Electrical Engineers
Research, design, develop, test, or supervise the manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment, components, or systems for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use.
Also called: Circuits Engineer · Design Engineer · Electrical Controls Engineer · Electrical Design Engineer · Electrical Engineer · Electrical Project Engineer
Median pay (national)
$111,910
$74,670–$175,460 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
188,790
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+7.2%
~11,700 openings/yr
Typical entry
Bachelor's degree
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for electrical engineers shows a broad range: the top 10% earn $175,460 versus $74,670 at the bottom 10% — 2.3x. The median of $111,910 leaves roughly 57% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +7.2% from 2024 to 2034 — faster than the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 11,700 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 53 states with released data, New Mexico pays the most for this role (median $143,850, +29% vs the national median), while Guam sits lowest at $60,850 — a 136% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Writing, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Autodesk AutoCAD, Autodesk Revit, C++, ETAP as in-demand technologies for this role.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Writing
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Active Learning
- Monitoring
- Mathematics
- Science
- Learning Strategies
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- 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.
- Investigate customer or public complaints to determine the nature and extent of problems.
- Prepare technical drawings, specifications of electrical systems, or topographical maps to ensure that installation and operations conform to standards and customer requirements.
Tools & technology
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Autodesk Revit
- C++
- ETAP
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Python
- SKM Systems Analysis Power Tools
- The MathWorks MATLAB
- Apache Subversion SVN
- Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D
- Bash
- Bentley MicroStation
- C
- C#
Knowledge areas
- Engineering and Technology
- Computers and Electronics
- Design
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Production and Processing
- Mechanical