Manufacturing Engineers
Design, integrate, or improve manufacturing systems or related processes. May work with commercial or industrial designers to refine product designs to increase producibility and decrease costs.
Manufacturing Engineers design, integrate, or improve manufacturing systems or related processes. May work with commercial or industrial designers to refine product designs to increase producibility and decrease costs. The role reports a median annual salary of $101,140 in the US with the middle 80% earning between $63,080 and $153,180 and is projected to grow 11% over the next decade (faster than average). Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.48 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Systems Analysis.
Salary distribution (US)
Real salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The p10–p90 spread tells you more than the median alone.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £47,946 a year for Production and process engineers (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £39,642 to £58,754 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2125). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Manufacturing Engineers, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
No single fixed route is listed for this career. These Indian degrees lead to it, according to the US CIP–SOC education-to-occupation crosswalk; open a degree for its entrance exams and colleges.[1]
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Industrial Engineering — B.Tech in Industrial and Production Engineering (four years)
Entrance exams: JEE Main, JEE Advanced, WBJEE, MHT CET
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- CIP 2020 – SOC 2018 crosswalk (NCES / BLS) (read on 2026-09-27)
3 open listings on our jobs board → Recent listings whose job title matches this career. Some jobs in this career are advertised under other titles.
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Engineering and Technology
- Production and Processing
- Mathematics
- Design
- Mechanical
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Computers and Electronics
What you'd actually do
- Troubleshoot new or existing product problems involving designs, materials, or processes.
- Investigate or resolve operational problems, such as material use variances or bottlenecks.
- Identify opportunities or implement changes to improve manufacturing processes or products or to reduce costs, using knowledge of fabrication processes, tooling and production equipment, assembly methods, quality control standards, or product design, materials and parts.
- Apply continuous improvement methods, such as lean manufacturing, to enhance manufacturing quality, reliability, or cost-effectiveness.
- Provide technical expertise or support related to manufacturing.
- Incorporate new manufacturing methods or processes to improve existing operations.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Manufacturing Engineers do?
Design, integrate, or improve manufacturing systems or related processes. May work with commercial or industrial designers to refine product designs to increase producibility and decrease costs.
How much does Manufacturing Engineers earn?
The median annual salary for Manufacturing Engineers in the US is $101,140. The middle 80% of workers earn between $63,080 and $153,180 annually. Entry-to-mid-career earners typically fall between $78,700 and $123,640.
What is the job outlook for Manufacturing Engineers?
The role is projected to grow 11% over the next decade (faster than average). Current US employment is approximately 351,100 workers.
How do I become manufacturing engineers?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Manufacturing Engineers need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Systems Analysis, Judgment and Decision Making. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Manufacturing Engineers?
Our AI-durability model gives Manufacturing Engineers a score of 0.48 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Manufacturing Engineers has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.