Manufacturing Engineers
Science, Technology, Engineering and MathematicsO*NET 17-2112.03United States
Design, integrate, or improve manufacturing systems or related processes. May work with commercial or industrial designers to refine product designs to increase producibility and decrease costs.
- Median annual earnings
- $102,272
- Projected change
- +12.9%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 366.86K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
76% of the workforce
Growing to 414.23K by 2035
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The work
What manufacturing engineers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Troubleshoot new or existing product problems involving designs, materials, or processes.
- Investigate or resolve operational problems, such as material use variances or bottlenecks.
- Identify opportunities or implement changes to improve manufacturing processes or products or to reduce costs, using knowledge of fabrication processes, tooling and production equipment, assembly methods, quality control standards, or product design, materials and parts.
- Apply continuous improvement methods, such as lean manufacturing, to enhance manufacturing quality, reliability, or cost-effectiveness.
- Provide technical expertise or support related to manufacturing.
- Incorporate new manufacturing methods or processes to improve existing operations.
- Review product designs for manufacturability or completeness.
- Determine root causes of failures or recommend changes in designs, tolerances, or processing methods, using statistical procedures.
- Prepare reports summarizing information or trends related to manufacturing performance.
- Prepare documentation for new manufacturing processes or engineering procedures.
- Design layout of equipment or workspaces to achieve maximum efficiency.
- Communicate manufacturing capabilities, production schedules, or other information to facilitate production processes.
- Supervise technicians, technologists, analysts, administrative staff, or other engineers.
- Design, install, or troubleshoot manufacturing equipment.
- Evaluate manufactured products according to specifications and quality standards.
- Estimate costs, production times, or staffing requirements for new designs.
- Train production personnel in new or existing methods.
- Design tests of finished products or process capabilities to establish standards or validate process requirements.
- Analyze the financial impacts of sustainable manufacturing processes or sustainable product manufacturing.
- Develop sustainable manufacturing technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, minimize raw material use, replace toxic materials with non-toxic materials, replace non-renewable materials with renewable materials, or reduce waste.
- Purchase equipment, materials, or parts.
- Read current literature, talk with colleagues, participate in educational programs, attend meetings or workshops, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in the manufacturing field.
- Evaluate current or proposed manufacturing processes or practices for environmental sustainability, considering factors such as greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, water pollution, energy use, or waste creation.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $74,054
- 25th percentile
- $83,336
- 50th percentile
- $102,272
- 75th percentile
- $129,454
- 90th percentile
- $160,763
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $102,272 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+12.9%faster than average
2025366,862 jobs
2035 projected414,227 jobs
47,365 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 76%
- Associate degree
- 16%
- Some college
- 4%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 4%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Technology Design
- Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Manufacturing Engineers22,018 postings
- 02Design Engineers4,048 postings
- 03Manufacturing Process Engineers1,843 postings
- 04Project Engineers1,615 postings
- 05Manufacturing Quality Engineers1,423 postings
- 06Advance Manufacturing Engineers842 postings
- 07Automation Engineers837 postings
- 08Manufacturing Engineering Interns803 postings
- 09Controls Engineers603 postings
- 10Manufacturing Test Engineers585 postings
- 11Process Engineers580 postings
- 12Lead Manufacturing Engineers549 postings
- 13Manufacturing Automation Engineers520 postings
- 14Design Quality Engineers476 postings
- 15Engineers469 postings
- 16Continuous Improvement Engineers411 postings
- 17Assembly Manufacturing Engineers370 postings
- 18Manufacturing Engineering Associates351 postings
- 19Systems Design Engineers320 postings
- 20Staff Manufacturing Engineers317 postings
Top employers
- 01Actalent2,594 postings
- 02GE Aerospace1,354 postings
- 03RTX866 postings
- 04Lockheed Martin783 postings
- 05GPAC768 postings
- 06Northrop Grumman690 postings
- 07Insight Global677 postings
- 08Boeing659 postings
- 09Amazon459 postings
- 10Tesla444 postings
- 11Jobot391 postings
- 12Apple389 postings
- 13AAA380 postings
- 14Blue Origin379 postings
- 15Sterling Engineering373 postings
- 16Belcan344 postings
- 17Jabil343 postings
- 18Anduril Industries323 postings
- 19L3Harris Technologies309 postings
- 20GE Vernova299 postings
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