Salary guide, May 2025
Applications Engineer pay, United States
Manufacturing Headhunters uses the published BLS OEWS figures below. They describe the mapped occupation and area, not an individual offer.
This is what we do all day: recruit manufacturing professionals.
The median annual wage for Engineers, All Other in the United States was $122,930 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $90,970 and $158,090.
Also searched as: Application Engineer. These titles share this page because BLS reports them under one occupation.
Broader occupation · SOC 17-2199 Engineers, All Other
BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title.
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $66,810 | $90,970 | $122,930 | $158,090 | $189,950 |
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $32.12 | $43.73 | $59.10 | $76.01 | $91.32 |
BLS estimated 154,070 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 17-2199 Engineers, All Other, U.S.. Official occupation data · Official area tables. Released 2026-05-15.
How does pay compare in the target metros?
| Metro | Median | 25th to 75th | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $91,790 | $66,790 to $123,350 | 1,330 | 0.48 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $92,790 | $71,050 to $131,780 | 870 | 0.61 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $115,210 | $94,340 to $139,880 | 970 | 0.69 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $104,910 | $82,500 to $131,470 | 970 | 1.32 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $135,300 | $101,270 to $174,490 | 5,780 | 0.61 |
| Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $135,300 | $101,270 to $174,490 | 5,780 | 0.61 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $110,010 | $82,760 to $140,930 | 2,720 | 0.68 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $121,910 | $85,050 to $150,090 | 1,570 | 0.35 |
Rank every metro for Applications Engineer
What should you know about pay by manufacturing industry, United States?
Same BLS occupation, national estimates for each manufacturing industry (NAICS) BLS publishes, May 2025. Industry names are BLS labels.
- Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing$164,720
- Sawmills and Wood Preservation$149,250
- Beverage Manufacturing$136,090
- Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing$132,760
- Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing$129,040
- Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only)$128,860
- Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing$127,660
- Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing$125,950
- Communications Equipment Manufacturing$124,380
- Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing$124,340
- Dairy Product Manufacturing$124,320
- Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing$120,730
- Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing$120,730
- Chemical Manufacturing$120,130
- Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing$119,940
Bars show up to 15 industries with exact annual medians. The table lists every published industry.
| NAICS | Industry | Employment | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31-33 | Manufacturing | 34,400 | $86,320 | $109,590 | $137,970 |
| 334000 | Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing | 8,340 | $94,990 | $125,950 | $162,810 |
| 336000 | Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 8,060 | $86,690 | $113,240 | $138,630 |
| 333000 | Machinery Manufacturing | 5,890 | $87,230 | $105,430 | $132,960 |
| 336400 | Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | 5,400 | $98,660 | $124,340 | $143,620 |
| 334500 | Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing | 4,310 | $91,710 | $115,030 | $158,560 |
| 3330A1 | Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) | 3,500 | $84,060 | $104,130 | $129,970 |
| 325000 | Chemical Manufacturing | 3,340 | $96,850 | $120,130 | $152,110 |
| 334400 | Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing | 2,910 | $102,090 | $132,760 | $170,530 |
| 3250A1 | Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) | 2,310 | $101,810 | $128,860 | $160,440 |
| 332000 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 1,810 | $74,150 | $94,090 | $111,450 |
| 335000 | Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing | 1,530 | $87,300 | $109,000 | $131,390 |
| 339000 | Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 1,530 | $84,810 | $105,130 | $130,360 |
| 333300 | Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing | 1,250 | $90,950 | $110,580 | $138,920 |
| 336100 | Motor Vehicle Manufacturing | 1,190 | $89,360 | $111,890 | $135,970 |
| 339100 | Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing | 1,130 | $93,670 | $108,590 | $134,180 |
| 325400 | Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing | 940 | $86,570 | $106,830 | $130,450 |
| 336300 | Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing | 940 | $79,460 | $100,800 | $124,460 |
| 3320A1 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) | 910 | $80,030 | $99,650 | $114,630 |
| 333600 | Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing | 830 | $97,650 | $127,660 | $146,310 |
| 326000 | Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing | 770 | $81,890 | $99,560 | $125,360 |
| 335900 | Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing | 770 | $90,890 | $119,940 | $133,090 |
| 324000 | Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | 740 | $107,590 | $120,730 | $155,020 |
| 324100 | Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | 740 | $107,590 | $120,730 | $155,020 |
| 335300 | Electrical Equipment Manufacturing | 630 | $83,380 | $102,580 | $125,810 |
| 326100 | Plastics Product Manufacturing | 620 | $82,460 | $103,460 | $125,980 |
| 334200 | Communications Equipment Manufacturing | 620 | $86,780 | $124,380 | $143,340 |
| 3320A2 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) | 570 | $63,580 | $79,720 | $97,760 |
| 331000 | Primary Metal Manufacturing | 490 | $65,450 | $91,140 | $113,750 |
| 334100 | Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing | 430 | $97,570 | $119,130 | $152,180 |
| 339900 | Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 400 | $72,230 | $92,130 | $108,880 |
| 337000 | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing | 390 | $60,540 | $76,580 | $92,540 |
| 3370A1 | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only) | 380 | $59,890 | $76,790 | $93,290 |
| 311000 | Food Manufacturing | 360 | $86,210 | $103,810 | $125,870 |
| 322000 | Paper Manufacturing | 310 | $94,940 | $110,950 | $139,980 |
| 333500 | Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing | 310 | $74,600 | $101,510 | $121,450 |
| 332700 | Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 300 | $77,450 | $97,650 | $119,720 |
| 327000 | Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 290 | $66,330 | $98,810 | $127,590 |
| 327000 | Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 290 | $66,330 | $98,810 | $127,590 |
| 321000 | Wood Product Manufacturing | 280 | $66,870 | $78,640 | $112,190 |
| 332710 | Machine Shops | 250 | $81,120 | $102,900 | $119,730 |
| 336600 | Ship and Boat Building | 240 | $84,880 | $103,420 | $142,790 |
| 322200 | Converted Paper Product Manufacturing | 190 | $85,960 | $108,740 | $139,980 |
| 321200 | Veneer, Plywood, and Engineered Wood Product Manufacturing | 150 | $65,050 | $76,160 | $91,350 |
| 326200 | Rubber Product Manufacturing | 150 | $65,770 | $92,580 | $103,680 |
| 311900 | Other Food Manufacturing | 140 | $97,530 | $106,130 | $127,790 |
| 331100 | Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing | 140 | $63,240 | $65,450 | $98,790 |
| 322100 | Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills | 120 | $100,820 | $113,270 | $139,750 |
| 331400 | Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing | 120 | $67,850 | $103,210 | $132,790 |
| 331500 | Foundries | 120 | $76,980 | $94,450 | $113,000 |
| 336500 | Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing | 120 | $103,200 | $129,040 | $138,150 |
| 336200 | Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing | 110 | $60,540 | $76,430 | $102,150 |
| 3250A2 | Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only) | 100 | $82,400 | $105,460 | $138,240 |
| 312000 | Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing | 80 | $100,800 | $118,500 | $157,060 |
| 321900 | Other Wood Product Manufacturing | 80 | $63,590 | $73,770 | $84,660 |
| 335200 | Household Appliance Manufacturing | 80 | $90,930 | $106,200 | $127,690 |
| 312100 | Beverage Manufacturing | 70 | $98,220 | $136,090 | $157,060 |
| 331200 | Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel | 70 | $76,310 | $92,980 | $110,670 |
| 311500 | Dairy Product Manufacturing | 60 | $108,140 | $124,320 | $125,270 |
| 334300 | Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing | 60 | $113,310 | $164,720 | $176,800 |
| 336900 | Other Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 60 | $77,250 | $90,430 | $109,610 |
| 311300 | Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing | 50 | $89,090 | $90,300 | $120,010 |
| 314000 | Textile Product Mills | 50 | $66,990 | $79,990 | $130,370 |
| 314900 | Other Textile Product Mills | 50 | $48,090 | $75,290 | $130,370 |
| 321100 | Sawmills and Wood Preservation | 50 | $119,970 | $149,250 | $149,250 |
| 331300 | Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing | 50 | $88,730 | $110,640 | $133,290 |
| 332720 | Turned Product and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 50 | $73,410 | $77,720 | $95,480 |
| 335100 | Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing | 50 | $77,350 | $91,990 | $127,870 |
| 311200 | Grain and Oilseed Milling | 40 | $52,860 | $80,240 | $119,350 |
What should you know about manufacturing pay mix?
For Applications Engineer, separate the guaranteed salary from any discretionary bonus or commission arrangement. OEWS includes base rate, guaranteed pay and production incentive pay. It excludes overtime premium, shift differentials and nonproduction bonuses. An attendance bonus is not a production bonus; confirm its purpose and treatment rather than adding every bonus to the BLS figure.
Skills-based pay steps affect the base rate when they are part of straight-time pay; BLS does not publish a separate rate for each plant's skill grade. Ask whether a tool allowance is expense reimbursement or wage pay. OEWS does not publish a separate tool-allowance component. Keep these items separate in the offer so the published wage is not mistaken for the whole package.
Pay mix here means how published medians for this one BLS occupation differ across manufacturing industries and against the all-industry median. It does not split pay into base, incentive or overtime. BLS wages are straight-time gross pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials and nonproduction bonuses.
What should you know about two BLS releases?
| Release period | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | $85,750 | $117,750 | $152,670 |
| May 2025 | $90,970 | $122,930 | $158,090 |
These are two separate BLS estimates from different survey panels. The workers and employers behind them differ, so the gap is not like-for-like pay for the same workers and is not a growth rate. We show no percentage change.
Recruiter's read. Qualitative, not BLS data.
What should you know about travel and customer-site habits?
Travel changes the job more than any title does. We confirm the realistic travel pattern, whether they have worked inside plants with safety orientation, PPE and lockout rules, and whether they can present to a maintenance crew and a purchasing buyer in the same week. Candidates who resent travel, or who want none, are surfaced before you meet them.
What should you know about questions?
Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
What is the median pay for a Applications Engineer?
The median annual wage for Engineers, All Other in the United States was $122,930 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $90,970 and $158,090. This is the broader occupation BLS publishes, not a figure for this exact title.
What does the 10th percentile mean here?
10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than $66,810. 90% earned less than $189,950.
Does this include overtime or bonuses?
Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
Is this the pay for a Applications Engineer at a plant?
BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title. These are occupation estimates across all industries, not an offer for a particular manufacturing title.
How many people work in this occupation?
BLS estimated 154,070 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
What should you know about related?
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What does this data mean for your opening?
Manufacturing Headhunters reviews the compensation profile for the Applications Engineer role. BLS classifies this position within the broader Engineers, All Other category. This classification limits direct visibility into specialized industry compensation. The May 2025 national median salary stands at $122,930, reflecting a medianChange of $5180 from the May 2024 reporting period.
The middleBandWidth of $67,120 illustrates significant variance between the p25 and p75 salary levels. This band width underscores that pay levels often depend on specific technical domain expertise and product complexity rather than tenure alone.
National industry data confirms higher salary medians in specialized sectors. Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing shows a median of $164,720, while Sawmills and Wood Preservation reports $149,250. Beverage Manufacturing reports a median of $136,090. BLS data excludes variable components such as performance bonuses, commission structures, and relocation packages. These figures focus solely on base salary benchmarks.
Comparison metros provide insight into market variance. The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area shows a median of $151,340, while the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim market records $125,060. The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area exhibits a high location quotient of 2.97, indicating high employment concentration for this occupational group. The Los Angeles market shows a lower location quotient of 1.21. These figures represent the broader engineering category and do not account for individual product knowledge or manufacturer specific requirements.
Applications engineers are responsible for product sizing and specifications during customer engagements. They perform product demonstrations and manage trials, often requiring frequent travel to customer sites. Because the BLS maps these professionals into a broader SOC, recruiters must differentiate candidates based on technical aptitude and specific industry experience. The reported wages provide a baseline for competitive offers but do not capture the entirety of compensation packages in the current hiring climate.
Which pay questions should you settle before hiring?
The middle band width of $67,120 indicates a wide variance in base pay between the 25th and 75th percentiles. This reflects the diverse technical responsibilities inherent in the broad engineering SOC rather than a standard wage for a single role type.
How should hiring managers interpret the middle band width for this engineering role?
The middle band width of $67,120 indicates a wide variance in base pay between the 25th and 75th percentiles. This reflects the diverse technical responsibilities inherent in the broad engineering SOC rather than a standard wage for a single role type.
Does the BLS data include the variable bonuses common in applications engineering?
No, the reported wage figures exclude bonuses, commissions, and other non-salary pay components. They represent base salary only and should be adjusted to account for total compensation when building an offer.
Why is the location quotient for Washington-Arlington-Alexandria so much higher than Los Angeles?
The location quotient of 2.97 in Washington versus 1.21 in Los Angeles signifies a higher concentration of engineers within that workforce relative to the national average. It is a measure of industry density, not local salary levels or total applicant availability.
Related recruiting or pay page · Related wage comparison 1 · Data methodology · Related wage comparison 3 · Related wage comparison 4