National Salary Info » Industrial Engineers

Highest Paying Industries for Industrial Engineers

The top 100 highest paying industries for industrial engineers (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment in those industries are also shown. As shown in the table, with an average annual salary of $121,590, other pipeline transportation is the highest paying industry for industrial engineers. It is followed by oil and gas extraction industry (average annual salary $116,500). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2015 [1]. For more information about salaries of industrial engineers in a specific industry, use the links in the table.

Table 1. 100 Highest Paying Industries for Industrial Engineers

Rank	Industry	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	Other Pipeline Transportation	$121,590	$86,470	40
2	Oil and Gas Extraction	$116,500	$73,600	3,100
3	Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil	$113,120	$61,500	n/a
4	Mining	$111,310	$70,690	3,660
5	Pipeline Transportation	$110,560	$62,480	520
6	Other Information Services	$110,310	$67,450	200
7	Petroleum and Petroleum Products Merchant Wholesalers	$109,400	$67,160	50
8	Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing	$98,820	$60,000	1,280
9	Coal Mining	$96,680	$68,140	90
10	Support Activities for Mining	$94,150	$64,470	250
11	Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas	$94,130	$61,360	70
12	Finance and Insurance	$93,730	$61,830	160
13	Commercial and Industrial Machinery Equipment (except Auto and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance	$93,510	$60,600	390
14	Software Publishers	$93,330	$57,500	420
15	Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation)	$92,930	$67,650	1,320
16	Insurance Carriers	$92,810	$64,690	120
17	Manufacturing and Reproducing Magnetic and Optical Media	$92,700	$63,650	200
18	Direct Insurance (except Life, Health, and Medical) Carriers	$92,520	$63,370	110
19	Insurance Carriers and Related Activities	$92,480	$64,660	130
20	Basic Chemical Manufacturing	$92,250	$58,100	2,000
21	Natural Gas Distribution	$91,840	$60,080	530
22	Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite)	$91,710	$67,490	40
23	Tobacco Manufacturing	$91,390	$53,800	110
24	Information	$91,060	$55,900	1,020
25	Publishing Industries (except Internet)	$90,960	$56,140	510
26	Hardware, and Plumbing and Heating Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	$90,590	$51,750	90
27	Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses	$90,550	$50,820	260
28	Resin, Synthetic Rubber, and Artificial Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing	$90,540	$56,370	1,740
29	Federal, State, and Local Government (OES Designation)	$90,440	$61,240	1,870
30	Federal, State, and Local Government	$90,440	$61,240	1,870
31	Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing	$90,410	$60,720	14,950
32	Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing	$90,280	$60,010	20,460
33	Federal government, including USPS	$90,200	$65,190	1,650
34	Repair and Maintenance	$89,850	$57,150	530
35	Scientific Research and Development Services	$89,810	$58,000	7,330
36	Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences	$89,800	$58,000	7,330
37	Motor Vehicle and Motor Vehicle Parts and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	$89,640	$57,620	450
38	Rail Transportation	$89,630	$65,780	60
39	Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing	$89,270	$63,320	500
40	Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing	$88,940	$54,300	2,130
41	Nonstore Retailers	$88,640	$50,330	290
42	Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing	$88,610	$57,450	32,530
43	Public sector -- Federal, state, and local government, including government owned schools and hospit	$88,310	$60,170	2,380
44	Waste Management and Remediation Services	$87,960	$57,160	410
45	Other Services (except Federal, State, and Local Government)	$87,810	$54,730	610
46	Mining (except Oil and Gas)	$87,750	$61,250	310
47	Other Telecommunications	$87,740	$59,130	40
48	Communications Equipment Manufacturing	$87,720	$55,960	2,920
49	Security Systems Services	$87,660	$53,890	50
50	Investigation and Security Services	$87,660	$53,890	50
51	Farm and Garden Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers	$87,250	$57,430	60
52	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	$87,200	$53,830	26,620
53	Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation)	$87,160	$59,740	460
54	Lumber and Other Construction Materials Merchant Wholesalers	$87,100	$58,020	n/a
55	Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction	$86,970	$62,680	110
56	Computer Systems Design and Related Services	$86,870	$55,990	4,020
57	Telecommunications	$86,760	$45,550	170
58	Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying	$86,680	$60,510	100
59	Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing	$86,580	$55,330	11,830
60	Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services	$86,420	$49,490	2,080
61	Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing	$86,410	$54,870	400
62	Local government, including schools and hospitals	$86,290	$57,470	480
63	Waste Treatment and Disposal	$86,110	$57,620	240
64	Chemical Manufacturing	$86,110	$53,680	11,660
65	Engineering Services	$86,030	$52,220	10,990
66	Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services	$86,030	$52,470	12,530
67	Testing Laboratories	$85,990	$54,840	1,440
68	Utility System Construction	$85,780	$58,190	180
69	Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	$85,680	$53,150	760
70	Utilities	$85,630	$61,680	1,840
71	Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing	$85,420	$53,740	5,570
72	Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing	$85,340	$57,980	250
73	Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction	$85,240	$59,150	240
74	Scheduled Air Transportation	$84,430	$63,080	n/a
75	Air Transportation	$84,430	$63,080	n/a
76	Dairy Product Manufacturing	$84,300	$59,420	640
77	Building Material and Supplies Dealers	$84,070	$56,510	30
78	Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers	$84,070	$56,510	30
79	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - Privately owned	$83,950	$63,890	80
80	Animal Food Manufacturing	$83,860	$51,050	200
81	Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution	$83,840	$62,050	1,300
82	Management of Companies and Enterprises	$83,640	$53,820	12,020
83	Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing	$83,420	$55,700	740
84	Remediation and Other Waste Management Services	$83,200	$53,520	120
85	Converted Paper Product Manufacturing	$83,060	$55,200	2,090
86	Paper Manufacturing	$83,030	$51,450	4,310
87	Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills	$82,990	$47,720	2,220
88	Pesticide, Fertilizer, and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing	$82,930	$46,240	250
89	Paint, Coating, and Adhesive Manufacturing	$82,770	$53,600	400
90	Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing	$82,740	$58,060	440
91	Metal and Mineral (except Petroleum) Merchant Wholesalers	$82,660	$51,490	130
92	Metal Ore Mining	$82,660	$51,240	120
93	Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	$82,260	$53,670	210
94	Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods	$82,250	$51,590	4,120
95	Other Food Manufacturing	$82,210	$56,580	590
96	Beverage Manufacturing	$82,010	$56,230	640
97	Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing	$82,000	$53,160	2,650
98	Transportation Equipment Manufacturing	$81,980	$54,210	42,380
99	Motor Vehicle Manufacturing	$81,790	$59,280	4,980
100	Food Manufacturing	$81,350	$53,700	4,060