An official website of Washington State government
Mechanical Engineers
Perform engineering duties in planning and designing tools, engines, machines, and other mechanically functioning equipment. Oversee installation, operation, maintenance, and repair of equipment such as centralized heat, gas, water, and steam systems.
What a mechanical engineer does
Become a mechanical engineer
If you enjoy doing these activities, you might make a good mechanical engineer
- Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
- Reading work related information.
- Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
- Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
Discover what you could earn in Washington
- Typical hourly rate is $61 per hour with a typical salary of $135,000 per year.
- Half of workers earn between $45 and $77 per hour.
- Half of workers earn an annual salary between $60,700 and $154,000 per year.
- 65% of individuals in this occupation have been employed in every quarter of the past year.
Part-time
- The typical hourly rate for part-time workers is $65 per hour with a typical salary of $70,500 per year.
- 13% of individuals in this occupation worked part-time during the past year.
Mechanical Engineer job outlook
- There are 8,406 workers in this occupation in Washington.
- There are 779 openings per year in this occupation in Washington.
Multiple Jobs
- 1% of individuals in this occupation worked for more than one employer.
- 9% of individuals in this occupation held a position in another.