Mechanical Engineering

Design, analyze, and oversee technical systems or infrastructure, ensuring they meet specifications and codes.

1,180 people hold the Mechanical Engineering role across 24 departments in U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense), with a median total compensation of $131,801.

Employees: 1,180
Median pay: $131,801
Departments: 24
Cross-jurisdiction: #1 of 1

Compared with the local labor market

Mechanical Engineering pay vs. the United States

Across all employers in the United States, the median wage for Mechanical Engineers — about 296,810 people — is $104,110. U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) pays a median base salary of $131,445 for this role, 26% above that figure — about the 74th percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) sits in the local pay range

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$73,990

$84,130

$104,110

$132,590

$164,340

U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) median · $131,445

The bar is the range of annual wages for Mechanical Engineers across every employer in the United States, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.

Median total compensation for this role at U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) is $131,801, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.

Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.

Within U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)