Engineering Services — Average Employee Salary
The average employee in the engineering services industry earns $117,110 per year ($56.30/hour), according to Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW data.
What Do Engineering Workers Earn?
At $117,110/year (equivalent to $56.30/hour for a full-time worker), engineering services wages are significantly above the national average of ~$65,000.
Higher wages in this industry typically reflect specialized skills, professional certifications, or technical expertise required for the work. Employers competing for talent in this space face elevated labor costs.
The typical engineering services business employs 12 people. These are mid-sized operations where payroll is a significant but manageable expense.
Wages as a Percentage of Revenue
For the average engineering services business generating $5.0M/year with 12 employees at $117,110 each, total payroll represents roughly 27.9% of revenue. Labor costs are relatively low compared to revenue — other costs (materials, equipment, overhead) dominate.
What This Means for Business Owners
If you're starting or running a engineering servicesbusiness, here's what the wage data means for your bottom line:
- Per-employee cost: Budget approximately $152,243/year per employee (salary + ~30% for benefits, taxes, and insurance).
- Typical team size: 12 employees = ~$1,405,320/year in base payroll.
- Hourly equivalent: $56.30/hour base — factor this into pricing and project estimates.
- Revenue needed: With average revenue of $5.0M/business, you need strong utilization rates to maintain healthy margins after payroll.
See how these wages compare to total revenue and profit margins.
View full Engineering Services revenue benchmarks →Frequently Asked Questions
- How much do engineering services employees make?
- The average engineering services employee earns $117,110 per year, which is equivalent to $56.30/hour for a full-time worker (2,080 hours/year). This is above the national average of approximately $65,000.
- How many people work in the engineering services industry?
- The engineering services industry employs 1,135,084 workers across 95,641 establishments in the United States. The average business in this industry has approximately 12 employees.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW 2023).