There are many pros and cons to pursuing a career as an electrical engineer. The salary is lucrative, although it does not pay as much as some other engineering specialties. Also, with an anticipated 6 percent growth rate projected through 2020, job demand for electrical engineers is slower than the 14 percent growth rate predicted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for other U.S. occupations. However, electrical engineers are involved in a variety of exciting, cutting-edge inventions in areas ranging from transportation and medicine to homeland security and the entertainment industry.
Average Annual Salary
Electrical engineers earn a mean annual wage of $91,810, or a mean hourly wage of $44.14, according to May 2012 wage and salary estimates from the BLS. The median or midpoint salary of electrical engineers was $87,920. The top 10 percent earned $136,690, while the bottom 10 percent earned $56,490. Electrical engineers earned the highest salary of $106,780 in the oil and gas extraction industry. With a mean annual wage of $107,280, California was the highest-paying state.
Comparative Salary Analysis
As a point of comparison, there are several engineering specialties with higher salaries. For example, petroleum engineers earned the highest salary of $147,470, while nuclear engineers earned $107,140, reports the BLS. Aerospace engineers, computer hardware engineers and chemical engineers made $104,810, $103,980, and $102,270, respectively. However, electrical engineers earned slightly more than the $91,200 annual wages of biomedical engineers and also more than the $87,490 earned by materials engineers. They also made more than civil engineers, industrial engineers and agricultural engineers, who had respective salaries of $84,140, $82,100 and $77,370.
Job Description and Examples
Electrical engineers create new ways to use electrical power. This involves designing and developing a broad range of electrical equipment and components such as sensors, controls and power supplies for aerospace and aeronautics use. They also develop remote control cars and networks that allow instant, unlimited audio and video communication. Some electrical engineers develop injectionless drug delivery systems for regulating blood sugar levels and develop image techniques that can be used in airports to detect explosive devices within a 6-mile radius. Electrical engineers also develop longer-lasting batteries and robots that can locate survivors in earthquakes and other hazardous situations. In addition to designing and developing electrical equipment, electrical engineers also oversee the testing, manufacturing and installation process.
Electrical Engineering Industries
Out of the 154,000 electrical engineers, the BLS reports that 36,470, which is the majority, are employed in the architectural, engineering and related services industry. Another 14,820 work in navigational, measuring, electromedical and control instruments manufacturing, followed closely by the 14,780 who work in the generation, transmission and distribution of electrical power. Another 12,860 are employed in the semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing industry, while 7,550 work in aerospace product and parts manufacturing.
2016 Salary Information for Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Electrical and electronics engineers earned a median annual salary of $96,300 in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On the low end, electrical and electronics engineers earned a 25th percentile salary of $75,650, meaning 75 percent earned more than this amount. The 75th percentile salary is $121,510, meaning 25 percent earn more. In 2016, 324,600 people were employed in the U.S. as electrical and electronics engineers.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Electrical and Electronics Engineers
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2012: 17-2071 Electrical Engineers
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: May 2012 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers: What is an Electrical Engineer?
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook: Electrical and Electronics Engineers
- Career Trend: Electrical and Electronics Engineers
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