Automotive Engineers: Job Description
Develop new or improved designs for vehicle structural members, engines, transmissions, or other vehicle systems, using computer-assisted design technology. Direct building, modification, or testing of vehicle or components.
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What Tasks Do Automotive Engineers Perform?
The day-to-day responsibilities of automotive engineers cover:
- Conduct or direct system-level automotive testing.
- Provide technical direction to other engineers or engineering support personnel.
- Perform failure, variation, or root cause analyses.
- Calibrate vehicle systems, including control algorithms or other software systems.
- Design or analyze automobile systems in areas such as aerodynamics, alternate fuels, ergonomics, hybrid power, brakes, transmissions, steering, calibration, safety, or diagnostics.
- Prepare or present technical or project status reports.
- Conduct research studies to develop new concepts in the field of automotive engineering.
- Establish production or quality control standards.
Skills and Knowledge
Successful automotive engineers draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
The abilities that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Other Automotive Engineers Job Titles
This career also goes by job titles like:
- Automotive Designer
- Automotive Engineer
- Automotive Power Electronics Engineer
- Automotive Project Engineer
- Automotive Quality Engineer
- Automotive Systems Engineer
- Chassis Engineer
- Customer Quality Engineer
How Many Automotive Engineers Are There?
The U.S. employs around 251,649 automotive engineers working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +6.0% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Automotive Engineers
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $107,733 |
| Hourly median | $51.79 |
| 10th percentile | $70,894 |
| 25th percentile | $89,314 |
| 75th percentile | $126,152 |
| 90th percentile | $144,571 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Automotive Engineers Make in Different U.S. States?
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| New Mexico | $141,490 |
| District of Columbia | $130,000 |
| Alaska | $129,990 |
| California | $126,370 |
| Massachusetts | $122,670 |
| Wyoming | $116,910 |
| Rhode Island | $115,270 |
| Louisiana | $114,050 |
| Maryland | $111,740 |
| Washington | $109,370 |
| Texas | $108,240 |
| Colorado | $108,060 |
| New Jersey | $107,020 |
| Connecticut | $106,600 |
| Delaware | $106,020 |
| South Carolina | $105,360 |
| New York | $105,130 |
| New Hampshire | $103,890 |
| Idaho | $103,660 |
| Michigan | $102,730 |
| Arizona | $102,510 |
| Maine | $101,500 |
| Oregon | $101,290 |
| North Carolina | $100,990 |
| West Virginia | $100,610 |
| Vermont | $100,520 |
| Illinois | $99,730 |
| Kentucky | $99,410 |
| Virginia | $99,350 |
| Tennessee | $99,330 |
| Montana | $99,250 |
| Indiana | $99,200 |
| Utah | $99,050 |
| Minnesota | $98,980 |
| Nevada | $98,110 |
| Iowa | $97,570 |
| Alabama | $97,550 |
| Pennsylvania | $97,450 |
| Florida | $97,190 |
| Georgia | $96,820 |
| Ohio | $96,330 |
| Hawaii | $95,250 |
| Wisconsin | $94,820 |
| Missouri | $91,890 |
| Kansas | $91,770 |
| Mississippi | $90,730 |
| South Dakota | $90,590 |
| Oklahoma | $90,510 |
| North Dakota | $84,020 |
| Nebraska | $82,510 |
| Arkansas | $78,570 |
| Puerto Rico | $62,520 |
| Guam | $60,700 |
Where Automotive Engineers Earn the Most
Earnings for automotive engineers shift depending on where you work. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $119,653 | 14.5% | 0.93 |
| New England | $113,963 | 7.1% | 1.52 |
| Southwest | $107,712 | 9.8% | 0.78 |
| Rocky Mountains | $104,904 | 4.3% | 1.12 |
| Middle Atlantic | $103,845 | 12.1% | 0.96 |
| Great Lakes | $99,669 | 26.2% | 2.45 |
| Southeast | $99,253 | 18.7% | 0.87 |
| Plains States | $94,360 | 7.2% | 1.15 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $147,730 | 3,910 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $145,640 | 4,670 |
| Salinas, CA | CA | $141,420 | 60 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | LA | $132,850 | 480 |
| Anchorage, AK | AK | $129,990 | 400 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | CA | $129,190 | 200 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | CA | $128,660 | 3,320 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | TX | $126,870 | 7,010 |
Which Industries Hire Automotive Engineers
The largest employers of automotive engineers are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 127,220 | $99,990 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 89,470 | $106,190 |
| Wholesale Trade | 18,910 | $98,380 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 11,080 | $108,040 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 8,330 | $94,330 |
| Construction | 5,680 | $97,790 |
| Utilities | 1,710 | $130,420 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 1,710 | $98,770 |
Below are examples of industries where automotive engineers work:
Tech Stack
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Project management software: Atlassian Confluence (hot technology)
- Project management software: Atlassian JIRA (hot technology)
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD (hot technology)
- Development environment software: C (hot technology)
- Object or component oriented development software: C# (hot technology)
- Object or component oriented development software: C++ (hot technology)
- Computer aided design CAD software: Dassault Systemes SolidWorks (hot technology)
- Enterprise application integration software: Extensible markup language XML (hot technology)
- File versioning software: Git (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: JavaScript (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: JavaScript Object Notation JSON (hot technology)
What the Workplace Is Like
The work environment for automotive engineers reflects the following characteristics:
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Telephone Conversations
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
Education and Training
Typical automotive engineers positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Aerospace Engineers (Primary-Short)
- Electrical Engineers (Primary-Long)
- Electronics Engineers, Except Computer (Primary-Short)
- Industrial Engineers (Primary-Short)
- Validation Engineers (Primary-Long)
- Manufacturing Engineers (Primary-Short)
- Mechanical Engineers (Primary-Short)
- Fuel Cell Engineers (Primary-Long)
Top Programs to Study For This Career
Students preparing for automotive engineers commonly pursue programs in:
Engineering
3 programs across 3 majors
About the Data
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 17-2141.02 (Mechanical Engineers).
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