Entry-level Mechanical Engineer salary in Tampa, FL

Based on 18 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level I in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Largo, Lutz, Brooksville.

Also listed as: Mechanical Design Engineer

Median salary$74,590
Middle 50%$69.1k–$75k
vs. all levels here−13%comparison median $85,582
Filings18FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $64,917 and $101,413.
PercentileSalary
10th$67,232
25th$69,139
50th (median)$74,590
75th$75,004
90th$84,120

Salary by year

Median salary

$40k $60k $80k FY2020: median $53,040 (10 filings) FY2024: median $61,312 (12 filings) FY2025: median $74,590 (14 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 10 filings FY20 FY2021: 7 filings FY21 FY2022: 5 filings FY22 FY2023: 5 filings FY23 FY2024: 12 filings FY24 FY2025: 14 filings FY25 FY2026: 4 filings FY26 14
Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.
Show as table
Fiscal yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020$53,040$51,834$56,65010
FY2021–––7
FY2022–––5
FY2023–––5
FY2024$61,312$61,006$62,75012
FY2025$74,590$68,660$75,00014
FY2026–––4

Cost of living

Tampa's median entry-level Mechanical Engineer salary of $74,590 is worth about $73,900 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Tampa = 100.9).

Compared with all workers here

All Mechanical Engineers in the Tampa, FL area earned a median of $100,290 in May 2025 (1,220 employed). The H-1B median here is $74,590, 26% lower.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS metropolitan area estimates. BLS wages include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are base salary.

Employers filing at this level

EmployerMedianFilings
Bnp Associatestoo few2
Engineering Matrixtoo few2
GM2 Associatestoo few2
Masonitetoo few2

Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I $74,590 18
Mid-level · Level II $85,600 13
Senior · Level III – 0
Expert · Level IV too few 2

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Minimum H-1B salary by level

Wage levelPrevailing wage (most common)Median offered salaryFilings
Entry-level · Level I$64,917$74,59018
Mid-level · Level II$85,592$85,60013

The prevailing wage is the minimum an employer must pay for this job and area. Amounts vary by county within a metro and by wage source.