Electrical Engineers
Also called Design Engineer, Electrical Design Engineer, Electrical Engineer, or Project Engineer
Updated · Source: O*NET 31.0
What Electrical Engineers do
You design the electrical systems inside buildings, machines, and power networks, then check that what gets built actually matches your drawings.
Electrical engineers figure out how electricity should move through a product, a building, or a factory, and then make sure it gets built that way. You might design the wiring and controls for a hospital, the power system for a manufacturing line, or a piece of equipment for military or scientific use. Much of that work happens on a computer, using design software and detailed math.
The job is not only drawing. You also keep projects on schedule and on budget, coordinate the people doing the building and testing, inspect finished installations, and dig into complaints when something does not work as expected. Writing and reading matter more than most people expect, because specifications, the written documents that state exactly what must be built and how, are how your ideas travel.
A day in the life
You start at a desk in an office, mostly indoors and climate controlled, working through email and a design file you left open yesterday. You run calculations to set the exact size of a cable or the limits a component must meet. Mid-morning you meet with other engineers or a customer to talk through a change, then listen carefully while a technician explains what happened during testing. After lunch you write up a specification, review technical drawings, and check whether a late delivery will hold up the schedule. Some days you leave the desk to walk a site and see whether an installation matches the design and meets safety rules. Between meetings you get long stretches of quiet focus, but you are always part of a team. You sit a lot.
This could fit you if you…
- ✓Enjoy taking something apart to understand how it works
- ✓Like math that leads to a real object getting built
- ✓Can explain a technical idea clearly in writing and out loud
- ✓Care about details being accurate and deadlines being met
- ✓Want to keep learning as equipment and safety rules change
You might not like it if you…
- –Dislike sitting at a computer for long stretches
- –Would rather avoid meetings, email, and written reports
- –Get frustrated when budgets and schedules limit your design
- –Do not want to spend about four years in college first
How people get in
- 1Load up on math, physics, and any electronics or shop classes your high school offers, and build things on your own if you can.
- 2Earn a bachelor's degree, the typical entry point, in a program such as electrical and electronics engineering, electrical and computer engineering, or electromechanical engineering.
- 3Learn computer-aided design software, the tools engineers use to draw and model systems, through coursework or practice projects.
- 4Do an internship or a co-op, which is a paid work term that counts toward your degree, so you have seen real projects before you graduate.
- 5Start in an entry-level design or project engineering role, where you usually work under experienced engineers who review your calculations and drawings.
- 6Over time, take on project coordination. Some engineers later take an extra exam to become a licensed engineer, which allows them to formally approve designs for projects the public uses.
Who tends to enjoy it
Hands-on
People who like building, fixing, working with tools, machines, plants, or animals.
Curious
People who like figuring things out, research, science, and solving problems.
Organizing
People who like keeping things accurate, orderly, and running on schedule.
Official task list
Electrical Engineers research, design, develop, test, or supervise the manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment, components, or systems for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use. (O*NET)
- Design, implement, maintain, or improve electrical instruments, equipment, facilities, components, products, or systems for commercial, industrial, or domestic purposes.
- Oversee project production efforts to assure projects are completed on time and within budget.
- Direct or coordinate manufacturing, construction, installation, maintenance, support, documentation, or testing activities to ensure compliance with specifications, codes, or customer requirements.
- Perform detailed calculations to compute and establish manufacturing, construction, or installation standards or specifications.
- Operate computer-assisted engineering or design software or equipment to perform engineering tasks.
- Confer with engineers, customers, or others to discuss existing or potential engineering projects or products.
- Investigate or test vendors' or competitors' products.
- Inspect completed installations and observe operations to ensure conformance to design and equipment specifications and compliance with operational, safety, or environmental standards.
A typical day involves
Skills that matter most
- Writing
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Active Learning
What you'll need to know
- Engineering and Technology
- Computers and Electronics
- Design
- English Language
- Mathematics
How much Electrical Engineers make
The median pay for Electrical Engineers in the U.S. is $120,630 a year ($58.00 an hour). Most earn between $76,550 and $184,300. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025)
Pay depends a lot on where you live: the median is highest in New Mexico ($158,520) and lowest in Guam ($64,190).
Pay by state and territory
| State | Median pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $125,630 | 4,600 |
| Alaska | $125,970 | 350 |
| Arizona | $100,550 | 5,370 |
| Arkansas | $96,860 | 900 |
| California | $144,040 | 24,230 |
| Colorado | $120,760 | 4,200 |
| Connecticut | $104,160 | 2,930 |
| Delaware | $126,970 | 660 |
| District of Columbia | $143,000 | 330 |
| Florida | $104,780 | 9,220 |
| Guam | $64,190 | 200 |
| Hawaii | $106,350 | 1,080 |
| Idaho | $129,340 | 1,000 |
| Illinois | $107,860 | 5,460 |
| Indiana | $102,670 | 4,000 |
| Iowa | $105,820 | 1,280 |
| Kansas | $102,630 | 2,100 |
| Kentucky | $98,550 | 1,540 |
| Louisiana | $123,710 | 990 |
| Maine | $114,620 | 1,150 |
| Maryland | $125,150 | 4,650 |
| Massachusetts | $127,720 | 5,040 |
| Michigan | $106,070 | 10,840 |
| Minnesota | $109,510 | 3,150 |
| Mississippi | $104,990 | 1,130 |
| Missouri | $118,670 | 2,410 |
| Montana | $87,360 | 790 |
| Nebraska | $107,260 | 1,060 |
| Nevada | $107,400 | 1,100 |
| New Hampshire | $135,710 | 1,600 |
| New Jersey | $125,370 | 2,940 |
| New Mexico | $158,520 | 2,560 |
| New York | $119,010 | 8,770 |
| North Carolina | $110,130 | 7,090 |
| North Dakota | $110,810 | 260 |
| Ohio | $100,620 | 6,360 |
| Oklahoma | $107,760 | 2,080 |
| Oregon | $125,160 | 2,540 |
| Pennsylvania | $110,820 | 6,970 |
| Puerto Rico | $74,250 | 330 |
| South Carolina | $98,440 | 3,490 |
| South Dakota | $98,980 | 530 |
| Tennessee | $104,450 | 2,830 |
| Texas | $129,450 | 20,870 |
| Utah | $105,720 | 1,680 |
| Vermont | $111,310 | 820 |
| Virginia | $119,030 | 7,260 |
| Washington | $132,710 | 7,610 |
| West Virginia | $113,420 | 500 |
| Wisconsin | $99,700 | 3,550 |
| Wyoming | $111,740 | 280 |
Where to study for this
College programs that commonly lead to this career, and how many US colleges offer each.
- Electrical and Electronics Engineering 452 colleges
- Electrical and Computer Engineering 45 colleges
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering, Other 31 colleges
- Electromechanical Engineering 10 colleges
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Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), occupation 17-2071.00, used under CC BY 4.0 and modified by Whittle. Pay: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), SOC 17-2071. Outlook and entry education: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Program links: NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. How we build these pages.