Engineering technicians held 532,000 jobs in 2004. About a third were electrical and electronics engineering technicians, as indicated by the following tabulation.
| Electrical and electronic engineering technicians | 182,000 |
| Civil engineering technicians | 94,000 |
| Industrial engineering technicians | 69,000 |
| Mechanical engineering technicians | 48,000 |
| Environmental engineering technicians | 20,000 |
| Electro-mechanical technicians | 19,000 |
| Aerospace engineering and operations technicians | 9,500 |
| Engineering technicians, except drafters, all other | 91,000 |
About 36 percent of all engineering technicians worked in manufacturing, mainly in the computer and electronic equipment, transportation equipment, and machinery manufacturing industries. Another 22 percent worked in professional, scientific, and technical service industries, mostly in engineering or business services companies that do engineering work on contract for government, manufacturing firms, or other organizations.
In 2004, the Federal Government employed 37,000 engineering technicians. State governments employed 39,000, and local governments employed 27,000.
Earnings Overview
Median annual earnings in May 2004 of engineering technicians by specialty are shown in the following tabulation.
| Aerospace engineering and operations technicians | $52,500 |
| Electrical and electronic engineering technicians | 46,310 |
| Industrial engineering technicians | 43,590 |
| Mechanical engineering technicians | 43,400 |
| Electro-mechanical technicians | 41,440 |
| Environmental engineering technicians | 38,550 |
| Civil engineering technicians | 38,480 |
Median annual earnings of electrical and electronics engineering technicians were $46,310 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $36,290 and $55,750. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $29,000, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $67,900. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of electrical and electronics engineering technicians in May 2004 are shown below.
| Federal Government | $64,160 |
| Wired telecommunications carriers | 51,250 |
| Architectural, engineering, and related services | 44,800 |
| Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing | 42,780 |
| Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing | 41,300 |
Median annual earnings of civil engineering technicians were $38,480 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $29,880 and $48,590. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $24,180, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $57,550. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of civil engineering technicians in May 2004 are shown below.
| Local government | $43,700 |
| Architectural, engineering, and related services | 37,470 |
| State government | 35,970 |
In May 2004, the average annual salary for aerospace engineering and operations technicians in the aerospace products and parts manufacturing industry was $52,250, and the average annual salary for environmental engineering technicians in the architectural, engineering, and related services industry was $36,530. The average annual salary for industrial engineering technicians in the semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing industry was $40,020. In the architectural, engineering, and related services industry, the average annual salary for mechanical engineering technicians was $43,190.
Earnings by State
Earnings by Metropolitan Area