Engineering: A career that pays, new salary survey suggests

According to the latest Engineering Income and Salary Survey conducted by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the average total annual income for engineers in 2013, including bonuses, was $104,303, nearly 0.8% higher than the previous year and almost 4.5% more than the $99,738 salary figure reported in 2011.

"Salaries for engineers have increased at a time when other professions have struggled through challenging economic conditions," said Madiha El Mehelmy Kotb, president of ASME. "The demand for engineers continues to grow, and many stimulating job opportunities are emerging."

Many of these job opportunities, according to the salary survey, are in the ocean engineering and petroleum fields, where the median income in 2013 was, respectively, $137,763 and $130,000. Other sectors showing good salaries include computer services ($124,000), nuclear energy ($119,000), and fire protection ($123,000). Based on input from 10,627 engineers in the U.S., the 2013 salary survey revealed other findings and trends, including:

• The median income of full-time salaried engineers increased from $55,000 for recent graduates to $130,000 for those with 25 or more years of experience or more.
• About 1,900 engineers in the survey -- or 17.8 percent -- received promotions in 2013.
• Full-time salaried engineers holding doctoral degrees in engineering have a median income of $118,000, while those with an M.S. earn a median of $95,000 and those with a B.S. show a median income of $85,276.
• Engineers in the Pacific Southwest took home the highest median salary of $110,000 relative to other regions in the country.

"It is an exciting time to be an engineer," said Kotb. "As the world's population increases, so will the demands on the next generation of engineers to provide solutions to global challenges. Mechanical engineers will be at the forefront of solving these problems."