Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians
US occupation · SOC 17-3027
Job titles people report: Engineering Laboratory Technician (Engineering Lab Technician), Engineering Technical Analyst, Engineering Technician (Engineering Tech), Engineering Technologist, Manufacturing Engineering Technician (Manufacturing Engineering Tech), Mechanical Designer, Mechanical Technician (Mechanical Tech), Process Engineering Technician (Process Engineering Tech), Process Technician, Research and Development Technician (R and D Tech)
Pay and outlook
- Median annual wage, May 2025
- $74,510
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Middle half earn
- $59,510 – $88,110
- 25th to 75th percentile
- People employed, May 2025
- 36,190
- Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)
- Projected change, 2025–35
- +1.3%
- Growing slower than all jobs (0% to under 3.5%)
- Openings a year (projected)
- 3,100
- 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 theory and principles of mechanical engineering to modify, develop, test, or adjust machinery and equipment under direction of engineering staff or physical scientists.
Main tasks
- Assemble or disassemble complex mechanical systems.
- Interpret engineering sketches, specifications, or drawings.
- Calculate required capacities for equipment of proposed system to obtain specified performance and submit data to engineering personnel for approval.
- Review project instructions and blueprints to ascertain test specifications, procedures, and objectives, and test nature of technical problems such as redesign.
- Provide technical support to other employees regarding mechanical design, fabrication, testing, or documentation.
- Test machines, components, materials, or products to determine characteristics such as performance, strength, or response to stress.
- Draft detail drawing or sketch for drafting room completion or to request parts fabrication by machine, sheet or wood shops.
- Analyze test results in relation to design or rated specifications and test objectives, and modify or adjust equipment to meet specifications.
More specific O*NET® occupations under this one: Automotive Engineering 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.
Interests it suits
The strongest of the six O*NET interest types for this occupation, highest first. The short glosses are ours.
- Realistic: hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
- Investigative: research, analysis and solving problems with ideas
- Conventional: organising information, records and procedures
Fields of study that lead here
From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 4 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.
Fields
Our college matcher doesn't offer this field as a major, so we can't suggest colleges for it here.
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians
- Automotive Engineering Technology/Technician
- Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician
- Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians, Other
- Hydraulics and Fluid Power Technology/Technician
Related careers
Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.
- 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
- Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians
$66,120 median · +3.1% projected
- Mechanical Drafters
$71,550 median · -6% projected
- Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians
$64,950 median · +3.2% projected
Sources
This page includes information from the 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. CollegeMatcher has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET 31.0 Database · CC BY 4.0
Changes: we show the core tasks in the O*NET database with the highest importance ratings (up to eight, in that order), the top three O*NET interest types by score, and shortened Job Zone names. Titles, descriptions and task text are unchanged.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Projections, typical entry education and training: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35. Fields of study: NCES and BLS CIP 2020–SOC 2018 Crosswalk. All public domain. OEWS · Employment Projections · CIP–SOC crosswalk