SalaryExplorer

SOC 17-2141 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Mechanical Engineers — College Station

College Station-Bryan, TX · 10 metro areas compared

$83,760 /year
$40.27per hour
100jobs in area
−19.5%vs US median

Median pay for this occupation in College Station, TX is $83,760 a year, trailing the national median of $104,110 by 19.5%.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $104,11010TH$53,710MEDIAN$83,76075TH$112,29090TH$134,260

How pay has moved

$113,898$10,0532019202020212022202320242025$83,760
$28,550 in 2019 to $83,760 in 2025, +193.4% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow faster than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+9.1%
Openings per year
18,100
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for College Station-Bryan, TX.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

Median pay for this occupation in College Station, TX is $83,760 a year, trailing the national median of $104,110 by 19.5%. Half of workers earn between $61,590 and $112,290. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $53,710 and the ninetieth at $134,260.

The area has 100 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 0.41 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Houston leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $125,350. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 67th of 360 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · College Station-Bryan, TX · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$53,710−48.4%
25th$61,590−40.8%
Median (50th)$83,760−19.5%
75th$112,290+7.9%
90th$134,260+29.0%
Mean$91,970−11.7%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Texas

Median annual wage for Mechanical Engineers, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Houston$125,3508,310
2Midland$125,200250
3Corpus Christi$124,340280
4Beaumont$122,280470
5Odessa$111,700120
6Austin$106,6901,790
7Texarkana$106,33070
8Tyler$106,240160
9Dallas$105,4205,600
10San Antonio$104,6201,480

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in College Station run 9.0% below the national average, so the median of $83,760 goes as far as $92,044 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 11.6% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$83,760as reported by BLS

Local price level

91.0US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$92,044US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $83,760 a year, 19.5% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $53,710 to $134,260 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 100 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Houston, at $125,350.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Mechanical Engineers in College Station, TX?

The median annual wage is $83,760, or $40.27 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $104,110, so pay in College Station, TX is 19.5% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in College Station, TX earns more than $134,260 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $53,710 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Houston, at $125,350 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 100 jobs in this occupation in College Station, TX. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.