Salary guide, May 2025
Manufacturing Engineering Manager 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 Architectural and Engineering Managers in the United States was $171,270 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $139,360 and $212,500.
Also searched as: ME Manager, Engineering Manager. These titles share this page because BLS reports them under one occupation.
Broader occupation · SOC 11-9041 Architectural and Engineering Managers
BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title.
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $120,810 | $139,360 | $171,270 | $212,500 | $262,760 |
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $58.08 | $67.00 | $82.34 | $102.16 | $126.33 |
BLS estimated 220,260 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 11-9041 Architectural and Engineering Managers, 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 | $167,160 | $132,350 to $203,900 | 1,610 | 0.4 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $169,310 | $137,270 to $205,740 | 1,480 | 0.72 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $177,990 | $158,600 to $213,580 | 1,780 | 0.89 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $169,780 | $139,040 to $208,590 | 1,850 | 1.76 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $183,890 | $157,290 to $222,800 | 7,580 | 0.56 |
| Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $183,890 | $157,290 to $222,800 | 7,580 | 0.56 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $172,160 | $141,460 to $219,080 | 5,970 | 1.04 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $163,430 | $133,100 to $200,400 | 6,670 | 1.04 |
Rank every metro for Manufacturing Engineering Manager
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.
- Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing$192,800
- Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing$183,950
- Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing$179,720
- Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing$179,270
- Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing$179,100
- Animal Slaughtering and Processing$178,790
- Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing$178,170
- Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing$178,170
- Communications Equipment Manufacturing$178,010
- Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing$177,090
- Transportation Equipment Manufacturing$176,340
- Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing$172,680
- Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing$171,190
- Motor Vehicle Manufacturing$170,820
- Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills$169,750
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 | 77,280 | $137,220 | $169,690 | $210,340 |
| 334000 | Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing | 19,820 | $158,830 | $179,720 | $219,310 |
| 336000 | Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 18,950 | $149,140 | $176,340 | $215,580 |
| 333000 | Machinery Manufacturing | 11,930 | $130,970 | $162,200 | $196,430 |
| 336400 | Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | 11,760 | $169,310 | $192,800 | $220,610 |
| 334500 | Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing | 9,080 | $158,840 | $177,090 | $216,340 |
| 3330A1 | Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) | 8,580 | $130,920 | $160,430 | $192,970 |
| 334400 | Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing | 7,670 | $161,720 | $183,950 | $225,030 |
| 325000 | Chemical Manufacturing | 5,310 | $137,290 | $168,900 | $199,930 |
| 332000 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 5,270 | $122,050 | $140,510 | $169,040 |
| 339000 | Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 4,190 | $137,590 | $169,200 | $206,810 |
| 335000 | Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing | 4,150 | $132,920 | $160,140 | $192,140 |
| 336300 | Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing | 4,120 | $129,410 | $157,330 | $174,550 |
| 339100 | Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing | 3,240 | $144,010 | $171,190 | $210,000 |
| 3320A1 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) | 2,810 | $124,820 | $147,400 | $169,630 |
| 325400 | Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing | 2,670 | $137,780 | $169,340 | $202,830 |
| 326000 | Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing | 2,350 | $127,350 | $145,770 | $171,520 |
| 3250A1 | Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) | 2,180 | $138,760 | $166,850 | $196,740 |
| 326100 | Plastics Product Manufacturing | 1,870 | $127,920 | $147,700 | $173,290 |
| 335900 | Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing | 1,790 | $137,730 | $165,520 | $210,850 |
| 335300 | Electrical Equipment Manufacturing | 1,760 | $130,100 | $157,280 | $180,560 |
| 334200 | Communications Equipment Manufacturing | 1,690 | $159,680 | $178,010 | $219,080 |
| 336100 | Motor Vehicle Manufacturing | 1,470 | $142,060 | $170,820 | $209,450 |
| 3320A2 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) | 1,430 | $117,930 | $136,900 | $167,490 |
| 331000 | Primary Metal Manufacturing | 1,290 | $128,190 | $145,920 | $177,000 |
| 333600 | Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing | 1,200 | $164,040 | $179,100 | $215,860 |
| 333300 | Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing | 1,190 | $131,880 | $168,240 | $203,010 |
| 334100 | Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing | 1,140 | $137,090 | $179,270 | $224,400 |
| 333500 | Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing | 970 | $124,270 | $134,350 | $165,050 |
| 339900 | Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 940 | $126,670 | $153,170 | $186,260 |
| 332700 | Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 910 | $116,610 | $137,490 | $165,720 |
| 311000 | Food Manufacturing | 900 | $140,840 | $162,240 | $195,440 |
| 324000 | Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | 750 | $161,880 | $178,170 | $222,270 |
| 324100 | Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | 750 | $161,880 | $178,170 | $222,270 |
| 322000 | Paper Manufacturing | 660 | $137,450 | $167,160 | $188,490 |
| 336600 | Ship and Boat Building | 610 | $133,420 | $168,410 | $208,000 |
| 332710 | Machine Shops | 570 | $112,120 | $135,840 | $165,410 |
| 337000 | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing | 550 | $107,720 | $133,440 | $160,790 |
| 327000 | Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 540 | $129,060 | $154,710 | $184,360 |
| 327000 | Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 540 | $129,060 | $154,710 | $184,360 |
| 3370A1 | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only) | 510 | $106,410 | $131,150 | $158,650 |
| 326200 | Rubber Product Manufacturing | 480 | $126,070 | $141,240 | $168,240 |
| 3250A2 | Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only) | 460 | $133,900 | $155,390 | $176,300 |
| 336200 | Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing | 460 | $118,280 | $137,580 | $166,450 |
| 322200 | Converted Paper Product Manufacturing | 360 | $135,630 | $163,540 | $186,960 |
| 331500 | Foundries | 360 | $125,410 | $134,640 | $161,410 |
| 332720 | Turned Product and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 340 | $123,470 | $139,830 | $166,660 |
| 331100 | Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing | 310 | $129,920 | $155,070 | $197,180 |
| 335100 | Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing | 310 | $128,100 | $151,980 | $184,410 |
| 322100 | Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills | 300 | $141,720 | $169,750 | $193,370 |
| 335200 | Household Appliance Manufacturing | 290 | $130,900 | $160,810 | $167,440 |
| 331400 | Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing | 270 | $139,150 | $162,560 | $183,950 |
| 336500 | Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing | 260 | $154,180 | $167,850 | $199,610 |
| 336900 | Other Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 260 | $124,460 | $143,830 | $170,290 |
| 311900 | Other Food Manufacturing | 200 | $147,420 | $166,120 | $193,680 |
| 331300 | Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing | 190 | $120,290 | $140,260 | $168,600 |
| 334300 | Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing | 180 | $152,310 | $172,680 | $210,320 |
| 311500 | Dairy Product Manufacturing | 170 | $139,100 | $156,650 | $187,200 |
| 321000 | Wood Product Manufacturing | 170 | $108,760 | $135,450 | $160,810 |
| 312000 | Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing | 160 | $147,830 | $163,680 | $179,880 |
| 331200 | Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel | 150 | $128,080 | $144,020 | $195,010 |
| 312100 | Beverage Manufacturing | 140 | $145,610 | $163,250 | $176,890 |
| 311400 | Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing | 130 | $139,700 | $165,720 | $177,000 |
| 321900 | Other Wood Product Manufacturing | 130 | $111,790 | $137,330 | $160,440 |
| 332800 | Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities | 130 | $123,280 | $133,960 | $169,990 |
| 311800 | Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing | 110 | $132,620 | $156,340 | $202,510 |
| 313000 | Textile Mills | 100 | $121,700 | $140,590 | $165,250 |
| 311300 | Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing | 90 | $149,330 | $167,020 | $208,470 |
| 311600 | Animal Slaughtering and Processing | 90 | $155,460 | $178,790 | $211,910 |
| 323000 | Printing and Related Support Activities | 90 | $131,110 | $143,560 | $165,320 |
| 323100 | Printing and Related Support Activities | 90 | $131,110 | $143,560 | $165,320 |
| 311200 | Grain and Oilseed Milling | 80 | $132,120 | $160,800 | $209,530 |
| 314000 | Textile Product Mills | 80 | $108,130 | $125,000 | $161,220 |
| 313200 | Fabric Mills | 60 | $124,350 | $142,990 | $168,260 |
| 314900 | Other Textile Product Mills | 60 | $104,010 | $119,660 | $162,260 |
| 339910 | Jewelry and Silverware Manufacturing | 50 | $143,870 | $167,760 | $192,510 |
| 311100 | Animal Food Manufacturing | 40 | $122,640 | $149,750 | $169,220 |
| 337900 | Other Furniture Related Product Manufacturing | 40 | $137,270 | $165,820 | $178,300 |
What should you know about manufacturing pay mix?
For Manufacturing Engineering Manager, clarify the base pay before discussing call-outs, travel or extra shifts. 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 | $134,930 | $167,740 | $207,210 |
| May 2025 | $139,360 | $171,270 | $212,500 |
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 hiring mistakes?
Promoting the best engineer is the classic failure. The second is hiring an outside manager who has never worked for a plant, and who then treats operations requests as interruptions. Ask candidates how they split their week between the floor and the desk.
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 Manufacturing Engineering Manager?
The median annual wage for Architectural and Engineering Managers in the United States was $171,270 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $139,360 and $212,500. 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 $120,810. 90% earned less than $262,760.
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 Manufacturing Engineering Manager 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 220,260 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
What should you know about related?
What does this data mean for your opening?
Manufacturing Engineering Managers are classified under Architectural and Engineering Managers (SOC 11-9041). The May 2025 national median is $171,270, showing a medianChange of 3,530 over the May 2024 value of $167,740. The middleBandWidth is 73,140, spanning from $139,360 at the P25 to $212,500 at the P75.
Manufacturing Headhunters reviews these numbers to determine the competitive range for managers overseeing capex, launch ownership, and process discipline.
National rows provide industry context: Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing at $192,800, Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing at $183,950, and Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing at $179,720. These figures exclude benefits such as stock options, signing bonuses, and other common engineering leadership incentives. The data reflects a broader occupational mapping and should not be used as an estimate for any individual employer's current offer.
Comparing national data with major industrial hubs, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area shows a median of $190,900 with a middleBandWidth of 65,730. The Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI area reports a median of $168,550 with a middleBandWidth of 65,280. Differences in median wages across these regions are influenced by industry concentration, though the BLS occupational mapping remains broad. Location quotient data indicates the intensity of engineering roles in those areas, though it is not a direct measure of local hiring demand or wage pressure for managers.
Which pay questions should you settle before hiring?
Are bonuses or stock options included in these manager salaries?
No, the OEWS data specifically excludes equity, signing bonuses, and other forms of non-salary compensation. These figures represent base annual wage trends as reported to the BLS.
How do industry-specific medians like Aerospace help?
Industry-specific medians illustrate how technical engineering leadership is valued across different manufacturing sectors. This context helps differentiate the baseline for various engineering management roles within the broader occupation.
Why is the Detroit area's location quotient significantly higher?
The high location quotient in Detroit reflects a large concentration of engineering employment relative to other areas. It demonstrates the prominence of the industry in that region, not the current scarcity or wage levels of management roles.
Related recruiting or pay page · Related wage comparison 1 · Data methodology · Related wage comparison 3 · Related wage comparison 4