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Electrical Engineers Job Overview

Electrical engineers primarily focus on generation and supply of power. They're involved with equipment such as electric motors, machinery controls, radar and navigation systems; power generation, control and transmission devices used by electrical utilities; lighting and wiring in buildings, and communications systems. Electrical engineers design, develop, test and supervise the manufacturing of electrical equipment for commercial, industrial, scientific and military use.

Electrical Engineers Schools and Degrees

Undergraduate and graduate degrees are available in electrical engineering. Typically, students may choose an area of concentration such as power systems or microwave engineering.

Job Requirements

Employers prefer applicants that have a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. Some individuals earn a master's degree in electrical engineering.

Nature of Work

• Develop technical drawings and specifications of electrical systems
• Oversee and coordinate manufacturing, installation, maintenance and testing procedures to ensure they comply with specifications, codes and customer requirements
• Establish manufacturing and installation specifications and standards
• Plan and implement research procedures and methodologies to apply principles of electrical theory to engineering projects

Electrical Engineers Jobs and Outlook

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected a two percent employment growth from 2008 to 2018 for electrical engineers.

The major employers of electrical engineers are shown below:

• Electrical component manufacturing firms
• Navigation controls manufacturers
• Scientific research and development firms
• Measurement devices manufacturers
• Engineering services
• Communications equipment manufacturers
• Medical equipment manufacturers
• Architectural firms

In 2009 the median annual earnings for electrical engineers was $83,110.

Job Numbers and Growth

Nationally, there are 153,000 electrical engineers. The occupation is characterized by a very low joblessness level. The unemployment rate for employees was 2% in 2008.

Area Job Conditions

Looking at electrical engineers per capita, Lowell (Massachusetts), Framingham (Massachusetts), and Jackson (Michigan) rise to the top of the list. Fresno (California), Lancaster (Pennsylvania), and Stockton (California) have the fewest per capita.

The highest salaries for workers are in and around Stockton (California), Santa Cruz (California), and Sherman (Texas). The lowest-paying areas are Blacksburg (Virginia), Bowling Green (Kentucky), and College Station (Texas).

Training and Education

Successful employees find it useful to have a bachelor's degree. According to recent surveys, 81% of electrical engineers had received a degree. Workers with some schooling beyond high school, but not a college degree, total about 17%. A high school degree was all that was needed for 3% of employees. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Electrical engineers working less than full time, whether by design or chance, were 2% of the total. If you have this occupation and work on your own rather than for another company, you are part of the 2% of workers who do so.

Electrical Engineers by Metropolitan Area (city and its surroundings)

In the table below, a Job Density near 0% means the area has an average number of people in this occupation, for its population. A higher or lower Job Density (e.g., +22% or -45%) tells you there are that many more or fewer workers of that type there than in the average US metro area. So, the higher the number, the more common the occupation.

Alabama

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Birmingham	$78,000	1,350	+139%
Decatur	$87,000	70	+29%
Florence	$87,000	60	+14%
Huntsville	$93,000	1,690	+628%
Mobile	$85,000	200	+2%
Montgomery	$93,000	160	-11%

Alaska

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Anchorage	$93,000	350	+89%

Arizona

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Phoenix	$96,000	2,760	+35%
Tucson	$97,000	1,580	+306%

Arkansas

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Fayetteville	$70,000	100	-56%
Fort Smith	$78,000	50	-63%
Little Rock	$83,000	160	-59%

California

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bakersfield	$92,000	340	+16%
Fresno	$87,000	60	-83%
Los Angeles	$92,000	5,050	+7%
Oakland	$104,000	1,520	+32%
Oxnard	$87,000	350	+4%
Redding	$82,000	40	-35%
Riverside	$81,000	460	-67%
Sacramento	$121,000	860	-14%
Salinas	$87,000	40	-77%
San Diego	$99,000	1,790	+18%
San Francisco	$91,000	910	-21%
San Jose	$110,000	4,410	+325%
San Luis Obispo	$92,000	100	+1%
Santa Ana	$89,000	1,450	-14%
Santa Barbara	$113,000	320	+72%
Santa Rosa	$99,000	150	-22%
Vallejo	$86,000	70	-46%

Colorado

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Colorado Springs	$80,000	670	+135%
Denver	$85,000	2,420	+68%
Fort Collins	$76,000	220	+61%
Greeley	$84,000	60	-21%

Connecticut

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bridgeport	$82,000	640	+31%
Danbury	$80,000	130	+83%
Hartford	$79,000	480	-27%
New Haven	$86,000	250	-19%
Norwich	$88,000	120	-10%
Waterbury	$76,000	40	-43%

Delaware

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Wilmington	$95,000	720	+94%

District of Columbia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Washington	$100,000	3,800	+35%

Florida

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Deltona	$77,000	120	-29%
Fort Lauderdale	$80,000	270	-66%
Fort Walton Beach	$89,000	330	+312%
Jacksonville	$80,000	340	-51%
Lakeland	$72,000	120	-43%
Miami	$84,000	500	-56%
Ocala	$77,000	60	-36%
Orlando	$71,000	890	-24%
Palm Bay	$89,000	1,450	+558%
Panama City	$85,000	160	+124%
Pensacola	$66,000	80	-51%
Port St Lucie	$72,000	100	-23%
Sarasota	$97,000	180	-35%
Sebastian	$61,000	30	-37%
Tallahassee	$67,000	120	-33%
Tampa	$74,000	1,490	+13%
West Palm Beach	$81,000	410	-31%

Georgia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Albany	$81,000	40	-37%
Athens	$67,000	30	-59%
Atlanta	$86,000	2,080	-22%
Augusta	$87,000	400	+74%
Columbus		30	-75%
Warner Robins	$84,000	130	+139%

Hawaii

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Honolulu	$81,000	520	+3%

Idaho

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Boise	$88,000	1,130	+283%
Coeur Dalene	$80,000	50	-2%
Idaho Falls	$94,000	40	-15%

Illinois

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Champaign	$78,000	90	-18%
Chicago	$88,000	3,170	-27%
Peoria	$93,000	230	+22%
Rockford	$72,000	120	-22%
Springfield	$87,000	50	-57%

Indiana

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bloomington	$74,000	120	+65%
Columbus	$74,000	100	+168%
Elkhart	$63,000	60	-49%
Evansville	$77,000	160	-16%
Fort Wayne	$82,000	510	+123%
Gary	$74,000	270	-11%
Indianapolis	$76,000	680	-34%
Kokomo	$89,000	320	+738%
South Bend	$65,000	80	-43%
Terre Haute	$74,000	60	-15%

Iowa

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Davenport	$73,000	70	-66%
Des Moines	$79,000	170	-55%

Kansas

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Topeka	$80,000	30	-75%
Wichita	$74,000	440	+35%

Kentucky

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Lexington	$108,000	250	-8%
Louisville	$76,000	560	-20%

Louisiana

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Baton Rouge	$93,000	520	+22%
Lafayette	$71,000	100	-36%
New Orleans	$94,000	250	-59%

Maine

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Portland	$83,000	100	-55%

Maryland

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Baltimore	$88,000	1,930	+27%
Bethesda	$92,000	970	+46%

Massachusetts

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Barnstable Town	$100,000	90	-16%
Boston	$107,000	4,500	+123%
Framingham	$101,000	770	+326%
Haverhill	$93,000	90	+4%
Lawrence	$79,000	60	-2%
Leominster	$78,000	70	+40%
Lowell	$106,000	730	+459%
Peabody	$93,000	200	+83%
Springfield	$91,000	390	+15%
Taunton	$99,000	190	+324%
Worcester	$100,000	330	+16%

Michigan

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bay City	$72,000	50	+59%
Detroit	$80,000	840	+9%
Flint	$74,000	40	-72%
Grand Rapids	$76,000	270	-37%
Holland	$65,000	160	+55%
Jackson	$72,000	270	+451%
Kalamazoo	$80,000	80	-46%
Lansing	$66,000	70	-68%
Saginaw	$67,000	40	-54%
Warren	$86,000	1,770	+42%

Minnesota

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Duluth	$84,000	140	-1%
Mankato	$74,000	50	-13%
Minneapolis	$87,000	3,430	+66%
Rochester	$80,000	40	-64%
St Cloud	$63,000	40	-61%

Mississippi

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Gulfport	$77,000	150	+29%
Jackson	$67,000	130	-55%

Missouri

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Kansas City	$81,000	1,510	+29%
Springfield	$78,000	170	-20%
St Joseph	$97,000	40	-22%
St Louis	$87,000	2,210	+43%

Montana

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Billings	$67,000	110	+23%

Nebraska

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Lincoln	$80,000	150	-15%
Omaha	$81,000	310	-43%

Nevada

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Las Vegas	$94,000	180	-82%
Reno	$91,000	220	+3%

New Hampshire

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Manchester	$79,000	180	+61%
Nashua	$100,000	710	+372%
Portsmouth	$87,000	130	+120%
Rochester	$65,000	80	+46%

New Jersey

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Atlantic City	$92,000	60	-62%
Edison	$83,000	840	-29%
Newark	$85,000	680	-41%
Trenton	$93,000	170	-34%

New Mexico

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Albuquerque	$92,000	670	+52%
Farmington	$86,000	50	0%
Las Cruces	$77,000	110	+66%

New York

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Albany	$85,000	550	+6%
Binghamton	$85,000	1,400	+1047%
Buffalo	$73,000	510	-20%
Elmira	$89,000	40	+7%
Ithaca	$85,000	100	+147%
Nassau	$98,000	1,200	-18%
New York	$92,000	3,650	-40%
Poughkeepsie	$81,000	120	-57%
Rochester	$76,000	1,190	+105%
Utica	$88,000	80	-41%

North Carolina

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Asheville	$81,000	70	-64%
Charlotte	$78,000	610	-38%
Durham	$87,000	270	-14%
Fayetteville	$66,000	60	-57%
Goldsboro	$71,000	30	-25%
Greensboro	$78,000	170	-58%
Hickory	$84,000	110	-32%
Raleigh	$92,000	630	+6%
Wilmington	$116,000	80	-47%
Winston Salem	$82,000	70	-70%

North Dakota

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Fargo	$69,000	120	-10%

Ohio

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Akron	$74,000	290	-21%
Canton	$72,000	110	-41%
Cincinnati	$77,000	950	-19%
Cleveland	$82,000	1,220	+3%
Columbus	$73,000	990	-7%
Dayton	$84,000	490	+12%
Mansfield	$76,000	50	-5%
Steubenville	$75,000	50	+22%
Toledo	$72,000	330	-1%
Youngstown	$67,000	110	-57%

Oklahoma

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Oklahoma City	$84,000	540	-19%
Tulsa	$72,000	690	+40%

Oregon

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bend	$74,000	60	-8%
Eugene	$93,000	80	-48%
Portland	$94,000	1,590	+34%

Pennsylvania

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Allentown	$81,000	250	-37%
Erie	$76,000	170	+21%
Harrisburg	$84,000	180	-51%
Johnstown	$72,000	60	+4%
Lancaster	$79,000	60	-77%
Philadelphia	$90,000	1,710	-23%
Pittsburgh	$83,000	1,470	+11%
Reading	$84,000	140	-24%
Scranton	$78,000	80	-73%
State College	$74,000	40	-38%
York	$73,000	200	+2%

Rhode Island

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Providence	$91,000	530	-17%

South Carolina

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Anderson	$81,000	40	-31%
Charleston	$75,000	360	+10%
Columbia	$86,000	420	+5%
Florence	$82,000	50	-40%
Greenville	$82,000	330	-3%
Myrtle Beach	$70,000	60	-49%
Spartanburg	$74,000	80	-36%

South Dakota

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Rapid City	$65,000	30	-55%
Sioux Falls	$75,000	40	-74%

Tennessee

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Chattanooga	$88,000	370	+44%
Clarksville	$74,000	40	-52%
Jackson	$70,000	40	-34%
Johnson City	$63,000	50	-34%
Kingsport	$71,000	100	-24%
Knoxville	$86,000	370	-3%
Memphis	$84,000	260	-63%
Nashville	$82,000	550	-36%

Texas

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Amarillo	$80,000	60	-48%
Austin	$96,000	930	+2%
College Station	$43,000	190	+93%
Corpus Christi	$83,000	50	-75%
Dallas	$96,000	3,850	+58%
El Paso	$81,000	100	-68%
Fort Worth	$72,000	1,020	+2%
Houston	$91,000	2,650	-13%
Longview	$79,000	60	-41%
San Antonio	$78,000	290	-71%
Sherman	$124,000	40	-2%
Victoria	$88,000	30	-38%

Utah

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Logan	$66,000	80	+68%
Provo	$75,000	100	-47%
Salt Lake City	$77,000	820	+17%

Vermont

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Burlington	$82,000	150	+24%

Virginia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Blacksburg	$67,000	230	+267%
Charlottesville	$65,000	300	+226%
Lynchburg		330	+211%
Richmond	$81,000	910	+28%
Roanoke	$79,000	300	+74%
Virginia Beach	$80,000	1,200	+37%

Washington

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bellingham	$86,000	50	-35%
Bremerton	$78,000	130	+48%
Kennewick	$93,000	260	+142%
Mount Vernon	$90,000	30	-32%
Seattle	$89,000	2,620	+61%
Spokane	$81,000	170	-26%
Tacoma	$93,000	230	-23%

West Virginia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Charleston	$79,000	60	-63%
Huntington	$75,000	40	-68%
Parkersburg	$90,000	30	-58%

Wisconsin

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Appleton	$74,000	150	+20%
Green Bay	$76,000	260	+39%
La Crosse	$79,000	140	+87%
Madison	$78,000	660	+71%
Milwaukee	$76,000	1,440	+50%
Oshkosh	$73,000	110	+18%
Sheboygan	$71,000	50	-13%
Wausau	$74,000	50	-27%

Wyoming

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Cheyenne	$74,000	30	-29%