H-1B salary guideSOC 17-2141Rank #10Updated May 2026

Mechanical Engineers

H-1B prevailing-wage data for Mechanical Engineers (SOC 17-2141). Based on 54,681 Labor Condition Applications filed with the US Department of Labor.

Median wage

$95,200

P50 across filings

P25 wage

$80,000

lower quartile

P75 wage

$124,800

upper quartile

Filings

54,681

Rank #10

Summary

Mechanical Engineers (SOC 17-2141) are among the most common H-1B occupations, with 54,681 filings in the program. H-1B mechanical engineers earn a median wage of $95,200, with the middle 50% earning between $80,000 and $124,800.

Wages increase significantly with DOL prevailing wage levels. Level I positions (entry-level) range from $67K–$84K median. Level II (intermediate) spans $81K–$105K. Level III (experienced) reaches $101K–$142K, and Level IV (fully competent) commands $123K–$180K. This progression reflects experience, responsibility, and specialization within the role.

California leads in H-1B mechanical engineer sponsorships with 13,608 filings and a median wage of $134,198—substantially higher than other states. Michigan (6,895 filings, $88,350 median) and Texas (5,117 filings, $100,000 median) follow. Top employers include Apple Inc., Tesla Inc., Cummins Inc., L&T Technology Services Limited, and Cognizant Technology Solutions US Corp.

mechanical engineers H-1B salary
H-1B prevailing wage mechanical engineer
mechanical engineer sponsorship by state
DOL wage level mechanical engineer
H-1B mechanical engineer California

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Wage by DOL prevailing-wage level

P25 / P50 / P75 of offered annual wage at each PW_WAGE_LEVEL. Level I = entry, Level IV = expert — the I-to-IV gap is the career runway.

Level	N	P25	Median	P75
Level I	11,593	$66,581	$72,800	$83,762
Level II	22,398	$80,837	$89,378	$105,000
Level III	9,541	$100,589	$118,560	$142,438
Level IV	7,605	$122,762	$150,060	$180,000

Top hiring states

Worksite states with the most filings for this SOC, with the local median wage.

#	State	Filings	Median
1	CA	13,608	$134,198
2	MI	6,895	$88,350
3	TX	5,117	$100,000
4	OH	2,461	$82,742
5	IL	2,334	$83,200
6	IN	2,066	$80,642
7	NY	1,889	$96,563
8	MA	1,693	$99,125
9	WA	1,659	$125,044
10	AZ	1,609	$95,742

13,608

6,895

5,117

2,461

2,334

2,066

1,889

1,693

1,659

1,609

Top sponsoring employers

Who actually files most for this role.

#	Employer	Filings
1	Apple Inc.	558
2	Tesla, Inc.	553
3	Cummins Inc.	471
4	L&T Technology Services Limited	323
5	COGNIZANT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS US CORP	230
6	FORD MOTOR COMPANY	197
7	KLA Corporation	187
8	HCL AMERICA INC	178
9	Tech Mahindra (Americas) Inc.	172
10	Goken America, LLC	165

Apple Inc.

558

Tesla, Inc.

553

Cummins Inc.

471

L&T Technology Services Li…

323

COGNIZANT TECHNOLOGY SOLUT…

230

FORD MOTOR COMPANY

197

KLA Corporation

187

HCL AMERICA INC

178

Tech Mahindra (Americas) I…

172

Goken America, LLC

165

Median wage by fiscal year

How the typical offered wage for this SOC has drifted across fiscal years.

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