Salary guide, May 2025
Packaging Engineer pay in Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
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 Mechanical Engineers in Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ was $109,990 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $92,180 and $137,060.
The Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median is $5,880 above the national median of $104,110, both from BLS May 2025.
BLS publishes the wider New York-Newark-Jersey City metro, not Northern New Jersey separately.
Broader occupation · SOC 17-2141 Mechanical Engineers
BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title.
What should you know about northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $79,520 | $92,180 | $109,990 | $137,060 | $165,010 |
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $38.23 | $44.32 | $52.88 | $65.89 | $79.33 |
BLS estimated 6,960 workers employed in this occupation in Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ. Location quotient: 0.38.
What should you know about united States?
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $73,990 | $84,130 | $104,110 | $132,590 | $164,340 |
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $35.57 | $40.45 | $50.05 | $63.75 | $79.01 |
What should you know about role pay against all occupations here?
The published Packaging Engineer median is $109,990. The all-occupations median in Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ is $61,430. Ratio: 1.79 (role median divided by all-occupations median, same units, BLS May 2025). Location quotient 0.38 measures how concentrated this occupation's employment is here against the nation. It is not a wage index.
What should you know about two BLS releases?
| Release period | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | $90,990 | $111,270 | $140,340 |
| May 2025 | $92,180 | $109,990 | $137,060 |
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.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 17-2141 Mechanical Engineers, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ. Official occupation data · Official area tables. Released 2026-05-15.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 17-2141 Mechanical Engineers, U.S.. Official occupation data · Official area tables. Released 2026-05-15.
What should you know about nearby areas?
| Area | Median | 25th to 75th |
|---|---|---|
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $125,780 | $98,690 to $133,620 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $101,470 | $85,300 to $129,580 |
What does this data mean for your opening?
The Northern New Jersey section within the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro reports a median annual wage of $109,990 for Packaging Engineers, tracked as Mechanical Engineers. For Packaging Engineer in Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, releases are separate survey estimates. The May 2025 median is $109,990; the May 2024 median is $111,270. Their arithmetic difference is -$1,280.
They are not the same workers' raises and do not establish a pay trend or its cause. The middle-band width is 44,880. Manufacturing Headhunters emphasizes that these roles involve managing primary and secondary packaging specifications, line equipment such as case packers, and essential ISTA testing procedures for quality compliance.
Northern New Jersey sits higher than the national occupational median. National manufacturing industry data shows higher medians for sectors such as Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing at $140,600 and Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing at $125,380. These national figures act as independent sector-specific benchmarks rather than local geographical data.
Nearby comparison metros provide added context. The Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT area indicates a median of $125,780 with a middle-band width of 34,930. These figures illustrate the wage diversity across nearby economic zones. For Packaging Engineer in Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, OEWS measures straight-time gross wages, not pure base salary or total compensation. Commissions and production bonuses are included; overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits are excluded. Since the BLS source data is mapped to the broader Mechanical Engineer occupation, these figures reflect all mechanical engineering activities and are not specific to packaging engineers. Employers should treat these medians as a baseline for total compensation modeling, acknowledging that recruitment success often hinges on non-salary components not represented in these numbers.
Which pay questions should you settle before hiring?
The data is based on the broader Mechanical Engineer SOC code. For Packaging Engineer in Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, percentiles describe the wage distribution of the mapped occupation. The published middle interval is $92,180 to $137,060 annually.
What is the specific limitation of using this data for packaging engineering recruitment?
The data is based on the broader Mechanical Engineer SOC code. For Packaging Engineer in Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, percentiles describe the wage distribution of the mapped occupation. The published middle interval is $92,180 to $137,060 annually. They do not assign pay to plant size, seniority, credentials or job complexity. Assess duties and candidate requirements separately; these rows do not measure a premium for them.
How does the Northern New Jersey median compare to the national level?
The local median of $109,990 is higher than the national mechanical engineering median of $104,110. This aligns with typical regional market variances.
Are these local medians for New Jersey specific?
The figures are tied to the broader New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area as published by the BLS. Northern New Jersey does not have a separate, distinct BLS dataset for this occupation.
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