Electrical Engineer vs Mechanical Engineer: Which Field Is Better?

Dimension	Electrical Engineer	Mechanical Engineer
Median pay	$111,910	$102,320
Projected growth (2024–34)	7.2%	9.1%
Annual openings	11,700	18,100
2024 employment	192,000	293,100
2034 projected employment	205,700	319,600
Self-employed share	1%	1.2%
Typical entry education	Bachelor's degree	Bachelor's degree
Related work experience	None	None
On-the-job training	None	None

Dimension

Electrical Engineer

Mechanical Engineer

Median pay

$111,910

$102,320

Projected growth (2024–34)

7.2%

9.1%

Annual openings

11,700

18,100

2024 employment

192,000

293,100

2034 projected employment

205,700

319,600

Self-employed share

1.2%

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

None

Electrical Engineer: main tradeoff

Strong pay, broad physical-world applications, and growth tied to power systems, semiconductors, electrification, and infrastructure.

Mechanical Engineer: main tradeoff

Solid pay and broad industry optionality, with automation itself creating demand for engineers who integrate increasingly complex equipment.

Which should you choose?

Electrical Engineer has the higher national median pay in the BLS data. Mechanical Engineer has the higher projected 2024–2034 growth rate. The larger decision is whether you prefer the training path, work style, and occupation-specific tradeoffs of Electrical Engineer or Mechanical Engineer.