge of electronic theory and materials properties. Design electronic circuits and components for use in fields such as telecommunications, aerospace guidance and propulsion control, acoustics, or instruments and controls.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $165,013per year
- Projected openings
- 11,330
- Projected change
- +0.5%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
Bright Outlook — a U.S. Department of Labor designation
Rapid Growth
The Department's own designation, made from its national projections. It is not this project's assessment and it is not California's: every other figure on this page comes from California's projection, which can point the other way and for some occupations does.
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Speaking
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Systems Analysis
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) | $201,296 | 20 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County) | $190,233 | 140 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $183,916 | 3,400 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $168,140 | 430 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $157,271 | 2,630 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $152,876 | 530 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $147,698 | 390 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $142,762 | 980 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $141,955 | 1,830 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $135,598 | 480 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County) | $135,125 | 40 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $134,303 | 100 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $133,995 | 370 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $128,305 | 380 |
| Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County) | $109,322 | 30 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $106,241 | 70 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $99,859
- A quarter earn under
- $128,540
- Half earn under
- $165,013
- Three quarters earn under
- $208,405
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $231,710
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technologists and Technicians | $88,500 | 11,520 | -2.9% |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | $190,364 | 12,740 | +7.8% |
| Electrical Engineers | $148,072 | 15,160 | +7.3% |
| Engineers, All Other | $134,513 | 19,090 | +6.4% |
| Mechanical Engineers | $134,564 | 20,280 | +11.5% |
Programs that train for this job — 3
Intermediate Electronics Certificate of Accomplishment
City College of San Francisco · San Francisco · $1,122
Engineering Technology: Industrial Automation and Robotics Certificate
Diablo Valley College · Pleasant Hill · $2,701
Electronics- Industrial Communication- BC
Kern Community College District · Bakersfield · $1,500