Occupation salary profile

Electrical Engineers

SOC 17-2071 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Research, design, develop, test, or supervise the manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment, components, or systems for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use. Excludes “Computer Hardware Engineers” (17-2061).

National median · BLS
$120,630
▲ +7.79% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$121,750
▲ +2.13% YoY · 6,683 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$125,100
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
198,750
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Electrical Engineers

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 6,683 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$76,550$81,566
25th$92,830$96,760
Median (50th)$120,630$121,750
75th$152,950$151,442
90th — top pay$184,300$183,286
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $121,750 for Electrical Engineers — 0.9% above the BLS national median of $120,630.

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Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Electrical Engineers

BLS projects employment of electrical engineers to grow 9.9% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 11,400 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
199,700 → 219,500
+19,800 jobs
Projected change
+9.9%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
11,400
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
No related experience required
Self-employed
0.5% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 4)
Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a bachelor's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $121,750
Change vs prior year +2.13%
After inflation (CPI-U) -0.97%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 1,291 19.3% $75,000 $84,477 $95,000
Level II 2,027 30.3% $96,000 $109,481 $127,429
Level III 1,427 21.4% $119,642 $135,400 $161,000
Level IV 1,281 19.2% $136,968 $158,413 $185,000
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Electrical Engineers

The 50 most-filed job titles inside SOC 17-2071, from 6,683 H-1B filings. Seniority words and level numbers are grouped (“Senior Data Engineer II” counts as Data Engineer). Tap a title for its full range, wage levels and the exact titles employers used.

Job title LCAs Share P25 Median P75 YoY
Electrical Engineer 1,120 16.76% $83,227 $102,040 $130,000 +5.09%
Engineer generic 185 2.77% $92,955 $107,515 $124,761 -0.59%
Controls Engineer 162 2.42% $88,712 $103,230 $120,000 +4.11%
Silicon Engineering 117 1.75% $166,005 $193,778 $223,240 +7.65%
RF Engineer 112 1.68% $92,696 $100,000 $115,000 +7.66%
Project Engineer 104 1.56% $95,826 $114,252 $135,450 +0.31%
Hardware Systems Engineering 72 1.08% $155,639 $175,706 $195,061 +7.56%
Electrical Design Engineer 71 1.06% $85,202 $100,000 $120,000 -0.55%
Staff Engineer 70 1.05% $125,755 $146,402 $163,381 -5.55%
Member of Technical Staff generic 64 0.96% $131,510 $156,634 $185,135 +10.7%
Systems Engineer 64 0.96% $100,000 $126,190 $143,190 +2.48%
Principal Engineer 61 0.91% $128,369 $148,720 $176,384 +0.45%
Analog Design Engineer 51 0.76% $113,630 $127,250 $143,852 +4.05%
Field Service Engineer 44 0.66% $85,350 $93,642 $100,174 -0.38%
Application Engineer 43 0.64% $97,625 $108,007 $134,430 +2.38%
Design Engineer 40 0.6% $87,950 $99,722 $116,228 +1.5%
Electronic Systems Technical Specialist 39 0.58% $104,562 $106,434 $111,613 +8.17%
Staff Electrical Engineer 38 0.57% $92,158 $107,248 $143,750 -17.5%
Power Systems Engineer 36 0.54% $105,000 $124,900 $140,000 +9.18%
Electrical Engineering 35 0.52% $143,000 $154,000 $183,458 -7.04%
Test Engineer 34 0.51% $91,250 $110,250 $122,876 +0.07%
Software Engineer 34 0.51% $107,846 $131,330 $153,750 +9.44%
Automation Engineer 29 0.43% $88,566 $110,000 $125,400 -2.44%
Physical Design Engineer 29 0.43% $132,100 $140,000 $160,553 -5.54%
Firmware Engineer 29 0.43% $118,910 $135,000 $163,192 +18.81%
Embedded Software Engineer 29 0.43% $84,302 $98,550 $111,675 -4.59%
Electrical Controls Engineer 28 0.42% $85,150 $94,790 $114,603 -2.56%
Wireless Systems Validation Engineer 28 0.42% $157,776 $166,538 $198,446 -0.43%
Hardware Engineer 28 0.42% $100,885 $130,074 $145,873 -7.11%
Electronic Design Engineer 28 0.42% $133,250 $163,812 $169,274 +8.62%
Product Engineer 25 0.37% $105,000 $128,000 $146,150 +25.18%
Power Electronics Engineer 24 0.36% $109,862 $138,332 $151,103 -1.76%
Design Verification Engineer 23 0.34% $119,580 $160,160 $179,082 -14.61%
Digital Design Engineer 23 0.34% $112,930 $119,500 $138,614 +1.62%
Project Manager 23 0.34% $107,000 $121,275 $136,776 -2.98%
Lead Engineer generic 22 0.33% $120,000 $126,013 $154,968 +11.47%
Control Systems Engineer 22 0.33% $90,407 $106,622 $113,419 +6.55%
Semiconductor Design Engineer 21 0.31% $111,500 $116,899 $127,337 -13.73%
FE Engineering 21 0.31% $151,433 $160,553 $187,036 +6.02%
Associate Engineer 19 0.28% $82,170 $92,000 $100,431 +20.13%
Silicon Engineer 19 0.28% $186,000 $204,000 $227,000 +36%
Principal Electrical Engineer 18 0.27% $135,566 $154,180 $186,526 -5.54%
Applications Engineer 18 0.27% $120,625 $131,391 $148,000 +9.67%
Systems Studies Engineer 18 0.27% $97,152 $107,346 $116,704 +12.37%
Research Engineer 17 0.25% $92,250 $115,000 $132,700 +24.99%
Module Design Engineer 17 0.25% $147,400 $157,802 $181,532 -2.98%
Automation Controls Engineer 17 0.25% $95,000 $118,518 $141,687 +2.87%
Electronic Systems Product Specialist 17 0.25% $104,562 $104,707 $111,613 +9.07%
Validation Engineer 16 0.24% $80,891 $95,930 $132,750 +6.59%
ASIC Engineer 16 0.24% $167,210 $192,100 $206,802 +1.11%

Titles are cleaned from the employer's own LCA text (codes and typos removed, nothing invented). Rows need 10+ filings in this SOC.

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Electrical Engineers

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Writing4.1
  • Critical Thinking4.0
  • Reading Comprehension4.0
  • Active Learning3.9
  • Active Listening3.9
  • Complex Problem Solving3.9
  • Speaking3.9
  • Monitoring3.5
  • Mathematics3.4
  • Coordination3.3
Top knowledge areas
  • Engineering and Technology4.7
  • Computers and Electronics4.7
  • Design4.1
  • English Language3.8
  • Mathematics3.7
  • Physics3.6
  • Production and Processing3.3
  • Mechanical3.2
Software and technology used
Autodesk AutoCADAutodesk RevitC++Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft PowerPointPythonThe MathWorks MATLABETAPSKM Systems Analysis Power ToolsApache Subversion SVNAutodesk AutoCAD Civil 3DBashBentley MicroStationCC#Dassault Systemes SolidWorksEclipse IDE

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What electrical engineers do

  • 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.
Also called
Design EngineerElectrical Design EngineerElectrical EngineerProject EngineerCircuits EngineerElectrical Controls EngineerElectrical Project EngineerEngineerInstrumentation and Electrical Reliability Engineer (I&E Reliability Engineer)Test Engineer
More job titles for this occupation (58)
Automation EngineerCable EngineerControls EngineerDesign Verification EngineerDistribution EngineerDistribution Field EngineerDistrict Plant EngineerDivision EngineerDivision Plant EngineerElectrical DesignerElectrical Engineering InternElectrical IntegratorElectrical Power EngineerElectrical Products EngineerElectrical Prospecting EngineerElectrical Research EngineerElectrical Systems EngineerElectrical Test EngineerElectrolysis and Corrosion Control EngineerElectrolysis EngineerElectrolysis InvestigatorField EngineerGeothermal Electrical EngineerHydroelectric Plant Electrical EngineerIlluminating EngineerInduction Coordination EngineerInduction Coordination Power EngineerInstrumentation EngineerLaser EngineerLighting EngineerLine Construction EngineerMeter EngineerOutside Plant EngineerPhotovoltaic Power Systems Engineer (PV Power Systems Engineer)Photovoltaic Solar Cell Designer (PV Solar Cell Designer)Plant EngineerPower Distribution EngineerPower Generation EngineerPower Systems Electrical EngineerPower Systems EngineerPower Transmission EngineerProtection EngineerRadio Frequency Engineer (RF Engineer)Results EngineerRural Electrification EngineerSCADA Engineer (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Engineer)Service EngineerSmart Grid EngineerSubstation Electrical EngineerSubstation EngineerSystems Development EngineerTesting EngineerTransmission EngineerTransmission Line EngineerUtility EngineerWind Farm Electrical Systems DesignerWind Turbine Electrical EngineerWire Communications Engineer

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.