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Mechanical Engineering vs Electrical Engineering: pay, job growth and AI risk
Which is the better bet over the next 20 years? Here's what official data says about the jobs each major usually leads to.
Electrical Engineering careers pay more at the median ($127,500 vs $108,300 a year). BLS expects similar job growth for both through 2035 (+7.1% vs +6.3%). AI exposure is about the same (44% vs 46% of tasks).
Scorecard
“Edge” marks the stronger number on each line (for AI, lower exposure). No edge when the gap is small (median pay within 1%, AI within 3 points, growth within 1 point). Mechanical Engineering: 0 · Electrical Engineering: 3. This is a tally, not a verdict: weigh what matters to you.
What each major studies
Mechanical Engineering covers machines and energy: mechanics, thermodynamics, materials and design. Electrical Engineering covers electricity, electronics and signals: circuits, power systems, controls and communications.
Is Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering more at risk from AI?
Using the “GPTs are GPTs” task ratings, 44% of the tasks in typical Mechanical Engineering careers could be done at least twice as fast with current AI tools, versus 46% for Electrical Engineering (all U.S. jobs: 33%). Higher exposure means more of the work can be sped up by AI. That can mean fewer people doing the same work, or the same people doing more. It is not a count of jobs lost.
By career
Mechanical Engineering: tasks AI can speed up
- provide technical guidance to other personnel (Mechanical Engineers)
- create models of engineering designs or methods (Aerospace Engineers)
- prepare proposal documents (Materials Engineers)
Tasks that stay human
- test performance of electrical, electronic, mechanical, or integrated systems… (Mechanical Engineers)
- design systems to reduce harmful emissions (Aerospace Engineers)
- prepare materials for processing (Materials Engineers)
Electrical Engineering: tasks AI can speed up
- design electronic or computer equipment or instrumentation (Electrical & Electronics Engineers)
- update technical knowledge (Computer Hardware Engineers)
- design energy production or management equipment or systems (Nuclear Engineers)
Tasks that stay human
- test performance of electrical, electronic, mechanical, or integrated systems… (Electrical & Electronics Engineers)
- supervise engineering (Computer Hardware Engineers)
- resolve operational performance problems (Nuclear Engineers)
Mechanical Engineering vs Electrical Engineering job outlook: the next 10 and 20 years
Index: 2025 jobs = 100. Lines = BLS projection to 2035. Shaded = our 2035–2045 extrapolation range.
BLS projects employment in the Mechanical Engineering careers we track to change +7.1% from 2025 to 2035 (about 43,000 openings a year), and +6.3% for Electrical Engineering (about 44,200 a year). All U.S. jobs: +3.5%. No official source projects 20 years out. Our 2035–2045 range only shows what happens if the current trend continues or stalls.
How the shaded range works: the top edge assumes each field's 2025–35 yearly growth rate continues to 2045; the bottom edge assumes no change after 2035 (flipped for shrinking fields). It is an extrapolation from BLS data, not a BLS projection.
Mechanical Engineering vs Electrical Engineering salary: which pays more?
Line = 10th to 90th percentile · box = middle half · dot = median (BLS OEWS, May 2024)
At the median, Mechanical Engineering careers pay $108,300 and Electrical Engineering careers pay $127,500 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2024). The middle half of Mechanical Engineering workers earn $85,800 to $138,400; for Electrical Engineering it is $103,000 to $157,600. Pay tends to rise with experience, so new graduates often start nearer the lower end.
This shows how pay is spread across everyone working in these jobs today, from newer workers (lower end) to experienced ones (upper end). It is not a year-by-year salary path.
Careers behind the numbers
| Career | Median pay | Jobs 2025–35 | AI task exposure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineers | $102,320 | +11.2% | 52% |
| Aerospace Engineers | $134,830 | +8.3% | 54% |
| Materials Engineers | $108,310 | +7.6% | 40% |
| Industrial Production Managers | $121,440 | +2.6% | 37% |
| Mechanical Engineering Technicians | $68,730 | +1.4% | 35% |
| Career | Median pay | Jobs 2025–35 | AI task exposure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical & Electronics Engineers | $111,910 | +7.9% | 50% |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | $155,020 | +9.1% | 52% |
| Nuclear Engineers | $127,520 | +0.0% | 51% |
| Electrical Engineering Technicians | $77,180 | +2.4% | 37% |
| Architectural & Engineering Managers | $167,740 | +5.5% | 39% |
Which is better, Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering?
Neither is better for everyone. Electrical Engineering careers pay more at the median ($127,500 vs $108,300 a year). BLS expects similar job growth for both through 2035 (+7.1% vs +6.3%). AI exposure is about the same (44% vs 46% of tasks). The better pick is the one whose day-to-day work you would actually like doing.
Still torn between Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering? See which one fits you.
Pay and AI exposure tell you about the jobs. They don't tell you whether you'd enjoy the work. MajorMatch's proprietary scoring matches your interests and strengths to 100 majors. It takes 10 to 20 minutes, and your top 3 matches are free. The full report is optional ($29).
FAQ
Mechanical Engineering vs Electrical Engineering salary: which pays more?
At the median, Mechanical Engineering careers pay $108,300 and Electrical Engineering careers pay $127,500 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2024). The middle half of Mechanical Engineering workers earn $85,800 to $138,400; for Electrical Engineering it is $103,000 to $157,600. Pay tends to rise with experience, so new graduates often start nearer the lower end.
Is Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering more at risk from AI?
Using the “GPTs are GPTs” task ratings, 44% of the tasks in typical Mechanical Engineering careers could be done at least twice as fast with current AI tools, versus 46% for Electrical Engineering (all U.S. jobs: 33%). Higher exposure means more of the work can be sped up by AI. That can mean fewer people doing the same work, or the same people doing more. It is not a count of jobs lost.
Mechanical Engineering vs Electrical Engineering job outlook: the next 10 and 20 years
BLS projects employment in the Mechanical Engineering careers we track to change +7.1% from 2025 to 2035 (about 43,000 openings a year), and +6.3% for Electrical Engineering (about 44,200 a year). All U.S. jobs: +3.5%. No official source projects 20 years out. Our 2035–2045 range only shows what happens if the current trend continues or stalls.
Which is better, Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering?
Neither is better for everyone. Electrical Engineering careers pay more at the median ($127,500 vs $108,300 a year). BLS expects similar job growth for both through 2035 (+7.1% vs +6.3%). AI exposure is about the same (44% vs 46% of tasks). The better pick is the one whose day-to-day work you would actually like doing.
How do I know if Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering fits me?
Take the MajorMatch assessment. It takes 10 to 20 minutes, uses proprietary scoring across 100 majors, and shows your top 3 matches free.
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Sources and method
- Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 national estimates (annual wage percentiles). For each listed career, the OEWS percentiles of its largest-employment SOC code; the major figure is the median of its careers at each percentile (equal weight), rounded to $100. Where BLS reports a wage only as “$239,200 or more” (marked ≥), we use $239,200, so the real figure is higher.
- Job growth: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 (Table 1.2, occupational projections). Sum of BLS 2025 and projected 2035 employment over the unique SOC codes behind the major's listed careers; percent = 2035/2025 - 1. All U.S. jobs: +3.5%.
- 20-year view: BLS publishes 10-year projections only. For 2035–2045 we show a range, not a forecast: the top edge assumes the field's 2025–35 yearly rate keeps going for 10 more years; the bottom edge assumes no further change after 2035 (reversed for fields BLS expects to shrink). Real results can land outside this range.
- AI task exposure: share of each job's tasks (from the O*NET 30.0 task list) that current AI tools could do at least twice as fast at the same quality, from Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), “GPTs are GPTs” (Science, 2024; human and GPT-4 ratings averaged; tasks that need extra software count half). Cross-checked against Felten, Raj & Seamans' AI Occupational Exposure scores (rank correlation 0.68 across 170 careers). Major figure = equal-weight average of the careers we list for it. All U.S. jobs (33%) = Employment-weighted mean over 772 detailed occupations (142.8M jobs, OEWS May 2024), same formula as the major figures. Exposure means AI can speed up tasks. It is not a prediction of job losses. The ILO's exposure index wasn't used because it's published on a different occupation system.
- BLS AI notes: where BLS lists artificial intelligence as a factor in its 2025–35 projection for an occupation (Table 1.12), we quote it.
- Careers per major: the same career list MajorMatch uses in its Earnings Continuum and loan calculators. A major doesn't limit you to these jobs.
Updated 2026-10-31. Data: bls.gov/oes, bls.gov/emp, onetcenter.org, github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs, github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE.