Salary guide, May 2025
Field Service 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 Industrial Machinery Mechanics in the United States was $64,520 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $55,010 and $78,780.
Also searched as: Service Engineer, Senior Field Service Technician. These titles share this page because BLS reports them under one occupation.
Broader occupation · SOC 49-9041 Industrial Machinery Mechanics
BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title.
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $46,120 | $55,010 | $64,520 | $78,780 | $95,170 |
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $22.17 | $26.45 | $31.02 | $37.88 | $45.76 |
BLS estimated 439,640 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 49-9041 Industrial Machinery Mechanics, 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 | $61,620 | $48,790 to $76,430 | 3,760 | 0.47 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $60,970 | $47,500 to $74,810 | 2,770 | 0.68 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $60,150 | $47,380 to $74,160 | 2,440 | 0.61 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $62,080 | $50,830 to $75,220 | 1,360 | 0.65 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $75,260 | $59,970 to $92,480 | 10,780 | 0.4 |
| Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $75,260 | $59,970 to $92,480 | 10,780 | 0.4 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $63,380 | $51,240 to $78,220 | 12,730 | 1.11 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $75,800 | $61,930 to $91,000 | 8,710 | 0.68 |
Rank every metro for Field Service 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.
- Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing$94,200
- Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing$94,200
- Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing$83,790
- Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills$83,320
- Motor Vehicle Manufacturing$81,810
- Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing$79,970
- Paper Manufacturing$77,960
- Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only)$77,440
- Beverage Manufacturing$76,760
- Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing$76,710
- Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing$76,220
- Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing$76,070
- Chemical Manufacturing$75,680
- Tobacco Manufacturing$73,170
- Transportation Equipment Manufacturing$72,430
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 | 232,500 | $57,860 | $65,710 | $78,710 |
| 311000 | Food Manufacturing | 39,200 | $56,930 | $63,890 | $75,950 |
| 336000 | Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 26,190 | $60,410 | $72,430 | $83,790 |
| 333000 | Machinery Manufacturing | 24,740 | $57,200 | $64,050 | $77,600 |
| 325000 | Chemical Manufacturing | 21,410 | $61,460 | $75,680 | $88,480 |
| 3330A1 | Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) | 18,570 | $56,810 | $63,970 | $77,740 |
| 332000 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 18,330 | $50,280 | $61,610 | $72,970 |
| 326000 | Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing | 17,940 | $57,260 | $63,970 | $76,140 |
| 331000 | Primary Metal Manufacturing | 17,240 | $60,080 | $69,550 | $76,260 |
| 326100 | Plastics Product Manufacturing | 14,570 | $56,490 | $63,420 | $75,250 |
| 322000 | Paper Manufacturing | 13,230 | $64,890 | $77,960 | $87,680 |
| 336300 | Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing | 13,210 | $55,880 | $64,220 | $77,720 |
| 3250A1 | Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) | 12,050 | $62,300 | $77,440 | $93,420 |
| 311600 | Animal Slaughtering and Processing | 9,790 | $49,060 | $59,600 | $66,460 |
| 334000 | Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing | 9,560 | $55,380 | $66,350 | $83,030 |
| 331100 | Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing | 7,550 | $60,080 | $67,610 | $72,080 |
| 327000 | Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 7,420 | $58,750 | $66,620 | $77,520 |
| 327000 | Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 7,420 | $58,750 | $66,620 | $77,520 |
| 311400 | Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing | 7,290 | $58,550 | $63,310 | $74,840 |
| 3320A2 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) | 7,120 | $51,890 | $63,320 | $75,190 |
| 3320A1 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) | 6,780 | $49,270 | $59,880 | $69,510 |
| 312000 | Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing | 6,740 | $61,890 | $76,070 | $81,450 |
| 322200 | Converted Paper Product Manufacturing | 6,700 | $61,230 | $70,680 | $78,980 |
| 322100 | Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills | 6,530 | $77,230 | $83,320 | $93,390 |
| 334400 | Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing | 6,300 | $59,160 | $71,210 | $88,990 |
| 312100 | Beverage Manufacturing | 6,150 | $62,340 | $76,760 | $81,760 |
| 335000 | Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing | 6,040 | $56,540 | $62,020 | $77,080 |
| 321000 | Wood Product Manufacturing | 6,010 | $50,260 | $60,800 | $71,870 |
| 311900 | Other Food Manufacturing | 5,950 | $59,910 | $68,160 | $79,460 |
| 325400 | Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing | 5,740 | $61,050 | $76,220 | $83,190 |
| 336400 | Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | 5,460 | $73,000 | $83,790 | $104,110 |
| 311500 | Dairy Product Manufacturing | 4,960 | $60,920 | $69,030 | $77,060 |
| 311800 | Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing | 4,830 | $60,370 | $66,890 | $76,110 |
| 336100 | Motor Vehicle Manufacturing | 4,620 | $72,200 | $81,810 | $91,790 |
| 324000 | Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | 4,560 | $74,990 | $94,200 | $112,320 |
| 324100 | Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | 4,560 | $74,990 | $94,200 | $112,320 |
| 313000 | Textile Mills | 3,900 | $45,760 | $51,560 | $60,630 |
| 339000 | Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 3,640 | $53,700 | $63,480 | $76,460 |
| 3250A2 | Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only) | 3,620 | $59,200 | $65,160 | $78,260 |
| 326200 | Rubber Product Manufacturing | 3,380 | $59,920 | $68,830 | $79,900 |
| 331500 | Foundries | 3,170 | $55,420 | $63,770 | $74,600 |
| 332700 | Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 3,010 | $51,310 | $61,310 | $71,620 |
| 333600 | Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing | 2,760 | $57,650 | $63,430 | $76,280 |
| 334500 | Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing | 2,560 | $46,750 | $62,860 | $78,930 |
| 331300 | Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing | 2,440 | $62,560 | $76,710 | $83,030 |
| 313200 | Fabric Mills | 2,380 | $47,460 | $53,570 | $62,250 |
| 335900 | Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing | 2,370 | $60,840 | $71,530 | $77,810 |
| 332710 | Machine Shops | 2,330 | $50,580 | $60,500 | $71,530 |
| 321100 | Sawmills and Wood Preservation | 2,320 | $48,100 | $59,260 | $70,220 |
| 333500 | Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing | 2,260 | $55,320 | $64,480 | $78,170 |
| 339100 | Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing | 2,260 | $56,430 | $64,220 | $77,960 |
| 331400 | Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing | 2,190 | $62,350 | $71,880 | $79,870 |
| 311200 | Grain and Oilseed Milling | 2,180 | $63,440 | $72,420 | $77,580 |
| 337000 | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing | 2,080 | $50,740 | $59,070 | $65,740 |
| 321900 | Other Wood Product Manufacturing | 2,040 | $49,730 | $58,750 | $65,080 |
| 311300 | Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing | 2,010 | $59,950 | $70,530 | $79,000 |
| 331200 | Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel | 1,890 | $57,530 | $68,350 | $78,540 |
| 335200 | Household Appliance Manufacturing | 1,890 | $54,980 | $59,430 | $68,200 |
| 323000 | Printing and Related Support Activities | 1,750 | $52,000 | $61,880 | $73,130 |
| 323100 | Printing and Related Support Activities | 1,750 | $52,000 | $61,880 | $73,130 |
| 3370A1 | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only) | 1,720 | $50,740 | $58,220 | $64,810 |
| 321200 | Veneer, Plywood, and Engineered Wood Product Manufacturing | 1,640 | $57,950 | $65,520 | $77,080 |
| 314000 | Textile Product Mills | 1,630 | $47,390 | $57,610 | $62,400 |
| 311100 | Animal Food Manufacturing | 1,590 | $51,740 | $60,370 | $72,090 |
| 335300 | Electrical Equipment Manufacturing | 1,460 | $49,990 | $61,020 | $74,440 |
| 332800 | Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities | 1,420 | $50,170 | $62,660 | $70,390 |
| 336600 | Ship and Boat Building | 1,380 | $55,490 | $64,620 | $70,480 |
| 339900 | Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 1,380 | $50,750 | $62,360 | $73,110 |
| 314100 | Textile Furnishings Mills | 1,290 | $48,460 | $58,080 | $62,400 |
| 313100 | Fiber, Yarn, and Thread Mills | 1,220 | $42,630 | $48,360 | $56,050 |
| 333300 | Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing | 1,140 | $53,380 | $65,670 | $81,250 |
| 336200 | Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing | 870 | $51,610 | $62,250 | $69,350 |
| 332720 | Turned Product and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 690 | $58,790 | $62,870 | $71,950 |
| 315000 | Apparel Manufacturing | 660 | $39,700 | $42,550 | $51,790 |
| 311700 | Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging | 610 | $44,890 | $54,640 | $64,800 |
| 312200 | Tobacco Manufacturing | 590 | $58,520 | $73,170 | $78,470 |
| 334100 | Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing | 520 | $66,070 | $79,970 | $85,690 |
| 315100 | Apparel Knitting Mills | 390 | $37,460 | $40,600 | $44,610 |
| 336900 | Other Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 360 | $57,480 | $65,320 | $73,600 |
| 337900 | Other Furniture Related Product Manufacturing | 350 | $51,160 | $60,130 | $70,340 |
| 314900 | Other Textile Product Mills | 340 | $40,560 | $50,440 | $61,470 |
| 335100 | Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing | 320 | $57,790 | $63,720 | $73,850 |
| 313300 | Textile and Fabric Finishing and Fabric Coating Mills | 300 | $48,300 | $58,760 | $67,920 |
| 336500 | Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing | 290 | $44,910 | $47,520 | $59,040 |
| 316000 | Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing | 210 | $41,050 | $57,390 | $61,830 |
| 315200 | Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing | 200 | $42,380 | $45,880 | $62,340 |
| 316200 | Footwear Manufacturing | 180 | $45,070 | $58,680 | $65,210 |
| 334200 | Communications Equipment Manufacturing | 100 | $46,720 | $47,430 | $69,280 |
| 315900 | Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing | 80 | $43,470 | $56,950 | $58,830 |
| 334600 | Manufacturing and Reproducing Magnetic and Optical Media | 50 | $54,060 | $59,570 | $61,250 |
What should you know about manufacturing pay mix?
For Field Service 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 | $52,710 | $63,760 | $78,070 |
| May 2025 | $55,010 | $64,520 | $78,780 |
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.
What should you know about supervisory and worker occupations?
BLS publishes these as separate occupations. Pay for one is not a pay step for the other.
- Supervisor occupation: Maintenance Manager pay (SOC 49-1011)
Recruiter's read. Qualitative, not BLS data.
What should you know about pLC and controls depth?
Service often means connecting a laptop to a controller they did not write. We confirm which platforms they have worked on, how they handle backup and version control before changing anything, how they read a safety circuit, and whether they have edited code live or only watched someone else do it.
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 Field Service Engineer?
The median annual wage for Industrial Machinery Mechanics in the United States was $64,520 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $55,010 and $78,780. 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 $46,120. 90% earned less than $95,170.
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 Field Service 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 439,640 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
What should you know about related?
VP of Sales (Industrial) pay Regional Sales Manager / Technical Sales Manager pay Sales Engineer pay Applications Engineer pay Service / Aftermarket Manager pay Field Service Engineer pay ranked across all metros Open jobs Field Service Engineer recruiting Check an offer for this role
What does this data mean for your opening?
Manufacturing Headhunters examines the field service engineering profile, which BLS classifies under the Industrial Machinery Mechanics category. This broader mapping means the data aggregates various mechanical maintenance roles, making specific skill premiums difficult to isolate. The national median salary for this group is $64,520 as of May 2025, showing a medianChange of $760 from the prior year.
The middleBandWidth of $23,770 signifies a relatively tight cluster of compensation for the middle 50 percent of the population.
National sector medians show variance by industry. Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing lists a median of $94,200. Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing reports $83,790. These industry-specific benchmarks reside above the national occupational median, suggesting that complex machinery or safety-critical sectors may pay a premium for specialized mechanical expertise. BLS reporting excludes components like field-service per diems, overtime hours, and travel incentives which are standard in the industry.
Regional data shows Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands with a median of $63,180 and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington with $63,380. Houston exhibits a high location quotient of 1.97, reflecting substantial mechanical workforce concentration. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington records a lower location quotient of 1.11. These metros provide the highest published employment figures for the occupation but do not dictate the specific wages for field service roles which often include substantial field-based pay adjustments not captured in these data points.
Field service engineering requires significant travel to support customer startups and commissioning. Success in this function depends on troubleshooting proficiency with PLCs, hydraulics, and electrical systems. Because the SOC code represents broad industrial maintenance work, hiring managers must look beyond the median salary when designing compensation for specialized automation or field troubleshooting roles. The provided figures serve as a baseline for base wages only.
Which pay questions should you settle before hiring?
Why is there such a large gap between the national occupational median and the petroleum industry median?
The petroleum industry reported a median of $94,200, significantly higher than the general industrial machinery mechanic median of $64,520. This reflects the high specialized skill requirements for maintaining heavy process equipment in the energy sector.
Do these field service engineering wages account for the heavy travel requirements typical of the job?
The BLS figures are limited to base annual wages and exclude the per diems, overtime, and travel premiums that typically supplement field service pay. Managers should treat these figures as base-level benchmarks for total compensation modeling.
What does the location quotient of 1.97 in Houston suggest for a recruiter?
A location quotient of 1.97 indicates that the Houston area has nearly twice the concentration of mechanical maintenance workers compared to the national average. It indicates a high density of the workforce, not necessarily the presence of more candidates or higher local pay.
Related recruiting or pay page · Related wage comparison 1 · Data methodology · Related wage comparison 3 · Related wage comparison 4