Architecture and Engineering Occupations in California, May 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 state estimates. BLS sorts every occupation into one of 22 major groups; this is the Architecture and Engineering Occupations group in California. These are estimates of jobs and wages, not job openings.
The group’s own figures in California
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Occupation group code | 17-0000 |
| Employment | 314,760 |
| Jobs per 1,000 | 17.431 |
| Location quotient | 1.05 |
| Mean annual wage | $127,090 |
| Median annual wage | $119,470 |
| Mean hourly wage | $61.1 |
| Median hourly wage | $57.44 |
| 10th percentile annual wage | $65,000 |
| 25th percentile annual wage | $84,990 |
| 75th percentile annual wage | $160,360 |
| 90th percentile annual wage | $203,550 |
Detailed occupations in this group in California
Every detailed occupation BLS publishes for this group in California, sorted by employment. Rows where BLS publishes no employment estimate (**) come last. Click a column heading to sort. A cell that reads “not published annually” or “not published hourly” means BLS publishes that row on the other basis only. A cell showing * or # is BLS’s own footnote symbol, explained below the table. Each row is that occupation’s own BLS record for California.
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage | Mean annual wage | 10th percentile annual wage | 90th percentile annual wage | Median hourly wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civil Engineers | 54,640 | $118,450 | $122,050 | $77,620 | $171,760 | $56.95 |
| Mechanical Engineers | 27,090 | $126,370 | $131,130 | $77,360 | $188,660 | $60.76 |
| Engineers, All Other | 26,500 | $128,830 | $137,300 | $72,840 | $212,930 | $61.94 |
| Industrial Engineers | 25,830 | $123,070 | $127,280 | $78,540 | $177,300 | $59.17 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 24,200 | $179,880 | $183,350 | $117,180 | # | $86.48 |
| Electrical Engineers | 23,650 | $140,360 | $148,390 | $81,110 | $219,710 | $67.48 |
| Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | 19,560 | $154,670 | $157,940 | $96,510 | $218,990 | $74.36 |
| Architects, Except Landscape and Naval | 13,880 | $105,840 | $123,130 | $65,660 | $181,110 | $50.88 |
| Architectural and Civil Drafters | 12,950 | $74,390 | $78,750 | $51,310 | $113,470 | $35.76 |
| Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians | 12,460 | $84,530 | $90,560 | $58,580 | $130,540 | $40.64 |
| Aerospace Engineers | 9,330 | $143,860 | $157,060 | $102,380 | $224,660 | $69.16 |
| Engineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other | 7,840 | $83,350 | $87,770 | $50,580 | $126,690 | $40.07 |
| Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians | 6,650 | $81,240 | $84,480 | $53,460 | $114,670 | $39.06 |
| Environmental Engineers | 4,770 | $127,660 | $127,730 | $81,520 | $172,480 | $61.37 |
| Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians | 3,990 | $77,350 | $81,730 | $49,620 | $116,670 | $37.19 |
| Surveyors | 3,750 | $103,790 | $109,620 | $57,330 | $158,720 | $49.9 |
| Surveying and Mapping Technicians | 3,670 | $71,860 | $76,350 | $44,920 | $115,050 | $34.55 |
| Mechanical Drafters | 3,360 | $80,430 | $86,550 | $52,070 | $125,990 | $38.67 |
| Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians | 3,300 | $82,210 | $87,720 | $52,070 | $121,240 | $39.52 |
| Electrical and Electronics Drafters | 3,020 | $76,410 | $84,960 | $50,390 | $129,270 | $36.73 |
| Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors | 3,010 | $125,410 | $123,910 | $48,600 | $174,720 | $60.29 |
| Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers | 2,900 | $125,700 | $127,610 | $83,990 | $173,630 | $60.43 |
| Landscape Architects | 2,820 | $98,880 | $111,440 | $60,840 | $191,690 | $47.54 |
| Materials Engineers | 2,760 | $127,550 | $131,080 | $87,070 | $181,500 | $61.32 |
| Drafters, All Other | 2,020 | $71,460 | $76,150 | $48,400 | $108,780 | $34.36 |
| Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians | 1,620 | $78,370 | $89,300 | $56,020 | $128,850 | $37.68 |
| Calibration Technologists and Technicians | 1,320 | $69,840 | $74,740 | $49,930 | $112,320 | $33.58 |
| Chemical Engineers | 1,260 | * | * | * | * | * |
| Petroleum Engineers | 1,190 | $147,780 | $146,850 | $78,510 | $219,170 | $71.05 |
| Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians | 1,160 | $72,140 | $76,070 | $41,600 | $121,390 | $34.68 |
| Cartographers and Photogrammetrists | 1,070 | $106,610 | $107,520 | $69,340 | $135,330 | $51.25 |
| Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians | 900 | $96,370 | $95,090 | $62,930 | $130,780 | $46.33 |
| Nuclear Engineers | 870 | $167,660 | $170,560 | $132,510 | $201,910 | $80.6 |
| Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers | 780 | $142,520 | $135,060 | $81,510 | $172,480 | $68.52 |
| Marine Engineers and Naval Architects | 200 | $128,750 | $119,930 | $63,900 | $167,180 | $61.9 |
Symbols (BLS wording, workbook sheet Field Descriptions sheet): ** indicates that an employment estimate is not available · * indicates that a wage estimate is not available · # indicates a wage equal to or greater than $115.00 per hour or $239,200 per year. A wage shown as a symbol is not zero and not a blank: BLS publishes no number there.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 state estimates. Record: state_M2024_dl.xlsx!AREA=06&OCC_CODE=17-0000. the group row is AREA 06 / OCC_CODE 17-0000, and each table row is its own detailed record for this area, AREA 06 / OCC_CODE 17-xxxx. Reference period: May 2024. Fetched October 2026 from https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24st.zip.
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