The Bureau of Labor Statistics currently reports that the median salary for electrical engineer professionals in the US is $96,270 a year, while in the UK that stands at £31,057 ($43,643) per year. The electrical engineer salary is C$67,604 ($52,420) for Canadian workers. While in Australia that is AU$75,167 ($57,780) per year.
In Switzerland people with this job make about CHF82,463 ($86,511) each year, while Norwegian professionals win around NOK547,565 ($69,847) per year. However, experience is not the only factor that can influence the median salary of an electrical engineer. Read on and find out what you have to consider when calculating your potential entry-level electrical engineer salary below.
Electrical Engineer Salary Influencers
1. Industry
The BLS also offers more information about the industries that electrical engineer jobs are part of. Most electrical and electronics engineers work in engineering services (22%, to be precise), while 10% work in electric power generation, transmission and distribution and 7% each in semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing and navigational, measuring, electromedical and control instruments manufacturing industries.
From this point of view, a highly influential factor for electrical engineers salary is the exact company they work for. Here are a few examples of electrical engineering salaries according to employers, courtesy of Payscale:
- Boeing: $57,973 – $130,406
- Northrop Grumman Corporation: $58,009 – $113,222
- Lockheed Martin Corp: $59,545 – $115,872
- International Business Machines (IBM) Corp.: $66,120 – $111,031
- Raytheon Co.: $64,641 – $103,949
2. Geographical Area
| Electrical Engineer Salary | US | Canada | UK | Australia | Switzerland | Norway |
| Hourly Wage | $29.81 | C$29.10 ($15.48) | £12.20 ($17.14) | AU$35.05 ($26.94) | CHF39.64 ($41.60)* | NOK263.25 ($33.58)* |
| Annual Wage | $72,928 | C$67,604 ($52,420) | £31,057 ($43,643) | AU$75,167 ($57,780) | CHF82,463 ($86,511) | NOK547,565 ($69,847) |
*The figure is estimated based on the yearly pay information given.
Electrical Engineer Salary in the US
While some states have an electrical engineering median salary of over $115k, others barely have a starting salary for electrical engineers over $74k. The best bet you have is the electrical engineer salary California professionals enjoy – $115,960. However, Alaska isn’t too far behind, with a yearly electrical engineering degree salary of $115,810.
If you want to boost your chances of getting hired, you should look out for the states with the highest employment rates for electrical engineers. Those are California, Texas, New York, Michigan, and Massachusetts. On the flipside, there are some states you should avoid entirely, due to their low Ph.D. electrical engineering salary ranges. Those are:
- Montana – $74,530
- South Dakota – $77,710
- Indiana – $78,160
- Ohio – $79,220
- Wyoming – $79,340
Electrical Engineer Salary by State
| State | Annual mean wage ($) |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 95770 |
| Alaska | 115810 |
| Arizona | 100340 |
| Arkansas | 85400 |
| California | 115960 |
| Colorado | 97370 |
| Connecticut | 90760 |
| Delaware | 97210 |
| District of Columbia | 109830 |
| Florida | 86160 |
| Georgia | 89150 |
| Guam | 51120 |
| Hawaii | 85020 |
| Idaho | 87830 |
| Illinois | 93770 |
| Indiana | 78160 |
| Iowa | 82880 |
| Kansas | 90040 |
| Kentucky | 84400 |
| Louisiana | 101630 |
| Maine | 82350 |
| Maryland | 99340 |
| Massachusetts | 107820 |
| Michigan | 87640 |
| Minnesota | 92450 |
| Mississippi | 92780 |
| Missouri | 94830 |
| Montana | 74530 |
| Nebraska | 82710 |
| Nevada | 90250 |
| New Hampshire | 98150 |
| New Jersey | 102480 |
| New Mexico | 93840 |
| New York | 98430 |
| North Carolina | 100070 |
| North Dakota | 88320 |
| Ohio | 79220 |
| Oklahoma | 87540 |
| Oregon | 91220 |
| Pennsylvania | 91280 |
| Puerto Rico | 66830 |
| Rhode Island | 101140 |
| South Carolina | 83760 |
| South Dakota | 77710 |
| Tennessee | 86940 |
| Texas | 103560 |
| Utah | 91600 |
| Vermont | 95110 |
| Virginia | 100080 |
| Washington | 104690 |
| West Virginia | 87840 |
| Wisconsin | 83080 |
| Wyoming | 79340 |
Electrical Engineer Salary in Canada
The electrical engineer salary in Canada ranges between C$49,233 and C$98,963 per year. Moreover, after bonuses of up to C$10,382, profit sharing of up to C$8,292, and commissions of C$16,500 per year, the total pay per year stands between C$48,033 and C$101,749.
Electrical Engineer Salary in the UK
Electrical engineers make between £7.16 and £25.23 per hour. After bonuses, they manage to win between £19,264 and £48,999 each year.
Electrical Engineer Salary in Australia
In Australia, the total yearly salary is between AU$53,443 and AU$118,611. While the hourly pay stands between AU$20.62 and AU$78.00.
Electrical Engineer Salary in Switzerland
People with the same job working in Switzerland make between CHF 41,146 and CHF 110,539. After bonuses of CHF 15,319, and profit sharing of up to CHF 9,933, the total pay amounts to CHF 118,377 maximum per year.
Electrical Engineer Salary in Norway
Same professionals living in Norway make about $47,998 and $123,306 per year. Meanwhile, they win bonuses of up to $2,422 each year.
3. Experience
Naturally, experience is critical for establishing realistic electrical engineer salary expectations. If you are fresh out of university and are just starting off in the field, you can expect a starting salary of about $67,000 per year in the US. The salary starts rising as years go by, getting at $105,000 after 20 years on the job.
The starting salary for electrical engineers sees a similar evolution in Australia and Canada, from AU$68,000, respectively C$61,000 per year. While the salary for a senior electrical engineer can rise as much as AU$122,000 in Australia, and C$99,000 per year in Canada.
Swiss electrical engineer salaries also see a similar rise, from CHF 81,000 in the first 5 years of experience, to CHF 115,000 after 20 years on the job. Same professionals working in the UK win ₤28,000 per year at the beginning, then they can win up to ₤37,000 after 10-20 years on the job. Then the salary starts to decline, reaching ₤35,000 per year after more than 20 years in the field.
Working Hours
In most cases, electrical engineers work full time. Their work environment is typically an office, but they might have to travel to work sites if they need to fix equipment or troubleshoot tech problems.
Bonuses & Benefit Packages
onuses for electrical engineers living in the United States can be as much as $10,219 per year, while they also win in profit sharing, about 10,080, and commission of up to $60,820 each year. In Australia, the same professionals make AU$14,425 per year in bonuses, and profit sharing of up to AU$15,474.
In the UK, bonuses for the electrical engineer can reach £4,964 per year, and profit sharing winnings can be as high as £5,847 each year.
Job Outlook
The percent change in employment for electrical engineers might not increase that much in the following years. It is pretty much the same as the national average for all occupations (7%), however, electrical engineers can find jobs with good salaries if they are well-prepared.
Conclusion
To wrap everything up, the electrical engineer salary is quite satisfying, to say the least. Professionals in this field can easily get a six-figure salary if they have several years of experience in the field and they work for a reputable company. For more information on salaries from the same field, you can look at the electrician salary.
Leave a Reply