Home / Apprenticeships / Occupations / Mechanical Engineers
Mechanical Engineers: apprenticeship hours and pay
O*NET-SOC 17-2141.00
Approved apprenticeship titles
2 apprenticeship titles on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Mechanical Engineers, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 7,328 hours, for TOOL DESIGN (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| TOOL DESIGN | 0580 | Competency-Based: 7,328 hours Hybrid: 7,328 to 9,160 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours Time-Based (V2): 7,328 hours |
| TOOL DESIGN | 0584 | Time-Based (V2): 7,328 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What mechanical engineers earn, by state
New Mexico has the highest state median for mechanical engineers ($157,710) and Guam the lowest ($61,510), across the 53 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | $157,710 | $75.82 | 2,710 |
| District of Columbia | $133,300 | $64.09 | 510 |
| California | $130,900 | $62.94 | 30,530 |
| Delaware | $125,130 | $60.16 | 610 |
| Colorado | $124,430 | $59.82 | 7,190 |
| Alaska | $124,340 | $59.78 | 380 |
| Maryland | $122,870 | $59.07 | 6,550 |
| Louisiana | $119,540 | $57.47 | 1,890 |
| Massachusetts | $119,300 | $57.36 | 7,680 |
| Wyoming | $117,750 | $56.61 | 230 |
| Rhode Island | $116,230 | $55.88 | 1,560 |
| Texas | $112,410 | $54.05 | 22,080 |
| New Jersey | $112,300 | $53.99 | 4,180 |
| Washington | $110,430 | $53.09 | 8,240 |
| Vermont | $107,330 | $51.60 | 530 |
| Connecticut | $105,090 | $50.52 | 4,600 |
| Michigan | $104,890 | $50.43 | 34,630 |
| South Carolina | $104,580 | $50.28 | 5,780 |
| Virginia | $104,180 | $50.09 | 7,470 |
| New Hampshire | $103,660 | $49.84 | 2,760 |
| Oregon | $103,470 | $49.74 | 2,920 |
| Illinois | $102,680 | $49.37 | 11,790 |
| Nevada | $102,680 | $49.37 | 1,410 |
| Utah | $102,500 | $49.28 | 3,370 |
| New York | $102,440 | $49.25 | 8,590 |
| Maine | $102,430 | $49.25 | 890 |
| Oklahoma | $101,850 | $48.97 | 2,270 |
| Kentucky | $101,050 | $48.58 | 4,170 |
| North Carolina | $100,720 | $48.42 | 9,560 |
| Georgia | $100,620 | $48.37 | 5,290 |
| Arizona | $100,270 | $48.21 | 5,050 |
| Alabama | $100,230 | $48.19 | Not published |
| Florida | $99,980 | $48.07 | 10,740 |
| Indiana | $99,590 | $47.88 | 8,690 |
| Tennessee | $99,550 | $47.86 | 3,930 |
| Missouri | $99,330 | $47.75 | 4,870 |
| Minnesota | $99,140 | $47.66 | 5,890 |
| Ohio | $99,100 | $47.64 | 14,390 |
| Hawaii | $98,740 | $47.47 | 530 |
| Mississippi | $98,000 | $47.12 | 1,570 |
| Pennsylvania | $97,920 | $47.08 | 13,550 |
| Iowa | $97,700 | $46.97 | 3,470 |
| West Virginia | $97,390 | $46.82 | 760 |
| Wisconsin | $95,870 | $46.09 | 7,470 |
| Montana | $94,190 | $45.28 | 500 |
| Idaho | $93,190 | $44.80 | 1,070 |
| South Dakota | $88,380 | $42.49 | 560 |
| Nebraska | $88,060 | $42.34 | 950 |
| North Dakota | $86,330 | $41.51 | 790 |
| Kansas | $86,260 | $41.47 | 4,630 |
| Arkansas | $80,180 | $38.55 | 1,410 |
| Puerto Rico | $72,240 | $34.73 | 490 |
| Guam | $61,510 | $29.57 | 140 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).