BLS OEWS, May 2025

Mechanical engineer salary in Washington, DC

What mechanical engineers are paid in Washington, DC, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with how your own pay compares. Figures from the BLS OEWS release dated May 2025.

Median annual pay

$126,990

Middle half earn

$100,800 to $160,230

People in this job here

5,390

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Mechanical Engineers, Washington, DC, annual pay, May 2025

10th percentile
$85,760
25th percentile
$100,800
Median
$126,990
75th percentile
$160,230
90th percentile
$195,190

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 17-2141. Percentiles across everyone employed in the occupation, not experience levels.

At a glance

How Washington, DC compares

  • The median here is 22% above the national median of $104,110.
  • Washington, DC ranks 4th for median pay among the 50 largest US metros with published figures for this occupation.
  • About 5,390 people work in this occupation here, roughly 1 in every 582 jobs in the metro.
  • Pay varies widely within the job: the 90th percentile earns 2.3 times the 10th.

Worked from BLS OEWS, May 2025. Not adjusted for the cost of living.

Washington, DC against the national figures
PercentileWashington, DCNational
10th percentile$85,760$73,990
25th percentile$100,800$84,130
Median$126,990$104,110
75th percentile$160,230$132,590
90th percentile$195,190$164,340

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 17-2141. National page for mechanical engineers

By metro

Other metros for mechanical engineers

Median annual pay in the largest US metros where BLS published figures for this occupation, highest first, May 2025.

Medians from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Skills

What employers look for in a mechanical engineer

The skills our mechanical engineer resume example leads with, written for US employers.

  • SolidWorks
  • CREO
  • GD&T
  • Finite element analysis
  • Tolerance stack-up
  • Design for manufacturability
  • Injection molding
  • Sheet metal design
  • CNC machining
  • Thermal analysis

See the full mechanical engineer resume example, with bullets and keywords.

Negotiating

Using these numbers

Below $100,800 puts you in the bottom quarter for mechanical engineers in Washington, DC. That is worth raising, with evidence of what you deliver.

The median, $126,990, is the middle of the market, not a ceiling. An offer at or near it is a fair starting point to negotiate from.

Asking for $160,230 or more puts you in the top quarter, so it needs a reason an employer will accept: a wider scope, a competing offer, or a skill that is hard to hire for.

Percentiles are not experience levels. They describe everyone doing the job, so a senior hire can sit at the median of a market full of senior people.

About the numbers

What these figures are

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys employers for its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and these figures are from the release dated May 2025. They cover wage and salary workers in Mechanical Engineers, a category that is often broader than a single job title. Self-employed people are not included.

They are base pay: bonuses, equity and overtime are not included, and they are not adjusted for the cost of living. The metro is Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV as BLS defines it.

Questions

Questions about mechanical engineer pay in Washington, DC

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