Industrial Engineers
Design, develop, test, and evaluate integrated systems for managing industrial production processes, including human work factors, quality control, inventory control, logistics and material flow, cost analysis, and production coordination.
Also called: Continuous Improvement Engineer · Engineer · Facilities Engineer · Industrial Engineer · Operations Engineer · Plant Engineer
Median pay (national)
$101,140
$70,000–$157,140 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
350,230
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+11%
~25,200 openings/yr
Typical entry
Bachelor's degree
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for industrial engineers shows a broad range: the top 10% earn $157,140 versus $70,000 at the bottom 10% — 2.2x. The median of $101,140 leaves roughly 55% 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 +11% from 2024 to 2034 — much faster than the 3% average for all occupations. Even so, BLS projects about 25,200 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 52 states with released data, Alaska pays the most for this role (median $142,980, +41% vs the national median), while Puerto Rico sits lowest at $80,120 — a 78% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, 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, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft PowerPoint as in-demand technologies for this role.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Writing
- Monitoring
- Mathematics
- Active Learning
- Learning Strategies
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Estimate production costs, cost saving methods, and the effects of product design changes on expenditures for management review, action, and control.
- Plan and establish sequence of operations to fabricate and assemble parts or products and to promote efficient utilization.
- Analyze statistical data and product specifications to determine standards and establish quality and reliability objectives of finished product.
- Confer with clients, vendors, staff, and management personnel regarding purchases, product and production specifications, manufacturing capabilities, or project status.
- Communicate with management and user personnel to develop production and design standards.
- Evaluate precision and accuracy of production and testing equipment and engineering drawings to formulate corrective action plan.
- Recommend methods for improving utilization of personnel, material, and utilities.
- Record or oversee recording of information to ensure currency of engineering drawings and documentation of production problems.
- Draft and design layout of equipment, materials, and workspace to illustrate maximum efficiency using drafting tools and computer.
- Direct workers engaged in product measurement, inspection, and testing activities to ensure quality control and reliability.
Tools & technology
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- SAP software
- Structured query language SQL
- Bentley MicroStation
- C++
- Dassault Systemes SolidWorks
- Extensible markup language XML
- GitHub
- JUnit
- Linux
- Microsoft SQL Server
- Microsoft Visio
- Microsoft Visual Basic
Knowledge areas
- Engineering and Technology
- Production and Processing
- Mechanical
- Design
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Computers and Electronics
- Administration and Management