Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$66,120

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$55,760 – $80,280

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

75,570

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

+3.1%

Growing slower than all jobs (0% to under 3.5%)

Openings a year (projected)

6,600

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

Associate's degree

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Apply engineering theory and principles to problems of industrial layout or manufacturing production, usually under the direction of engineering staff. May perform time and motion studies on worker operations in a variety of industries for purposes such as establishing standard production rates or improving efficiency.

Main tasks

• Adhere to all applicable regulations, policies, and procedures for health, safety, and environmental compliance.
• Oversee or inspect production processes.
• Identify opportunities for improvements in quality, cost, or efficiency of automation equipment.
• Develop or implement programs to address problems related to production, materials, safety, or quality.
• Test selected products at specified stages in the production process for performance characteristics or adherence to specifications.
• Create or interpret engineering drawings, schematic diagrams, formulas, or blueprints for management or engineering staff.
• Compile and evaluate statistical data to determine and maintain quality and reliability of products.
• Recommend corrective or preventive actions to assure or improve product quality or reliability.

More specific O*NET® occupations under this one: Nanotechnology Engineering Technologists and Technicians.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

Associate's degree

O*NET Job Zone 3

Medium preparation

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 8 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

• Industrial Engineers

  $102,440 median · +12.4% projected

• Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians

  $74,510 median · +1.3% projected

• Calibration Technologists and Technicians

  $67,820 median · +4.8% projected

• Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians

  $78,190 median · +2.4% projected

• Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians

  $82,890 median · +11.9% projected

• Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians

  $73,900 median · +2.6% projected