Mechanical Engineer vs Electrical Engineer: Which Field Is Better?

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

Dimension

Mechanical Engineer

Electrical Engineer

Median pay

$102,320

$111,910

Projected growth (2024–34)

9.1%

7.2%

Annual openings

18,100

11,700

2024 employment

293,100

192,000

2034 projected employment

319,600

205,700

Self-employed share

1.2%

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

None

Mechanical Engineer: main tradeoff

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

Electrical Engineer: main tradeoff

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

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 Mechanical Engineer or Electrical Engineer.