# Mechanical Engineering (bachelor's degree)

CIP 14.19. Page: https://educationguide.com/degrees/mechanical-engineering

## Earnings
- Graduates 4 years after finishing: median $91,190 across 316 colleges (middle half $87,997–$95,341); median federal debt $24,897
- All workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering: median $90,254 (all bachelor's $62,049; high school $35,638; Census ACS 2020-2024)

## Jobs graduates hold (ages 25-34)
| Job | Share | U.S. median wage | Growth 2025-35 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineers | 20% | $104,110 | 11.2% |
| Other Engineers | 11% | not reported | — |
| Industrial Engineers, Including Health And Safety | 7% | $102,670 | 12% |
| Civil Engineers | 5% | $100,840 | 6.4% |
| Software Developers | 5% | $135,980 | 10.2% |
| Aerospace Engineers | 4% | $134,960 | 8.3% |
| Other Managers | 3% | not reported | — |
| Project Management Specialists | 2% | $102,320 | 6.7% |

## By state
| State | Graduates 4 yrs (colleges) | Ages 25-34 (respondents) |
|---|---|---|
| AL | $93,246 (7) | $91,372 (141) |
| AR | $84,986 (4) | — |
| AZ | $95,090 (5) | $91,372 (165) |
| CA | $99,216 (27) | $99,700 (1273) |
| CO | $93,666 (6) | $93,073 (378) |
| CT | $90,261 (10) | $96,079 (155) |
| FL | $89,622 (11) | $77,561 (413) |
| GA | $88,613 (4) | $85,541 (294) |
| IA | $85,938 (3) | — |
| ID | $86,327 (4) | — |
| IL | $87,586 (8) | $90,254 (381) |
| IN | $90,583 (9) | $89,493 (210) |
| KS | $88,533 (3) | — |
| KY | $89,056 (3) | $83,789 (114) |
| LA | $92,713 (6) | $89,375 (104) |
| MA | $96,999 (11) | $98,650 (309) |
| MD | $100,003 (3) | $81,220 (200) |
| MI | $94,869 (15) | $93,403 (450) |
| MN | $88,965 (5) | $90,357 (205) |
| MO | $93,186 (6) | $90,254 (170) |
| NC | $87,688 (4) | $91,651 (258) |
| NJ | $92,806 (6) | $87,141 (234) |
| NM | $94,990 (3) | — |
| NY | $91,821 (21) | $93,403 (429) |
| OH | $88,046 (20) | $83,527 (423) |
| OK | $89,436 (5) | — |
| OR | $93,740 (5) | $95,459 (138) |
| PA | $90,382 (20) | $87,106 (389) |
| SC | $91,028 (3) | $81,875 (151) |
| TN | $89,516 (7) | $89,375 (173) |
| TX | $90,102 (21) | $91,880 (866) |
| UT | $90,634 (3) | $87,107 (138) |
| VA | $89,129 (7) | $96,653 (255) |
| WA | $95,094 (8) | $95,459 (323) |
| WI | $87,392 (6) | $89,493 (213) |

## Top colleges by graduate earnings (published states)
1. California State University Maritime Academy (CA): $126,395
2. Santa Clara University (CA): $122,111
3. University of California-Berkeley (CA): $119,371
4. Stanford University (CA): $117,072
5. University of California-Los Angeles (CA): $108,875
6. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (CA): $106,750
7. California Baptist University (CA): $105,046
8. University of Southern California (CA): $104,649
9. University of California-Santa Barbara (CA): $104,336
10. University of California-San Diego (CA): $104,229
11. University of California-Davis (CA): $102,161
12. San Francisco State University (CA): $102,104

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#degrees

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0). O*NET data: CC BY 4.0, O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA).
