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Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians

Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians: Career Overview

Apply engineering theory and principles to problems of industrial layout or manufacturing production, usually under the direction of engineering staff. May perform time and motion studies on worker operations in a variety of industries for purposes such as establishing standard production rates or improving efficiency.

What Tasks Do Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians Perform?

Typical responsibilities of industrial engineering technologists and technicians span:

  • Test selected products at specified stages in the production process for performance characteristics or adherence to specifications.
  • Compile and evaluate statistical data to determine and maintain quality and reliability of products.
  • Study time, motion, methods, or speed involved in maintenance, production, or other operations to establish standard production rate or improve efficiency.
  • Read worker logs, product processing sheets, or specification sheets to verify that records adhere to quality assurance specifications.
  • Verify that equipment is being operated and maintained according to quality assurance standards by observing worker performance.
  • Aid in planning work assignments in accordance with worker performance, machine capacity, production schedules, or anticipated delays.

Skills and Knowledge

Successful industrial engineering technologists and technicians draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Key Skills

The competencies most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Reading Comprehension  4.0 / 5
0
5
Critical Thinking  3.9 / 5
0
5
Active Listening  3.9 / 5
0
5
Complex Problem Solving  3.8 / 5
0
5
Monitoring  3.4 / 5
0
5
Time Management  3.2 / 5
0
5

Top Knowledge Areas

Mechanical  4.4 / 5
0
5
Engineering and Technology  4.1 / 5
0
5
Production and Processing  3.7 / 5
0
5
Mathematics  3.6 / 5
0
5
Design  3.5 / 5
0
5
English Language  3.5 / 5
0
5

Other Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians Job Titles

This career also goes by job titles like:

  • 3D Printing Tech (Three Dimensional Printing Technician)
  • Additive Manufacturing Production Technician
  • Additive Manufacturing Technician
  • Analysis Tester
  • Boiler Water Tester
  • Business Process Analyst
  • CAD Specialist (Computer Aided Design Specialist)
  • Cellophane Tester

Job Outlook

There are roughly 261,331 industrial engineering technologists and technicians working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +2.0% over the projection horizon.

Forecasted number of jobs for Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians

How Much Do Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians Make?

Statistic Value
Annual median $50,036
Hourly median $24.06
10th percentile $33,942
25th percentile $41,989
75th percentile $58,083
90th percentile $66,130

Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.

Salary ranges for Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians

Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians Salary by State

State Annual median salary
Alaska $94,110
Washington $81,530
Maryland $78,800
California $77,350
Oregon $76,370
Missouri $75,000
Oklahoma $74,960
North Dakota $72,560
Massachusetts $71,370
Arizona $69,900
Illinois $69,430
South Carolina $69,250
New York $66,830
Minnesota $66,260
New Hampshire $66,080
North Carolina $65,960
Utah $65,330
Colorado $64,890
Connecticut $64,820
Maine $64,790
Rhode Island $64,750
Wisconsin $64,680
Virginia $64,170
Vermont $63,700
Ohio $63,690
Kentucky $63,430
West Virginia $62,820
New Jersey $62,780
Michigan $62,040
Idaho $61,710
Nebraska $61,690
Indiana $61,480
Texas $60,900
Georgia $60,790
Iowa $60,330
Alabama $59,860
Nevada $59,740
Arkansas $59,720
Tennessee $59,700
Pennsylvania $59,590
New Mexico $59,290
Montana $58,640
Mississippi $57,370
Kansas $52,700
Florida $52,620
South Dakota $50,390
Puerto Rico $45,760

Top-Paying U.S. Regions

Earnings for industrial engineering technologists and technicians vary by region. Top regions by median wage:

Region Median annual wage Share of U.S. jobs Location quotient
Far Western US $75,478 9.6% 0.70
New England $68,382 5.1% 1.13
Middle Atlantic $65,486 10.1% 0.74
Plains States $65,180 10.9% 2.90
Rocky Mountains $64,496 3.4% 1.15
Southwest $64,203 11.0% 0.90
Great Lakes $63,815 27.1% 2.15
Southeast $58,016 21.5% 1.07

Where the Jobs Cluster

Metro area State Median annual wage Employment
New Orleans-Metairie, LA LA $133,410 130
Midland, TX TX $110,900 50
Kennewick-Richland, WA WA $107,810 50
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX TX $104,580 100
Vallejo, CA CA $102,420 30
Anchorage, AK AK $94,110 30
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC GA $92,800 290
Pittsfield, MA MA $89,740 60

Top Industries Employing Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians

The bulk of industrial engineering technologists and technicians are found across these industries:

Industry Employment Median annual wage
Manufacturing 56,040 $63,320
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 8,450 $73,560
Management of Companies and Enterprises 2,460 $76,410
Wholesale Trade 2,130 $65,260
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services 1,580 $51,430
Transportation and Warehousing 400 $63,510
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction 270 $105,570
Utilities 220 $100,220
Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians sectors

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians industries

Tools and Technology

  • Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD (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)
  • Computer aided design CAD software: Dassault Systemes SolidWorks (hot technology)
  • Enterprise application integration software: Extensible markup language XML (hot technology)
  • Analytical or scientific software: IBM SPSS Statistics (hot technology)
  • Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
  • Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
  • Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
  • Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
  • Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)

Work Environment

The work environment for industrial engineering technologists and technicians tends to involve the following characteristics:

  • E-Mail
  • Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
  • Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
  • Telephone Conversations
  • Indoors, Environmentally Controlled

Education and Training

Typical industrial engineering technologists and technicians positions require a postsecondary nondegree award as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.

Similar Occupations

Top Programs to Study For This Career

Students preparing for industrial engineering technologists and technicians often complete programs in:

8 programs across 4 majors

About the Data

Data on this page comes 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: 17-3026.00 (Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians).

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