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Automotive Engineers in Iowa

Automotive Engineers in Iowa

Want to work as an Automotive Engineers in Iowa? Below are the key facts. 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.

What do Automotive Engineers Make in Iowa?

For automotive engineers working in Iowa, the median annual wage is $97,570 per year (or about $46.91/hour).Earnings range from $64,900 at the 10th percentile to $133,850 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic Annual Hourly
10th percentile $64,900 $31.20
25th percentile $78,610 $37.80
Median (50th) $97,570 $46.91
75th percentile $108,800 $52.31
90th percentile $133,850 $64.35
Salary ranges for Automotive Engineers in Iowa

Location quotient — how concentrated this career is in Iowa compared to the national average — is 1.46, suggesting that automotive engineers are more concentrated here than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, automotive engineers earn a median of $107,733 per year ($51.79/hour), below the Iowa median.

Automotive Engineers earnings in Iowa vs. the national average

Employment Outlook

There are roughly 251,649 automotive engineers in the U.S.. In Iowa alone, about 4,230 people work in this role. That puts the state above the typical state, which employs around 3,680 automotive engineers.

Automotive Engineers in Iowa vs. the average state Forecasted number of jobs for Automotive Engineers

Top Iowa Metros for Automotive Engineers

The largest metro-area employers of automotive engineers in Iowa.

Metro Area Number Employed Annual Median Salary
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL 1,110 $100,090
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 650 $88,500
Cedar Rapids, IA 400 $82,890
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA 290 $97,570
Ames, IA 160 $103,020
Iowa City, IA 70 $97,000
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD 60 $90,590

Top States for Automotive Engineers Employment

View the states that employ the most automotive engineers work.

State Number Employed
Michigan 31,830
California 27,090
Texas 18,790
Ohio 16,420
Pennsylvania 14,300
Illinois 9,920
Massachusetts 9,430
North Carolina 9,390
Washington 9,350
Florida 8,860
Indiana 8,650
New York 8,420
Wisconsin 8,060
Virginia 7,960
Colorado 6,850
Maryland 6,330
Minnesota 5,970
Alabama 5,480
Arizona 5,440
Connecticut 5,310

Highest-Paying States for Automotive Engineers

These states pay the most for automotive engineers.

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

Skills

The most important automotive engineers skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Critical Thinking  4.1 / 5
0
5
Complex Problem Solving  4.1 / 5
0
5
Reading Comprehension  4.0 / 5
0
5
Writing  3.9 / 5
0
5
Judgment and Decision Making  3.9 / 5
0
5
Mathematics  3.9 / 5
0
5

Knowledge Areas

Core knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Engineering and Technology  4.7 / 5
0
5
Physics  4.3 / 5
0
5
Mathematics  4.3 / 5
0
5
Mechanical  4.1 / 5
0
5
Design  3.9 / 5
0
5
Computers and Electronics  3.9 / 5
0
5

Abilities

The abilities that matter most for automotive engineers, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Deductive Reasoning  4.0 / 5
0
5
Oral Comprehension  4.0 / 5
0
5
Problem Sensitivity  4.0 / 5
0
5
Inductive Reasoning  4.0 / 5
0
5
Written Comprehension  4.0 / 5
0
5
Oral Expression  4.0 / 5
0
5

Daily Tasks

Day-to-day, automotive engineers typically:

  • 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.
  • Alter or modify designs to obtain specified functional or operational performance.
  • Research or implement green automotive technologies involving alternative fuels, electric or hybrid cars, or lighter or more fuel-efficient vehicles.
  • Develop calibration methodologies, test methodologies, or tools.
  • Create design alternatives for vehicle components, such as camless or dual-clutch engines or alternative air-conditioning systems, to increase fuel efficiency.

Work Activities

  • Working with Computers
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems
  • Getting Information
  • Analyzing Data or Information
  • Processing Information
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
  • Documenting/Recording Information
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
  • Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others
  • Thinking Creatively

Tools & Technology

Software and systems commonly involved: Hot technologies: Adobe Photoshop, Atlassian Confluence, Atlassian JIRA, Autodesk AutoCAD, C In-demand technologies: Autodesk AutoCAD, Dassault Systemes CATIA

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Programs that train for this career include:

  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Engineering Mechanics
  • Electromechanical Engineering

Careers similar to automotive engineers include:

Also Known As

Automotive Designer, Automotive Engineer, Automotive Power Electronics Engineer, Automotive Project Engineer, Automotive Quality Engineer, Automotive Systems Engineer, Chassis Engineer, Customer Quality Engineer, Design Release Engineer, Design Support Engineer, Dimensional Integration Engineer, Engineer, Engineering Designer, Fuel-Efficient Automobile Designer, Hybrid Powertrain Development Engineer.

References

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