Salary guide, May 2025
Tooling 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 Mechanical Engineers in the United States was $104,110 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $84,130 and $132,590.
Also searched as: Tool Design Engineer, Mold Engineer, Die Engineer, Tool & Die Manager. These titles share this page because BLS reports them under one occupation.
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.
| 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 |
BLS estimated 296,810 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 17-2141 Mechanical Engineers, 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 | $99,660 | $78,490 to $127,810 | 2,000 | 0.37 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $100,290 | $85,340 to $127,330 | 1,220 | 0.44 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $103,380 | $82,830 to $128,920 | 1,720 | 0.64 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $100,000 | $81,420 to $124,360 | 1,810 | 1.28 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $109,990 | $92,180 to $137,060 | 6,960 | 0.38 |
| Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $109,990 | $92,180 to $137,060 | 6,960 | 0.38 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $105,420 | $87,200 to $132,840 | 5,600 | 0.73 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $102,070 | $83,140 to $130,310 | 6,900 | 0.8 |
Rank every metro for Tooling 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$140,600
- Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing$140,600
- Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing$125,380
- Apparel Manufacturing$125,070
- Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing$124,400
- Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills$124,140
- Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only)$124,010
- Other Food Manufacturing$121,740
- Motor Vehicle Manufacturing$121,670
- Chemical Manufacturing$119,150
- Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing$117,350
- Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing$115,720
- Paper Manufacturing$114,990
- Animal Slaughtering and Processing$113,160
- Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing$112,900
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 | 130,930 | $82,490 | $101,570 | $127,800 |
| 333000 | Machinery Manufacturing | 41,730 | $79,580 | $98,620 | $123,220 |
| 336000 | Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 31,460 | $87,140 | $105,560 | $132,370 |
| 3330A1 | Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) | 29,420 | $79,340 | $97,620 | $120,800 |
| 334000 | Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing | 18,290 | $93,970 | $106,870 | $134,480 |
| 332000 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 14,590 | $77,410 | $94,320 | $110,060 |
| 336400 | Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | 12,060 | $99,760 | $112,900 | $149,430 |
| 334500 | Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing | 10,800 | $92,000 | $106,210 | $134,920 |
| 336300 | Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing | 8,750 | $83,290 | $102,410 | $126,410 |
| 335000 | Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing | 7,160 | $82,920 | $101,350 | $124,470 |
| 3320A1 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) | 6,820 | $78,910 | $97,340 | $116,340 |
| 333500 | Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing | 5,510 | $76,180 | $88,160 | $106,140 |
| 339000 | Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 5,080 | $83,680 | $102,200 | $126,730 |
| 334400 | Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing | 4,940 | $97,010 | $107,240 | $134,140 |
| 333600 | Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing | 4,420 | $99,020 | $124,400 | $135,750 |
| 336100 | Motor Vehicle Manufacturing | 4,330 | $98,690 | $121,670 | $140,660 |
| 3320A2 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) | 3,820 | $75,440 | $87,120 | $104,250 |
| 332700 | Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 3,690 | $75,800 | $92,110 | $110,700 |
| 335900 | Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing | 3,220 | $93,170 | $106,290 | $128,530 |
| 332710 | Machine Shops | 3,190 | $75,920 | $92,560 | $113,820 |
| 335300 | Electrical Equipment Manufacturing | 3,170 | $81,020 | $96,660 | $120,210 |
| 339100 | Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing | 3,080 | $85,900 | $104,950 | $130,830 |
| 326000 | Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing | 3,060 | $82,490 | $98,120 | $118,360 |
| 325000 | Chemical Manufacturing | 2,650 | $98,540 | $119,150 | $140,430 |
| 336600 | Ship and Boat Building | 2,470 | $82,030 | $100,280 | $127,540 |
| 326100 | Plastics Product Manufacturing | 2,400 | $81,470 | $98,170 | $120,660 |
| 333300 | Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing | 2,380 | $80,770 | $97,190 | $122,130 |
| 331000 | Primary Metal Manufacturing | 2,300 | $81,760 | $99,680 | $115,860 |
| 339900 | Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 2,000 | $79,470 | $96,910 | $119,520 |
| 336200 | Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing | 1,980 | $76,950 | $84,370 | $99,470 |
| 3250A1 | Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) | 1,890 | $101,380 | $124,010 | $144,670 |
| 334200 | Communications Equipment Manufacturing | 1,340 | $97,710 | $106,870 | $134,840 |
| 336500 | Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing | 1,180 | $99,420 | $115,720 | $130,670 |
| 334100 | Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing | 910 | $82,750 | $105,030 | $133,740 |
| 311000 | Food Manufacturing | 900 | $90,680 | $106,350 | $131,820 |
| 322000 | Paper Manufacturing | 870 | $98,870 | $114,990 | $131,350 |
| 324000 | Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | 740 | $124,430 | $140,600 | $165,480 |
| 324100 | Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | 740 | $124,430 | $140,600 | $165,480 |
| 337000 | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing | 700 | $72,270 | $81,710 | $100,270 |
| 336900 | Other Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 690 | $82,260 | $97,170 | $125,100 |
| 3370A1 | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only) | 670 | $70,170 | $80,600 | $98,420 |
| 326200 | Rubber Product Manufacturing | 660 | $82,760 | $97,320 | $107,020 |
| 325400 | Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing | 620 | $89,710 | $103,280 | $130,300 |
| 327000 | Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 620 | $83,200 | $100,930 | $118,460 |
| 327000 | Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 620 | $83,200 | $100,930 | $118,460 |
| 331500 | Foundries | 620 | $78,590 | $92,820 | $105,730 |
| 331100 | Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing | 530 | $74,220 | $99,990 | $115,580 |
| 332720 | Turned Product and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 510 | $75,000 | $87,180 | $102,840 |
| 322100 | Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills | 480 | $106,780 | $124,140 | $136,700 |
| 331300 | Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing | 470 | $85,520 | $106,650 | $128,760 |
| 322200 | Converted Paper Product Manufacturing | 400 | $83,350 | $103,380 | $124,700 |
| 311900 | Other Food Manufacturing | 390 | $102,020 | $121,740 | $144,950 |
| 335100 | Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing | 390 | $75,790 | $93,380 | $110,480 |
| 335200 | Household Appliance Manufacturing | 380 | $96,450 | $106,660 | $119,580 |
| 331200 | Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel | 370 | $84,090 | $98,280 | $106,450 |
| 321000 | Wood Product Manufacturing | 310 | $75,260 | $90,020 | $105,880 |
| 331400 | Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing | 310 | $84,800 | $102,300 | $114,830 |
| 334300 | Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing | 290 | $100,780 | $125,380 | $146,000 |
| 321900 | Other Wood Product Manufacturing | 250 | $74,530 | $84,360 | $104,190 |
| 332800 | Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities | 250 | $83,090 | $98,010 | $112,430 |
| 312000 | Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing | 200 | $93,820 | $104,820 | $115,760 |
| 312100 | Beverage Manufacturing | 190 | $93,950 | $104,980 | $115,760 |
| 3250A2 | Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only) | 150 | $85,540 | $107,220 | $124,050 |
| 311500 | Dairy Product Manufacturing | 120 | $81,810 | $99,180 | $124,630 |
| 311800 | Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing | 110 | $66,800 | $74,460 | $87,800 |
| 311200 | Grain and Oilseed Milling | 100 | $91,370 | $96,570 | $104,150 |
| 313000 | Textile Mills | 90 | $92,010 | $101,990 | $131,570 |
| 314000 | Textile Product Mills | 90 | $65,180 | $85,590 | $105,270 |
| 311300 | Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing | 80 | $103,970 | $117,350 | $131,040 |
| 313200 | Fabric Mills | 70 | $97,810 | $105,810 | $134,390 |
| 314900 | Other Textile Product Mills | 70 | $65,160 | $81,410 | $102,390 |
| 311600 | Animal Slaughtering and Processing | 40 | $84,990 | $113,160 | $140,040 |
| 321200 | Veneer, Plywood, and Engineered Wood Product Manufacturing | 40 | $82,650 | $92,230 | $101,990 |
| 323000 | Printing and Related Support Activities | 40 | $82,640 | $104,420 | $129,120 |
| 323100 | Printing and Related Support Activities | 40 | $82,640 | $104,420 | $129,120 |
| 337900 | Other Furniture Related Product Manufacturing | 40 | $98,180 | $111,900 | $139,990 |
| 315000 | Apparel Manufacturing | Not published by BLS | $103,120 | $125,070 | $134,270 |
What should you know about manufacturing pay mix?
For Tooling 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 | $81,800 | $102,320 | $130,290 |
| May 2025 | $84,130 | $104,110 | $132,590 |
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 outside shops and suppliers?
Most tooling is built outside the plant. Ask which shops the candidate has used, how they handled late tools and what they did when a tool failed on first tryout. Relationships with a few reliable shops are a major asset in a tight market.
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 Tooling Engineer?
The median annual wage for Mechanical Engineers in the United States was $104,110 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $84,130 and $132,590. 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 $73,990. 90% earned less than $164,340.
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 Tooling 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 296,810 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
What should you know about related?
What does this data mean for your opening?
Tooling Engineers are grouped within the Mechanical Engineers (SOC 17-2141) classification. The national median as of May 2025 is $104,110, with a medianChange of 1,790 over the May 2024 median of $102,320. A middleBandWidth of 48,460, ranging from $84,130 (P25) to $132,590 (P75), highlights the variation for roles involving tool room management and tool trial supervision.
Manufacturing Headhunters uses this data to ground market expectations for experienced tooling personnel.
National rows provide context by industry, such as Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing at $140,600 and Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing at $125,380. These values exclude performance-based bonuses, skill-specific bonuses, and standard engineering benefits. Because the BLS maps all mechanical engineers to a single category, these numbers are not specific to tooling engineering and should not be treated as a direct wage indicator for a single employer's offer.
Looking at regional labor data, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI, reports a median of $109,470 with a middleBandWidth of 34,640. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, shows a median of $123,900 with a middleBandWidth of 50,840. The high location quotient in Detroit reflects the significant footprint of mechanical engineering roles in that geography, though this is not a measure of wage inflation. The data confirms the broad occupational spread for engineers in these markets, necessitating careful interpretation when setting salaries for specialized tooling-focused roles.
Which pay questions should you settle before hiring?
Does the data capture salary for engineers specializing in progressive dies or injection molds?
No, the statistics aggregate all mechanical engineers together, which obscures the pay for specific specializations like injection molding or progressive die engineering. It represents the broader occupational pool.
Why is the location quotient for Detroit so much higher than Los Angeles?
The location quotient indicates a much higher concentration of mechanical engineering jobs in Detroit, reflecting the industrial character of the region. This statistic maps employment intensity rather than the pay scale of engineering managers or tooling specialists.
What is excluded from these annual wage statistics?
The provided data excludes all variable compensation components such as performance bonuses, equity incentives, and other non-salary perks common in the engineering sector. It only reports base annual wage earnings.
Related recruiting or pay page · Related wage comparison 1 · Data methodology · Related wage comparison 3 · Related wage comparison 4