Manufacturing Engineering degree: salary, jobs & colleges

Bachelor's graduates in manufacturing engineering earn a median $88,690 four years after finishing, across 15 U.S. colleges. At ages 25-34, people whose degree is in industrial and manufacturing engineering earn $88,300, $26,251 more than all bachelor's holders. The most common job is industrial engineers, including health and safety (13%).

Graduates, 4 years out
$88,690

Median across 15 colleges; middle half $85,369–$92,122.

College Scorecard field of study (graduates who received federal aid)

All workers ages 25-34 with this degree
$88,300

Middle half $56,977–$112,426. 1,722 survey respondents.

Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; field "Industrial And Manufacturing Engineering"; EducationGuide calculation

Compared with
  • All bachelor's, 25-34$62,049
  • High school, 25-34$35,638
  • This degree vs high school+$52,662/yr

Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school

Median federal debt at graduation
$21,457

Median across colleges reporting.

College Scorecard field of study

Jobs manufacturing engineering graduates hold

What employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in industrial and manufacturing engineering actually do, with U.S. wages and the outlook for each job. The first column comes from the Census survey; wages and growth from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

JobShare of graduatesU.S. median wageJobs growth 2025-35Typical entryInterests
Industrial Engineers, Including Health And Safety13%$102,670+12.0%——
Other Managers6%————
Other Engineers5%————
Management Analysts4%$101,860+10.1%Bachelor's degreeCIE
Mechanical Engineers3%$104,110+11.2%Bachelor's degreeRIC
Project Management Specialists3%$102,320+6.7%Bachelor's degreeEC
Software Developers3%$135,980+10.2%Bachelor's degreeIC
Civil Engineers2%$100,840+6.4%Bachelor's degreeRIC

These 8 jobs account for 40% of employed graduates: people with this degree spread across many kinds of work.

Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, bachelor's as highest degree, employed); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35; O*NET 31.0 interest codes (R realistic, I investigative, A artistic, S social, E enterprising, C conventional).

Manufacturing Engineering earnings by state

Two views of pay: recent graduates of the state's colleges four years out (College Scorecard), and everyone ages 25-34 living in the state with this field of degree (Census). States show a figure only with at least 3 colleges or 100 survey respondents.

StateGraduates, 4 yrs (colleges)Ages 25-34 (respondents)
California—$112,165 (184)
Florida—$53,696 (145)
Georgia—$89,205 (100)
Texas—$78,204 (201)

College Scorecard field of study (median of each college's graduates); Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; EducationGuide calculations.

Colleges where manufacturing engineering graduates earn the most

In the states we cover so far (Florida, Virginia, California): 0 in Florida, 1 in Virginia, 7 in California offer this major. Open a college to see cost to finish and payback for your income.

#CollegeEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debt
1National UniversityCA$97,525—
2California State Polytechnic University-PomonaCA$93,042$17,083

College Scorecard field of study. Colleges meeting our core-data standard; online campuses left out.

Manufacturing Engineering degree questions

How much do Manufacturing Engineering graduates make?

Manufacturing Engineering graduates earn a median $88,690 four years after finishing, across 15 U.S. colleges that report it (the middle half of colleges: $85,369 to $92,122; College Scorecard, graduates who received federal aid). Among all workers ages 25-34 whose bachelor's degree is in industrial and manufacturing engineering, the median is $88,300 (Census ACS 2020-2024).

Is a Manufacturing Engineering degree worth it?

At ages 25-34, people with a bachelor's in industrial and manufacturing engineering earn a median $88,300: $26,251 more than all bachelor's degree holders ($62,049) and $52,662 more than high school graduates ($35,638). EducationGuide calculation from Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school.

What jobs do Manufacturing Engineering graduates get?

Among employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in industrial and manufacturing engineering, the most common jobs are industrial engineers, including health and safety (13%), other managers (6%), other engineers (5%). Industrial Engineers, Including Health And Safety earn a U.S. median $102,670.

Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey microdata; Bureau of Labor Statistics; O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all degrees
Cite this: “Manufacturing Engineering degree: salary, jobs and colleges,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/degrees/manufacturing-engineering.