Mechanical Engineer

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

6 employees hold this title in Public Works Department. Median total compensation for the role is $230,676, above the department median of $147,401.

Employees: 6
Total payroll: $1.4M
Role median: $230,676
Agency median: $147,401
Comparison: Above

Compared with the local labor market

Mechanical Engineer pay vs. the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area

Across all employers in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area, the median wage for Mechanical Engineers — about 8,780 people — is $123,900. Public Works Department pays a median base salary of $158,639 for this role, 28% above that figure — about the 82nd percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where Public Works Department sits in the local pay range

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$77,040

$96,010

$123,900

$146,850

$173,340

Public Works Department median · $158,639

The bar is the range of annual wages for Mechanical Engineers across every employer in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Public Works Department’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.

And across the country

Nationwide, the median wage for Mechanical Engineers — about 296,810 people — is $104,110. Public Works Department’s median base salary is 52% above that national figure, about the 87th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$73,990

$84,130

$104,110

$132,590

$164,340

Public Works Department median · $158,639

Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA range relative to the national one.

Median total compensation for this role at Public Works Department is $230,676, 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.

Compare jurisdictions

Mechanical Engineer beyond Los Angeles County

This role is reported in 6 jurisdictions. In Los Angeles County, the median of $230,676 ranks #1 of 6. See Mechanical Engineer across all of Los Angeles County →

Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role

$139,271 · 31

$119,434 · 36

$119,214 · 120

$109,848 · 6

New York Public Authorities

$104,751 · 92

Median total compensation for comparable Mechanical Engineer roles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.

Record list