Electrical Engineers: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Architecture and Engineering · SOC 17-2071 · O*NET 17-2071.00
Research, design, develop, test, or supervise the manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment, components, or systems for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use.
Electrical Engineers fall under the Architecture and Engineering category in the U.S. occupational classification. Electrical Engineers earn a median salary of $111,910 per year, ranking in the top 8% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +7.2% job growth through 2034, projected to grow at roughly the US average. Entry into this field typically requires a bachelor's degree, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What parents should know about electrical engineers right now
Electrical engineers design, develop, test, and supervise the manufacture of electrical equipment, from the chips inside phones and electric vehicles to the high-voltage transmission lines that move power across states. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects overall employment of electrical and electronics engineers to grow 7 percent from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations, with about 17,500 openings each year over the decade. The median annual wage for electrical engineers specifically was $111,910 in May 2024, and electronics engineers (except computer) earned a median of $127,590. Entry to the profession requires a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or a closely related field from an ABET-accredited program; engineers who offer services directly to the public or who sign off on regulated designs must obtain a Professional Engineer (PE) license, which involves the FE exam, four years of supervised experience, and the PE exam. The trend driving demand is the convergence of three booms: semiconductor manufacturing reshoring tied to the CHIPS and Science Act, the electrification of vehicles and buildings, and the massive power and chip needs of AI data centers, which the U.S. Department of Energy projects could consume 6 to 12 percent of national electricity by 2028. Teens who enjoy physics, math, and tinkering can prepare with AP Physics C, AP Calculus, robotics or FIRST Tech Challenge, and home Arduino or Raspberry Pi projects. The career rewards patience, precision, and a love of how things work.
What do electrical engineers earn?
The median annual wage for electrical engineers is $111,910. That puts electrical engineers at #64 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. Pay at this level is well above the U.S. median household income, signaling sustained demand and meaningful credential requirements. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $74,670 |
| 25th percentile | $87,590 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $111,910 |
| 75th percentile | $141,630 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $175,460 |
| Median hourly wage | $53.80/hr |
Is electrical engineers a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for electrical engineers is +7.2%, projected to grow at roughly the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 192K positions in 2024 to 205K in 2034, a net change of 13K. Average growth signals a healthy, resilient occupation that mirrors broader U.S. employment trends. Job availability tends to track regional economic conditions.
What do electrical engineers do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working electrical engineers, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Oversee project production efforts to assure projects are completed on time and within budget.
- 2.Inspect completed installations and observe operations to ensure conformance to design and equipment specifications and compliance with operational, safety, or environmental standards.
- 3.Investigate customer or public complaints to determine the nature and extent of problems.
- 4.Design, implement, maintain, or improve electrical instruments, equipment, facilities, components, products, or systems for commercial, industrial, or domestic purposes.
- 5.Direct or coordinate manufacturing, construction, installation, maintenance, support, documentation, or testing activities to ensure compliance with specifications, codes, or customer requirements.
- 6.Prepare specifications for purchases of materials or equipment.
- 7.Perform detailed calculations to compute and establish manufacturing, construction, or installation standards or specifications.
- 8.Operate computer-assisted engineering or design software or equipment to perform engineering tasks.
Top skills for electrical engineers
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become electrical engineer?
The standard path into electrical engineers begins with a bachelor's degree in a related field, followed by entry-level experience or internships during college. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Licensing requirements for electrical engineers
Electrical Engineers are regulated at the state level in the United States. Practicing without a current license is not legal in most jurisdictions.
Related careers your child might also consider
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about electrical engineers
What is the median salary for electrical engineers?
The median annual salary for electrical engineers is $111,910 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is electrical engineers a growing career?
BLS projects +7.2% growth for electrical engineers from 2024 through 2034, which is average growth projected to grow at roughly the US average.
What education does my child need to become electrical engineer?
The typical entry path requires a bachelor's degree, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to electrical engineers?
Related occupations within the Architecture and Engineering category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.