Mechanical Engineers
SOC 17-2141 · 2024-2034
Perform engineering duties in planning and designing tools, engines, machines, and other mechanically functioning equipment. Oversee installation, operation, maintenance, and repair of equipment such as centralized heat, gas, water, and steam systems.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $134,564per year
- Projected openings
- 20,280
- Projected change
- +11.5%
- 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
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Mathematics
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Science
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $167,093 | 980 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $151,745 | 2,910 |
| Salinas MSA (Monterey County) | $145,263 | 50 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $141,987 | 2,270 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) | $132,701 | 120 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $132,157 | 2,520 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $126,096 | 280 |
| Chico MSA (Butte County) | $125,696 | 30 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $119,625 | 410 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $119,533 | 900 |
| North Coast Region (Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino Counties) | $119,502 | 30 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $119,370 | 3,430 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County) | $115,362 | 120 |
| Vallejo MSA (Solano County) | $114,571 | 90 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $113,959 | 2,060 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $113,298 | 530 |
| Hanford-Corcoran MSA (Kings County) | $109,980 | 20 |
| Napa MSA (Napa County) | $108,172 | 20 |
| Redding MSA (Shasta County) | $106,611 | 30 |
| Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County) | $106,138 | 140 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County) | $104,978 | 100 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $104,567 | 1,120 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region (Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties) | $100,643 | 30 |
| Yuba City MSA (Sutter and Yuba Counties) | $98,927 | 30 |
| Visalia MSA (Tulare County) | $98,681 | 70 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $92,867 | 240 |
| Merced MSA (Merced County) | $90,648 | 40 |
| Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) | $90,648 | 90 |
| San Rafael MD (Marin County) | Not reported | 30 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $84,367
- A quarter earn under
- $105,225
- Half earn under
- $134,564
- Three quarters earn under
- $171,243
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $209,320
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians | $89,836 | 3,330 | +5.4% |
| Electrical Engineers | $148,072 | 15,160 | +7.3% |
| Engineers, All Other | $134,513 | 19,090 | +6.4% |
| Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technologists and Technicians | $88,500 | 11,520 | -2.9% |
| Calibration Technologists and Technicians | $81,222 | 1,070 | 0% |
| Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | $165,013 | 11,330 | +0.5% |
Programs that train for this job — 4
Mechanical Analysis Design
UCSD Division of Extended Studies · La Jolla · $4,360
Engineering Technology: Machining for Mechanical Engineering Tech. Certificate of Achievement
Diablo Valley College · Pleasant Hill · $2,347
ENGTC: Pre-engineering Technology Cert. of Accomplishment
Diablo Valley College · Pleasant Hill · $771
Engineering Technology: Assoc. degree -Machining for Mechanical Engineering Tech
Diablo Valley College · Pleasant Hill · $4,972