Mechanical Engineer salary
From 17,305 certified H-1B filings (FY2025–FY2026). Base salary only.
- Occupation code 17-2141: Mechanical Engineers
- Also filed as: Mechanical Design Engineer
At a glance
- Mostly Level II (mid-level). 37% of Mechanical Engineer filings are Level II, compared with 42% across all H-1B filings.
- Top filer: Tesla. 612 filings (4% of the total), median $150,000.
- Pay depends on the city. Among the 10 metro areas with the most filings, the median ranges from $93,600 in Columbus, OH to $160,000 in San Jose, CA.
- Median up 33% since FY2020. From $83,200 in FY2020 to $110,366 in FY2026 (Q1–Q3). Nominal, not adjusted for inflation.
Mechanical Engineer H-1B salary overview
Employers filed 17,305 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Mechanical Engineer jobs in FY2025–FY2026 (occupation code 17-2141, Mechanical Engineers). The median base salary is $108,000, 12% below the median for all H-1B filings ($122,699), and half of the filings fall between $90,000 and $132,720. The most common wage level is Level II (mid-level), at 37% of filings. Detroit, MI has the most filings (2,714), and Tesla is the employer that files the most (612).
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Percentiles from certified H-1B filings, base salary only. Metro areas with at least 10 filings.
Top employers for Mechanical Engineer
Tesla612 filings · 4%$150,000
Cummins570 filings · 3%$95,847
Apple467 filings · 3%$158,995
Rivian380 filings · 2%$155,162
General Motors Company340 filings · 2%$131,382
Ford329 filings · 2%$125,362
Lucid Motors290 filings · 2%$142,854
L&T Technology Services222 filings · 1%$93,167
Intellectt171 filings · 1%$98,987
HCLTech167 filings · 1%$98,966
Employers with the most Mechanical Engineer filings. Bar: share of all Mechanical Engineer filings. Figure: median base salary.
Pay by level
Entry-level · 20% of filings
Mid-level · 37% of filings
Senior · 22% of filings
Expert · 21% of filings
Show the table
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Level I · Entry | $80,000 | 3,234 |
| Level II · Qualified | $98,000 | 6,039 |
| Level III · Experienced | $121,181 | 3,656 |
| Level IV · Fully competent | $140,587 | 3,398 |
Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.
Mechanical Engineer pay by city
Median base salary in each metro area. Rent: HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027.
Show all 148 metro areas
Metro areas with at least 10 filings for this occupation.
What a Mechanical Engineer does
Perform engineering duties in planning and designing tools, engines, machines, and other mechanically functioning equipment. Oversee installation, operation, maintenance, and repair of equipment such as centralized heat, gas, water, and steam systems.
Typical tasks
- Read and interpret blueprints, technical drawings, schematics, or computer-generated reports.
- Research, design, evaluate, install, operate, or maintain mechanical products, equipment, systems or processes to meet requirements.
- Specify system components or direct modification of products to ensure conformance with engineering design, performance specifications, or environmental regulations.
- Confer with engineers or other personnel to implement operating procedures, resolve system malfunctions, or provide technical information.
- Investigate equipment failures or difficulties to diagnose faulty operation and recommend remedial actions.
- Recommend design modifications to eliminate machine or system malfunctions.
Preparation
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
O*NET occupation: Mechanical Engineers (17-2141.00). This section 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.
H-1B pay vs. all U.S. workers
Across all U.S. workers in this occupation (Mechanical Engineers), the median annual wage was $104,110 in May 2025, with 296,810 people employed. The median H-1B base salary in FY2025–FY2026 is $108,000, 4% higher.
| H-1B filings | All U.S. workers (BLS, May 2025) | |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $78,208 | $73,990 |
| 25th percentile | $90,000 | $84,130 |
| Median | $108,000 | $104,110 |
| 75th percentile | $132,720 | $132,590 |
| 90th percentile | $163,211 | $164,340 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). BLS wages cover all wage and salary workers and include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are the base salary offered on certified LCAs. The two sources cover different periods. BLS reports wages of $239,200 or more as a single top value.
Salary details
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $78,208 |
| 25th | $90,000 |
| 50th (median) | $108,000 |
| 75th | $132,720 |
| 90th | $163,211 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $83,200 | $72,000 | $100,029 | 9,684 |
| FY2021 | $90,000 | $78,520 | $110,000 | 9,696 |
| FY2022 | $93,844 | $80,000 | $115,000 | 10,484 |
| FY2023 | $97,634 | $83,200 | $118,000 | 8,536 |
| FY2024 | $100,069 | $85,000 | $124,868 | 8,960 |
| FY2025 | $104,233 | $87,589 | $130,000 | 10,171 |
| FY2026 | $110,366 | $93,642 | $137,000 | 7,134 |
Questions
How much does an H-1B Mechanical Engineer make?
The median base salary in certified H-1B filings for Mechanical Engineer jobs is $108,000 (17,305 filings, FY2025–FY2026). Half of the filings are between $90,000 and $132,720.
What does an entry-level Mechanical Engineer earn on an H-1B?
Level I (entry-level) filings have a median of $80,000. Level I accounts for 20% of Mechanical Engineer filings.
Which city pays H-1B Mechanical Engineers the most?
Among metro areas with at least 100 filings, San Jose, CA has the highest median base salary for Mechanical Engineer jobs: $160,000 (1,617 filings).
Which employers file the most H-1B applications for Mechanical Engineers?
Tesla (612), Cummins (570) and Apple (467) filed the most Mechanical Engineer LCAs in FY2025–FY2026.
Do H-1B Mechanical Engineers earn more than other U.S. workers in the same job?
The H-1B median base salary ($108,000) is 4% higher than the median wage of all U.S. workers in this occupation ($104,110, BLS May 2025). The sources measure pay differently, so treat this as a rough comparison.