Salary guide, May 2025
MES 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 Software Developers in the United States was $135,980 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $105,210 and $171,980.
Also searched as: Manufacturing Systems Engineer, OT Engineer, MES Analyst. These titles share this page because BLS reports them under one occupation.
Broader occupation · SOC 15-1252 Software Developers
BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title.
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $82,460 | $105,210 | $135,980 | $171,980 | $214,670 |
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $39.64 | $50.58 | $65.38 | $82.68 | $103.21 |
BLS estimated 1,687,890 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 15-1252 Software Developers, 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 | $132,650 | $102,710 to $165,710 | 18,900 | 0.62 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $130,450 | $100,450 to $165,430 | 14,230 | 0.91 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $129,620 | $103,360 to $162,860 | 13,440 | 0.88 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $132,770 | $103,480 to $166,650 | 12,580 | 1.56 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $166,830 | $130,650 to $205,970 | 121,000 | 1.17 |
| Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $166,830 | $130,650 to $205,970 | 121,000 | 1.17 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $133,290 | $105,660 to $164,100 | 67,030 | 1.52 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $134,380 | $104,530 to $167,650 | 40,370 | 0.82 |
Rank every metro for MES 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.
- Motor Vehicle Manufacturing$172,360
- Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing$169,030
- Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing$168,400
- Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing$161,360
- Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing$154,470
- Other Food Manufacturing$151,710
- Manufacturing and Reproducing Magnetic and Optical Media$140,930
- Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing$136,490
- Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing$136,490
- Communications Equipment Manufacturing$136,430
- Manufacturing$136,330
- Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing$135,490
- Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing$135,210
- Household Appliance Manufacturing$134,980
- Transportation Equipment Manufacturing$134,930
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 | 136,390 | $106,150 | $136,330 | $174,210 |
| 334000 | Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing | 77,040 | $124,500 | $161,360 | $194,290 |
| 334500 | Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing | 33,020 | $108,830 | $154,470 | $175,230 |
| 336000 | Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 28,070 | $108,700 | $134,930 | $175,140 |
| 336400 | Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | 22,750 | $109,200 | $135,490 | $176,050 |
| 334400 | Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing | 19,770 | $131,590 | $169,030 | $215,580 |
| 334100 | Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing | 13,430 | $132,260 | $168,400 | $209,010 |
| 333000 | Machinery Manufacturing | 12,340 | $94,700 | $107,450 | $134,960 |
| 334200 | Communications Equipment Manufacturing | 8,870 | $106,370 | $136,430 | $169,440 |
| 3330A1 | Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) | 6,950 | $92,490 | $105,960 | $135,150 |
| 339000 | Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 4,570 | $101,620 | $130,840 | $163,350 |
| 333300 | Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing | 3,650 | $96,360 | $106,690 | $134,530 |
| 335000 | Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing | 3,610 | $92,420 | $115,570 | $145,330 |
| 339100 | Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing | 3,100 | $104,000 | $134,540 | $165,510 |
| 332000 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 2,700 | $83,040 | $106,540 | $133,170 |
| 325000 | Chemical Manufacturing | 2,450 | $101,350 | $128,670 | $157,940 |
| 336300 | Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing | 2,400 | $94,810 | $127,030 | $143,760 |
| 3320A1 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) | 1,710 | $86,200 | $110,850 | $135,650 |
| 335900 | Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing | 1,680 | $91,250 | $115,570 | $139,420 |
| 325400 | Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing | 1,630 | $103,750 | $132,750 | $160,750 |
| 323000 | Printing and Related Support Activities | 1,620 | $80,080 | $98,660 | $124,130 |
| 323100 | Printing and Related Support Activities | 1,620 | $80,080 | $98,660 | $124,130 |
| 336100 | Motor Vehicle Manufacturing | 1,600 | $142,180 | $172,360 | $196,560 |
| 335300 | Electrical Equipment Manufacturing | 1,480 | $92,740 | $112,820 | $143,130 |
| 339900 | Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 1,470 | $86,410 | $110,290 | $135,010 |
| 333600 | Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing | 1,140 | $106,250 | $128,440 | $139,430 |
| 326000 | Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing | 1,040 | $90,000 | $106,010 | $128,580 |
| 334300 | Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing | 1,010 | $105,010 | $135,210 | $171,010 |
| 334600 | Manufacturing and Reproducing Magnetic and Optical Media | 940 | $108,820 | $140,930 | $171,150 |
| 311000 | Food Manufacturing | 780 | $92,410 | $117,350 | $144,920 |
| 326100 | Plastics Product Manufacturing | 760 | $92,060 | $108,660 | $132,780 |
| 3320A2 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) | 650 | $80,660 | $103,500 | $131,090 |
| 333500 | Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing | 610 | $84,440 | $104,630 | $130,080 |
| 3250A1 | Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) | 590 | $99,780 | $118,910 | $139,740 |
| 331000 | Primary Metal Manufacturing | 480 | $84,760 | $104,730 | $132,340 |
| 337000 | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing | 420 | $80,630 | $97,640 | $120,270 |
| 3370A1 | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only) | 360 | $79,870 | $96,830 | $117,970 |
| 322000 | Paper Manufacturing | 320 | $99,500 | $124,550 | $158,940 |
| 332700 | Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 300 | $75,690 | $84,320 | $111,870 |
| 326200 | Rubber Product Manufacturing | 270 | $85,390 | $104,110 | $123,510 |
| 311900 | Other Food Manufacturing | 260 | $117,000 | $151,710 | $175,340 |
| 322200 | Converted Paper Product Manufacturing | 260 | $97,360 | $122,800 | $151,930 |
| 312000 | Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing | 230 | $86,540 | $120,230 | $133,700 |
| 3250A2 | Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only) | 230 | $89,020 | $108,070 | $139,970 |
| 332710 | Machine Shops | 230 | $75,660 | $82,750 | $105,480 |
| 335100 | Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing | 230 | $95,510 | $127,100 | $144,350 |
| 335200 | Household Appliance Manufacturing | 220 | $96,040 | $134,980 | $167,030 |
| 312100 | Beverage Manufacturing | 210 | $86,540 | $112,670 | $133,070 |
| 327000 | Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 200 | $84,710 | $106,520 | $127,260 |
| 327000 | Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 200 | $84,710 | $106,520 | $127,260 |
| 331300 | Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing | 160 | $89,800 | $118,960 | $154,330 |
| 321000 | Wood Product Manufacturing | 150 | $72,850 | $96,990 | $133,400 |
| 336900 | Other Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 140 | $86,980 | $114,170 | $134,920 |
| 311500 | Dairy Product Manufacturing | 130 | $82,830 | $105,000 | $117,580 |
| 315000 | Apparel Manufacturing | 130 | $116,840 | $132,380 | $158,820 |
| 336500 | Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing | 130 | $98,000 | $110,550 | $136,080 |
| 315200 | Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing | 120 | $118,160 | $131,360 | $167,460 |
| 311400 | Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing | 110 | $80,740 | $97,950 | $130,710 |
| 321900 | Other Wood Product Manufacturing | 110 | $69,510 | $86,640 | $110,780 |
| 324000 | Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | 110 | $101,640 | $136,490 | $173,150 |
| 324100 | Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | 110 | $101,640 | $136,490 | $173,150 |
| 331100 | Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing | 100 | $84,760 | $102,210 | $120,260 |
| 331500 | Foundries | 100 | $93,870 | $114,310 | $132,090 |
| 331200 | Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel | 70 | $84,550 | $92,550 | $105,470 |
| 332720 | Turned Product and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 70 | $80,230 | $93,990 | $115,680 |
| 311100 | Animal Food Manufacturing | 60 | $92,330 | $121,930 | $137,770 |
| 311800 | Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing | 60 | $99,830 | $101,490 | $135,690 |
| 314000 | Textile Product Mills | 60 | $95,370 | $107,390 | $127,310 |
| 322100 | Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills | 60 | $109,500 | $134,500 | $174,040 |
| 337900 | Other Furniture Related Product Manufacturing | 60 | $84,730 | $101,440 | $135,900 |
| 311200 | Grain and Oilseed Milling | 50 | $60,140 | $116,710 | $124,790 |
| 311300 | Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing | 50 | $76,970 | $84,580 | $110,810 |
| 311600 | Animal Slaughtering and Processing | 50 | $95,040 | $110,810 | $130,320 |
| 331400 | Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing | 50 | $82,470 | $98,360 | $127,800 |
| 339910 | Jewelry and Silverware Manufacturing | 50 | $86,090 | $94,440 | $108,090 |
| 313000 | Textile Mills | 40 | $74,890 | $88,780 | $103,820 |
| 314100 | Textile Furnishings Mills | 40 | $96,240 | $124,810 | $130,290 |
| 332800 | Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities | 40 | $86,310 | $114,450 | $136,220 |
| 321200 | Veneer, Plywood, and Engineered Wood Product Manufacturing | 30 | $98,860 | $119,300 | $133,400 |
| 336200 | Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing | Not published by BLS | $77,860 | $95,140 | $101,640 |
What should you know about manufacturing pay mix?
For MES Engineer, 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 | $103,050 | $133,080 | $169,000 |
| May 2025 | $105,210 | $135,980 | $171,980 |
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 floor adoption?
MES projects succeed or fail at the operator terminal. We ask how the candidate designed screens for gloved hands and short cycle times, trained shifts, and handled the early period when operators worked around the system. Red flags are rollouts described entirely in terms of go live dates, with nothing about whether the floor kept using 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 MES Engineer?
The median annual wage for Software Developers in the United States was $135,980 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $105,210 and $171,980. 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 $82,460. 90% earned less than $214,670.
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 MES 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 1,687,890 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
What should you know about related?
What does this data mean for your opening?
The middle-band width for this role is $66,770, calculated from the P75 value of $171,980 and the P25 value of $105,210. This substantial range indicates that compensation is highly variable based on experience with specific software stacks and ISA-95 standards.
The MES Engineer role is mapped to the broader BLS classification for Software Developers, SOC 15-1252. As the BLS lacks a specific code for manufacturing execution systems, this data captures aggregate software professional wages. Manufacturing Headhunters emphasizes that critical shop-floor tasks, such as managing modular PLC or manufacturing execution software platforms and historizing data via PI, are embedded within this broader statistical set. The national median for this occupation is $135,980, which is an increase of $2,900 from the May 2024 median of $133,080. It is essential to note that these figures represent base salary and omit non-cash bonuses and profit-sharing models.
The middle-band width for this role is $66,770, calculated from the P75 value of $171,980 and the P25 value of $105,210. This substantial range indicates that compensation is highly variable based on experience with specific software stacks and ISA-95 standards. While the P10 is $82,460, the P90 is $214,670, highlighting the scarcity and high value of elite-level MES architecture expertise. Manufacturers should use this width to determine where a candidate sits along the technical hierarchy. Compensation offers should reflect the depth of project experience rather than just years of service.
High-density hubs provide a perspective on market variance compared to the national baseline. The New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro reports a median of $166,830, a $4,860 change from the previous period. The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area reports a median of $167,280, a change of -$2,060. The location quotient for Seattle is 4.1, reflecting a high concentration of these roles. This metric, however, describes local employment density rather than candidate availability or pay levels. These metros operate with different wage pressures, which is reflected in their variance from the national median of $135,980.
Sectoral wages provide additional context for demand, though they are national averages rather than occupation-specific rates. Motor Vehicle Manufacturing leads with a median of $172,360, followed by Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing at $169,030 and Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing at $168,400. These figures demonstrate that highly complex manufacturing sectors prioritize MES engineering and provide competitive pay accordingly. Since these are topcoded at the industry level, they serve as benchmarks to orient compensation packages. Organizations should keep these figures as guideposts while maintaining internal pay consistency across their technical teams.
Which pay questions should you settle before hiring?
What is the P25 to P75 salary range for an MES Engineer?
The range spans $105,210 at the P25 to $171,980 at the P75. This $66,770 band width captures the typical market spread for mid-level professionals.
How does the Seattle median compare to the national average?
The Seattle median is $167,280, while the national median is $135,980. This highlights a significant pay variance for this software-focused role when located in a major tech and manufacturing center.
Why does the BLS not provide a distinct wage for MES Engineers?
The BLS tracks by SOC codes to cover broad professional occupations across the entire US economy. MES engineering is an application-specific manufacturing role that is aggregated under broader software development categories.
Related recruiting or pay page · Related wage comparison 1 · Data methodology · Related wage comparison 3 · Related wage comparison 4