Industrial Engineers
Also called Engineer, Industrial Engineer, Process Engineer, or Project Engineer
Updated · Source: O*NET 31.0
What Industrial Engineers do
You figure out how a factory or warehouse should really run, then redesign the steps, the layout, and the costs so fewer steps are wasted.
Industrial engineers study how work gets done and make it work better. That means looking at the whole system: the order of steps to build a product, where machines and workbenches sit, how materials move, how much everything costs, and how people fit into it safely. You might time a process, study quality data, redraw a floor layout on a computer, or estimate what a design change would do to the budget.
The job mixes desk work with time on the production floor. You read specifications, crunch numbers, and write up recommendations. Then you walk out, often in safety gear, to see the real machines and talk with the people running them. This kind of work shows up anywhere lots of things have to move on schedule.
A day in the life
You start at a desk in a climate-controlled office, clearing email and checking yesterday's production numbers. Mid-morning you pull on safety glasses, a vest, and steel-toed boots and walk the floor, watching one assembly step and asking the operator what slows them down. Back at your computer, you sketch a new layout and run the cost math. After lunch you meet with your team and a manager to talk through a quality problem, then take a call with a supplier about part specifications. Late in the day you write up what you found and what you recommend. Much of the thinking is solo. Much of the checking and convincing happens face to face.
This could fit you if you…
- ✓Enjoy finding the wasteful step nobody else noticed
- ✓Like math and data but want to see the results in a physical place
- ✓Feel comfortable explaining your reasoning to managers, machine operators, and suppliers
- ✓Want work that is part office, part production floor
- ✓Care about things being accurate, orderly, and on schedule
You might not like it if you…
- –Want to avoid four years of college math, science, and engineering courses
- –Dislike telling people their current way of working needs to change
- –Prefer building one thing yourself over analyzing how hundreds get built
- –Get frustrated when a good plan stalls because of costs or other departments
How people get in
- 1Take as much math, physics, and computer work as you can in high school, and get curious about how things are made.
- 2Earn a bachelor's degree, which is the typical way in. Common majors include industrial engineering, systems engineering, manufacturing engineering, engineering or industrial management, and packaging science.
- 3Do a co-op (a paid work placement that counts toward your degree) or an internship at a factory, hospital, or distribution center so you have seen a real production floor before you graduate.
- 4Get comfortable with the tools of the trade: statistics, cost analysis, and computer drafting software for laying out equipment and workspace.
- 5Apply for entry-level roles, which may be posted as process engineer, project engineer, or simply industrial engineer, and expect to learn the specific plant from experienced engineers.
- 6Later on, many engineers add short courses or certificates in a specialty, or simply go deep in one industry.
Who tends to enjoy it
Organizing
People who like keeping things accurate, orderly, and running on schedule.
Curious
People who like figuring things out, research, science, and solving problems.
Hands-on
People who like building, fixing, working with tools, machines, plants, or animals.
Official task list
Industrial Engineers design, develop, test, and evaluate integrated systems for managing industrial production processes, including human work factors, quality control, inventory control, logistics and material flow, cost analysis, and production coordination. (O*NET)
- Estimate production costs, cost saving methods, and the effects of product design changes on expenditures for management review, action, and control.
- Plan and establish sequence of operations to fabricate and assemble parts or products and to promote efficient utilization.
- Analyze statistical data and product specifications to determine standards and establish quality and reliability objectives of finished product.
- Confer with clients, vendors, staff, and management personnel regarding purchases, product and production specifications, manufacturing capabilities, or project status.
- Communicate with management and user personnel to develop production and design standards.
- Evaluate precision and accuracy of production and testing equipment and engineering drawings to formulate corrective action plan.
- Recommend methods for improving utilization of personnel, material, and utilities.
- Record or oversee recording of information to ensure currency of engineering drawings and documentation of production problems.
A typical day involves
Skills that matter most
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Writing
What you'll need to know
- Engineering and Technology
- Production and Processing
- Mechanical
- Design
- English Language
How much Industrial Engineers make
The median pay for Industrial Engineers in the U.S. is $102,440 a year ($49.25 an hour). Most earn between $74,370 and $159,860. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025)
Pay depends a lot on where you live: the median is highest in Alaska ($156,510) and lowest in Puerto Rico ($81,820).
Pay by state and territory
| State | Median pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $99,880 | 7,650 |
| Alaska | $156,510 | 220 |
| Arizona | $108,280 | 7,520 |
| Arkansas | $98,410 | 1,710 |
| California | $124,600 | 32,680 |
| Colorado | $109,750 | 5,200 |
| Connecticut | $104,160 | 6,020 |
| Delaware | $120,190 | 820 |
| District of Columbia | $103,300 | 160 |
| Florida | $101,610 | 14,050 |
| Georgia | $100,100 | 8,940 |
| Hawaii | $123,800 | 50 |
| Idaho | $100,840 | 1,330 |
| Illinois | $100,540 | 18,640 |
| Indiana | $97,480 | 11,680 |
| Iowa | $97,690 | 3,600 |
| Kansas | $99,830 | 3,450 |
| Kentucky | $96,820 | 6,070 |
| Louisiana | $122,920 | 1,710 |
| Maine | $101,030 | 1,030 |
| Maryland | $119,930 | 3,900 |
| Massachusetts | $109,420 | 11,470 |
| Michigan | $101,680 | 30,990 |
| Minnesota | $102,660 | 17,580 |
| Mississippi | $95,830 | 2,450 |
| Missouri | $99,290 | 5,070 |
| Montana | $104,430 | 390 |
| Nebraska | $98,170 | 1,160 |
| Nevada | $102,090 | 1,570 |
| New Hampshire | $101,310 | 1,940 |
| New Jersey | $103,840 | 6,870 |
| New Mexico | $128,090 | 1,140 |
| New York | $102,640 | 11,810 |
| North Carolina | $99,310 | 11,580 |
| North Dakota | $96,940 | 600 |
| Ohio | $100,060 | 23,480 |
| Oklahoma | $97,510 | 2,170 |
| Oregon | $128,290 | 5,810 |
| Pennsylvania | $99,560 | 13,180 |
| Puerto Rico | $81,820 | 2,750 |
| Rhode Island | $109,350 | 990 |
| South Carolina | $101,060 | 7,960 |
| South Dakota | $93,200 | 830 |
| Tennessee | $99,080 | 7,440 |
| Texas | $104,560 | 30,980 |
| Utah | $103,940 | 5,520 |
| Vermont | $103,010 | 440 |
| Virginia | $102,550 | 5,580 |
| Washington | $129,050 | 6,130 |
| West Virginia | $108,360 | 850 |
| Wisconsin | $96,980 | 13,070 |
| Wyoming | $122,070 | 240 |
Where to study for this
College programs that commonly lead to this career, and how many US colleges offer each.
- Industrial Engineering 157 colleges
- Engineering / Industrial Management 217 colleges
- Systems Engineering 119 colleges
- Manufacturing Engineering 89 colleges
- Packaging Science 14 colleges
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Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), occupation 17-2112.00, used under CC BY 4.0 and modified by Whittle. Pay: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), SOC 17-2112. Outlook and entry education: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Program links: NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. How we build these pages.