Electrical Engineers: Career Profile
Research, design, develop, test, or supervise the manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment, components, or systems for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use.
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The Daily Work of Electrical Engineers Perform?
The core tasks performed by electrical engineers cover:
- Design, implement, maintain, or improve electrical instruments, equipment, facilities, components, products, or systems for commercial, industrial, or domestic purposes.
- Oversee project production efforts to assure projects are completed on time and within budget.
- Direct or coordinate manufacturing, construction, installation, maintenance, support, documentation, or testing activities to ensure compliance with specifications, codes, or customer requirements.
- Perform detailed calculations to compute and establish manufacturing, construction, or installation standards or specifications.
- Operate computer-assisted engineering or design software or equipment to perform engineering tasks.
- Confer with engineers, customers, or others to discuss existing or potential engineering projects or products.
- Investigate or test vendors' or competitors' products.
- Inspect completed installations and observe operations to ensure conformance to design and equipment specifications and compliance with operational, safety, or environmental standards.
What Electrical Engineers Need to Know
Effective electrical engineers draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
These are the skills most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Types of Electrical Engineers Jobs
Common job titles for this role include:
- Automation Engineer
- Cable Engineer
- Circuits Engineer
- Controls Engineer
- Design Engineer
- Design Verification Engineer
- Distribution Engineer
- Distribution Field Engineer
Job Outlook
The U.S. employs around 176,960 electrical engineers working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +13.6% over the projection horizon.
Electrical Engineers Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $127,814 |
| Hourly median | $61.45 |
| 10th percentile | $70,845 |
| 25th percentile | $99,329 |
| 75th percentile | $156,299 |
| 90th percentile | $184,783 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
Electrical Engineers Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| New Mexico | $143,850 |
| California | $140,360 |
| District of Columbia | $138,860 |
| New Hampshire | $131,790 |
| Washington | $130,730 |
| Idaho | $128,960 |
| Massachusetts | $126,010 |
| New Jersey | $125,120 |
| Maryland | $124,450 |
| Virginia | $122,320 |
| Vermont | $118,050 |
| Alabama | $115,870 |
| Colorado | $112,880 |
| New York | $112,550 |
| Wyoming | $111,740 |
| Delaware | $111,720 |
| Maine | $111,110 |
| Arizona | $110,510 |
| Tennessee | $109,870 |
| Pennsylvania | $109,730 |
| Oregon | $109,660 |
| Alaska | $108,780 |
| Louisiana | $108,620 |
| North Dakota | $108,520 |
| West Virginia | $108,480 |
| Florida | $108,450 |
| North Carolina | $107,760 |
| Utah | $107,520 |
| Iowa | $107,270 |
| Missouri | $106,100 |
| Texas | $105,560 |
| Minnesota | $105,160 |
| Hawaii | $105,060 |
| Nevada | $104,840 |
| Rhode Island | $104,530 |
| South Carolina | $104,210 |
| Oklahoma | $104,200 |
| Georgia | $104,170 |
| Illinois | $104,000 |
| Nebraska | $103,720 |
| Connecticut | $103,480 |
| Michigan | $102,990 |
| South Dakota | $101,930 |
| Indiana | $101,520 |
| Mississippi | $100,840 |
| Ohio | $100,040 |
| Montana | $99,230 |
| Wisconsin | $99,170 |
| Kansas | $97,680 |
| Arkansas | $96,500 |
| Kentucky | $95,640 |
| Puerto Rico | $64,620 |
| Guam | $60,850 |
Where Electrical Engineers Earn the Most
Compensation for electrical engineers vary by region. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $133,598 | 20.5% | 1.40 |
| New England | $117,995 | 6.2% | 1.36 |
| Middle Atlantic | $116,191 | 12.9% | 0.91 |
| Rocky Mountains | $112,332 | 4.5% | 1.16 |
| Southeast | $109,585 | 20.7% | 0.96 |
| Southwest | $109,019 | 12.6% | 1.02 |
| Plains States | $103,957 | 6.2% | 0.94 |
| Great Lakes | $101,916 | 16.1% | 1.31 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $186,920 | 4,750 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $163,840 | 2,860 |
| Manchester-Nashua, NH | NH | $151,040 | 930 |
| Albuquerque, NM | NM | $143,850 | 1,270 |
| Vallejo, CA | CA | $139,840 | 130 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | WA | $138,370 | 490 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | DC | $136,820 | 3,660 |
| Idaho Falls, ID | ID | $135,920 | 100 |
Which Industries Hire Electrical Engineers
The largest employers of electrical engineers work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 63,300 | $112,190 |
| Manufacturing | 57,830 | $109,370 |
| Utilities | 22,220 | $118,170 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 9,330 | $121,790 |
| Construction | 8,400 | $97,460 |
| Wholesale Trade | 6,240 | $114,130 |
| Information | 3,580 | $164,760 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 3,400 | $114,400 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Software Electrical Engineers Use
- File versioning software: Apache Subversion SVN (hot technology)
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD (hot technology)
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D (hot technology)
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk Revit (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Bash (hot technology)
- Computer aided design CAD software: Bentley MicroStation (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)
- Development environment software: Eclipse IDE (hot technology)
- Geographic information system: ESRI ArcGIS software (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
The work environment for electrical engineers is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Telephone Conversations
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
How to Become Electrical Engineers
Most electrical engineers positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Electronics Engineers, Except Computer (Primary-Short)
- Industrial Engineers (Primary-Long)
- Manufacturing Engineers (Supplemental)
- Mechanical Engineers (Primary-Short)
- Automotive Engineers (Supplemental)
- Mechatronics Engineers (Primary-Long)
- Microsystems Engineers (Primary-Long)
- Solar Energy Systems Engineers (Primary-Long)
Top Programs to Study For This Career
Students preparing for electrical engineers often complete programs in:
Engineering
4 programs across 3 majors
References
This profile draws on 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: 17-2071.00 (Electrical Engineers).
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