Entry-Level Electrical Engineer Salary (2026): What New Grad EEs Actually Make

The average entry-level electrical engineer salary is $81,510 per year ($39.19/hour) in 2026, based on the 10th percentile of BLS wage data. New EE starting pay ranges from $29,996 to $123,695 in Sunnyvale, CA — driven by semiconductor (Nvidia, TSMC, Intel, AMD), FAANG hardware, defense (Lockheed, Boeing, Northrop, Raytheon), power utility, and FE / PE license track.

$81,510

Avg Starting Salary

$39.19

Starting Hourly

$125,033

Median Target

1676+

Cities Tracked

2019 BLS

$63,020

2025 BLS

$76,550

2026 Current Est.

$79,344

2019–2027 Growth

+30.5%

National Entry-Level Electrical Engineer Salary Trend (10th Percentile)

2019–2025: BLS OEWS actual data. 2026+: CAGR 3.65% projection.

BLS Actual Estimated Projected

Year	Entry-Level Salary (P10)	Status
2019	$63,020	Actual
2020	$64,870	Actual
2021	$62,360	Actual
2022	$65,480	Actual
2023	$69,320	Actual
2024	$74,670	Actual
2025	$76,550	Actual
2026(current)	$79,344	Estimated
2027	$82,240	Projected

Entry-level electrical engineer salaries (10th percentile) have shown consistent growth over 7 years of BLS data. The 10th percentile represents typical starting pay for new graduates and early-career professionals. At the current 3.65% CAGR, starting salaries are projected to continue rising through 2027.

Note: BLS actual data is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. Estimated and projected values are calculated using a 3.65% historical CAGR. Actual compensation may vary based on employer, experience, certifications, and local market conditions.

Starting Electrical Engineer Salary by State

Entry-level electrical engineer pay varies dramatically by state. The top-paying states offer starting salaries well above $81,510, while others fall below the national average. Here are all 52 states ranked by average starting salary for electrical engineers.

#	State	Avg Starting Pay	Median Target	Growth Potential	Cities
1	New Mexico	$101,956	$159,452	+$57,496	17
2	New Hampshire	$99,313	$162,555	+$63,242	16
3	Washington	$97,577	$139,578	+$42,001	49
4	California	$91,448	$151,332	+$59,884	157
5	District of Columbia	$87,916	$131,034	+$43,118	1
6	New Jersey	$87,524	$135,950	+$48,426	61
7	Oregon	$86,533	$131,197	+$44,664	36
8	Alaska	$85,475	$128,706	+$43,231	5
9	Colorado	$83,899	$124,833	+$40,934	32
10	Vermont	$83,768	$116,609	+$32,841	9
11	Minnesota	$83,598	$119,611	+$36,013	44
12	Connecticut	$82,463	$116,409	+$33,946	29
13	Maine	$82,363	$117,926	+$35,563	10
14	Pennsylvania	$81,722	$120,720	+$38,998	24
15	New York	$81,640	$125,045	+$43,405	39
16	Delaware	$81,466	$126,261	+$44,795	6
17	Massachusetts	$81,317	$131,271	+$49,954	59
18	Rhode Island	$80,720	$119,282	+$38,562	17
19	Virginia	$80,662	$112,631	+$31,969	42
20	Louisiana	$80,433	$131,589	+$51,156	20
21	Michigan	$79,934	$113,423	+$33,489	54
22	Missouri	$79,670	$119,001	+$39,331	33
23	Alabama	$79,602	$125,402	+$45,800	24
24	Iowa	$79,510	$108,993	+$29,483	26
25	West Virginia	$79,481	$118,072	+$38,591	11
26	Utah	$79,030	$111,823	+$32,793	41
27	Texas	$78,739	$131,937	+$53,198	109
28	Hawaii	$78,720	$116,054	+$37,334	10
29	Nevada	$78,601	$112,320	+$33,719	9
30	Idaho	$78,298	$130,775	+$52,477	16
31	North Dakota	$78,103	$114,226	+$36,123	8
32	Illinois	$77,711	$115,084	+$37,373	64
33	Arizona	$77,651	$108,336	+$30,685	33
34	Tennessee	$77,538	$110,667	+$33,129	30
35	Wisconsin	$77,468	$103,550	+$26,082	46
36	Wyoming	$76,913	$110,523	+$33,610	14
37	Oklahoma	$76,402	$115,689	+$39,287	27
38	Ohio	$76,329	$104,921	+$28,592	67
39	Georgia	$75,764	$110,008	+$34,244	39
40	South Carolina	$75,538	$106,781	+$31,243	26
41	Montana	$74,841	$104,722	+$29,881	7
42	Indiana	$74,769	$105,155	+$30,386	43
43	Arkansas	$73,650	$104,182	+$30,532	21
44	Kansas	$73,145	$112,087	+$38,942	22
45	Maryland	$73,075	$123,341	+$50,266	28
46	North Carolina	$72,717	$119,848	+$47,131	45
47	Florida	$72,643	$114,242	+$41,599	83
48	Mississippi	$71,603	$109,369	+$37,766	20
49	South Dakota	$68,057	$104,921	+$36,864	11
50	Nebraska	$67,144	$106,387	+$39,243	13
51	Kentucky	$65,713	$102,475	+$36,762	21
52	Puerto Rico	$52,612	$80,315	+$27,703	2

Beginner Electrical Engineer Pay: Top 20 Cities

These 20 metro areas offer the highest starting salaries for new electrical engineers. Each figure represents the 10th percentile of local BLS wage data — the typical pay range for professionals with little to no experience.

#	City	Starting Salary	Median Target	vs National
1	Sunnyvale, CA	$123,695	$198,440	+51.75%
2	San Jose, CA	$121,167	$193,888	+48.65%
3	Santa Clara, CA	$120,804	$197,137	+48.21%
4	Petaluma, CA	$112,211	$169,265	+37.66%
5	Albuquerque, NM	$108,034	$169,696	+32.54%
6	Santa Cruz, CA	$107,703	$138,435	+32.13%
7	Oakland, CA	$106,383	$176,007	+30.51%
8	Vallejo, CA	$105,806	$165,902	+29.81%
9	Kennewick, WA	$104,013	$132,869	+27.61%
10	Walla Walla, WA	$102,562	$125,541	+25.83%
11	Seattle, WA	$101,712	$145,328	+24.78%
12	Nashua, NH	$101,398	$166,346	+24.40%
13	San Francisco, CA	$101,059	$172,090	+23.98%
14	Kokomo, IN	$100,561	$110,439	+23.37%
15	Manchester, NH	$100,385	$165,177	+23.16%
16	Fremont, CA	$99,833	$172,124	+22.48%
17	Santa Rosa, CA	$99,442	$170,898	+22.00%
18	Longview, WA	$98,011	$133,024	+20.24%
19	Kaneohe, HI	$97,392	$148,226	+19.48%
20	Wenatchee, WA	$97,390	$137,782	+19.48%

Electrical Engineer Salary With No Experience: New Grad Reality

The 10th percentile of BLS wage data is the standard proxy for entry-level electrical engineer pay — predominantly new BSEE / MSEE grads in their first year. Nationally, that sits at $81,510 ($39.19/hour) for 2026. New EE offers vary 2x by employer tier — semiconductor / FAANG hardware vs defense vs utility vs federal contractor vs power utility pay very differently.

What New Grad Electrical Engineers Actually Earn (Year 1)

FAANG hardware EE (top tier) — Apple, Google (TPU/Pixel), Amazon (Annapurna/AWS chips), Meta (Reality Labs), Microsoft (Azure silicon). $130,000–$170,000 base + $30,000–$70,000 stock + $15,000–$25,000 bonus.
Nvidia / AMD / Broadcom / Qualcomm hardware EE (top semi tier) — $125,000–$170,000 base + stock + bonus. Premium GPU / AI silicon track.
Intel / TSMC / Samsung / Micron / GlobalFoundries / Texas Instruments — $90,000–$120,000 base + stock + bonus.
Tesla / SpaceX / Rivian EE — $95,000–$130,000 base + stock + bonus. Premium EV / aerospace track.
Defense contractor EE (Lockheed, Boeing, Northrop, Raytheon, BAE, GD, L3Harris) — $80,000–$105,000 base + clearance premium + bonus. Strong with TS/SCI.
Power utility EE (Duke Energy, Exelon, NextEra, AEP, Dominion, Con Edison, PG&E) — $72,000–$92,000 base + pension + bonus.
Federal EE (NASA, DOE, NRC, NIST, GS-7 to GS-9) — $52,000–$75,000 base + pension + PSLF.
Federal contractor EE (Booz Allen, SAIC, Leidos) — $80,000–$110,000 base + clearance premium + PSLF.
EPCM power / energy (Black & Veatch, Burns & McDonnell, Bechtel, Fluor) — $72,000–$92,000 base.
Small consulting EE / electrical design — $60,000–$80,000 base.

FE / EIT + PE License Track

ABET-accredited BSEE — required for licensure path. 4-year program.
FE Electrical exam — take senior year.
EIT certification — first license stage.
PE Electrical (Power / Electronics / Computer) — requires 4 years experience + PE exam.
State-specific PE registration — register per state for stamp authority.
MSEE / PhD EE — preferred at semiconductor / FAANG hardware.
Security clearance (Secret / TS / TS/SCI) — required at defense + premium federal contractor roles.
NCEES exam administration — National Council of Examiners.
NEC (National Electrical Code) familiarity — required for power / building electrical.
Specialty certs (BICSI RCDD for low-voltage, NASTeC for renewable) — niche premium.

Setting Selection: FAANG / Semi / Defense / Utility / Federal / EPCM

FAANG hardware (top tier total comp) — Apple, Google, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft.
Top semiconductor (Nvidia, AMD, Broadcom, Qualcomm) — premium AI silicon track.
Mid-tier semi (Intel, TSMC, Samsung, Micron, TI, GF) — strong second tier.
EV / aerospace (Tesla, SpaceX, Rivian) — premium emerging tech.
Defense contractor (Lockheed, Boeing, Northrop, Raytheon, BAE) — clearance premium.
Power utility (Duke, Exelon, NextEra, AEP, Dominion, Con Edison, PG&E) — pension + bonus.
Federal EE (NASA, DOE, NRC, NIST) — pension + PSLF.
Federal contractor (Booz Allen, SAIC, Leidos) — clearance premium + PSLF.
EPCM power / energy (Black & Veatch, Burns & McDonnell, Bechtel) — premium project work.
Small consulting / electrical design — broader exposure.

Year-by-Year Progression to EE National Median

Year 0–1 (P10 baseline, EIT) — $81,510 national average.
Year 1–4 (EIT to PE eligible) — 8–15% annual raises. Stock vesting at FAANG / semi.
Year 4–5 (PE license OR senior IC promotion) — PE adds $5K–$15K + signing bonus at AEC / utility; senior IC at FAANG = $50K–$100K bump.
Year 5–8 (senior engineer / project engineer) — approaches state median.
Year 8–12 (staff / principal at FAANG; senior PM at utility / defense) — staff at FAANG = $400K–$700K total.
Year 12+ (distinguished / fellow / chief engineer) — distinguished at FAANG = $700K–$1.5M+ total.

2026 New Electrical Engineer Salary Outlook

Entry-level EE pay has grown at a compound annual rate of 3.65% nationally — driven by CHIPS Act semiconductor fab buildout, AI silicon arms race (Nvidia, AMD, custom hyperscaler chips), defense modernization spending, EV / battery / charging infrastructure, grid modernization for renewables, and acute structural shortage of power electrical engineers. The BLS projects electrical engineer employment growth at 9% through 2033.

Entry-Level to Mid-Career: Electrical Engineer Salary Growth

Electrical Engineer salaries follow a predictable growth curve. Here's how pay typically progresses from entry-level to experienced:

Entry (P10)

$81,510

Year 0-1

Early Career (P25)

$98,174

Year 1-3

Mid-Career (P50)

$125,033

Year 3-7

Experienced (P75-P90)

$155,918–$185,561

Year 7+

$81,510$98,174$125,033$185,561

How to Maximize Your Starting Electrical Engineer Salary

New grad EEs who strategically target FAANG hardware, top semiconductor, or premium defense contractor positions, stack MSEE, and pursue TS clearance consistently land starting compensation 50–100%+ above the national average. Here's how to maximize your first electrical engineer total comp:

1. Target FAANG Hardware / Top Semi / Premium Defense

FAANG hardware (top tier) — Apple, Google (TPU/Pixel), Amazon (Annapurna), Meta (Reality Labs), Microsoft (Azure silicon).
Top semi (Nvidia, AMD, Broadcom, Qualcomm) — premium AI silicon.
Mid-tier semi (Intel, TSMC, Samsung, Micron, TI) — strong second tier.
EV / aerospace (Tesla, SpaceX, Rivian) — premium emerging tech.
Top defense contractor + TS clearance (Lockheed, Boeing, Northrop, Raytheon, BAE) — clearance premium.
Premier metros — SF Bay Area, Austin, Boston, Seattle, San Diego, DC.
Highest-paying new EE metro — Sunnyvale, CA at $123,695.

2. Complete MSEE + FE + Stack Internships

ABET-accredited BSEE — required minimum.
MSEE (Master of Science Electrical Engineering) — preferred at semiconductor / FAANG hardware / R&D.
FE Electrical exam — take senior year.
EIT certification — first license stage.
Top-tier internship (FAANG / Nvidia / Tesla / SpaceX) — strongest new-grad pipeline.
Design projects portfolio — GitHub / write-ups for hardware + firmware + RF projects.
Verilog / SystemVerilog / VHDL / Cadence / Synopsys / SPICE fluency — required for digital / analog IC.
Power systems / MATLAB / PSCAD / PSS/E — required for power utility.

3. Pursue Security Clearance for Defense Path

Secret clearance (entry, ~6 months) — most defense contractor positions require minimum.
Top Secret clearance (12-18 months) — premium defense positions.
TS/SCI clearance (premium) — premier intel community + DoD positions.
Polygraph (CI / Lifestyle) — premium NSA / CIA / clandestine roles.
US citizenship — required for clearance.
Clean credit + background — required.
Defense contractor sponsorship — Lockheed / Boeing / Northrop / Raytheon / BAE / GD / L3Harris.
Federal direct (NASA, DOE, NRC, NIST) — direct hire path + pension + PSLF.

4. Negotiate Base + Stock + Signing

FAANG offer structure — base + 4-year stock + signing + relocation.
Levels.fyi / Blind benchmarks — exact published levels.
Competing offers — strongest leverage. Run 3–4 parallel.
Signing bonus — $15,000–$60,000 at FAANG / top semi; $5,000–$20,000 elsewhere.
Stock refresher / on-hire RSUs — clarify cliff + vesting schedule.
Relocation — $5,000–$25,000 typical.
FE / PE / cert reimbursement — standard at AEC + utility.
Performance bonus (10–25% target) — verify target % + payout history.

5. Plan Staff / Principal / Distinguished / Chief Engineer Path

Senior IC (years 3-5) — typical first major level jump.
Staff / Principal at FAANG / semi (5–8 years) — $400,000–$700,000+ total.
Distinguished engineer / Fellow / Chief Engineer (8–15 years) — $700,000–$1.5M+ total.
Engineering manager / director track — alternative management ladder.
PE license (year 4) — required for power / utility / consulting stamp.
MBA / specialty masters — pivot to product or strategy.
Independent consulting (post 5-7 years) — $200–$400/hour for senior specialty.
Startup founder / CTO path — premium hardware startup founder track.

More Salary Resources

National OverviewComplete salary data for 1676+ cities Hourly Pay RatesPer-hour rates, part-time calculations Salary by StateAll 52 states compared Highest Paying StatesTop states ranked by salary

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the entry level electrical engineer salary?

The average entry level electrical engineer salary is $81,510 per year (approximately $39.19/hour) in 2026. This figure represents the 10th percentile of BLS wage data, which closely approximates what new graduates and first-year electrical engineers earn.

How much do new electrical engineers make with no experience?

New electrical engineers with no experience typically start around $81,510 per year nationally. However, starting pay varies significantly by location — from $29,996 in lower-paying areas to $123,695 in top-paying metro areas like Sunnyvale, CA.

What state pays entry-level electrical engineers the most?

New Mexico pays entry-level electrical engineers the most, with an average starting salary of $101,956 per year across 17 metro areas.

How long does it take to reach the median electrical engineer salary?

Most electrical engineers reach the national median salary of $125,033 within 3 to 5 years of clinical practice. Those who pursue specialized certifications (local anesthesia, laser therapy) or work in high-demand settings can reach median pay sooner.

Is electrical engineering school worth the investment?

Yes. With an average starting salary of $81,510 and program costs typically ranging from $18,000 to $45,000, most electrical engineering graduates recoup their education investment within 1-3 years. The median salary of $125,033 and strong job growth (9% projected through 2033, faster than average) make it one of the best returns on investment in healthcare education.

Written by Amina Patel, MEng, PE

Career Analyst

Amina has over 10 years of experience in power systems engineering. She works at a utility company specializing in renewable energy integration.

Clinically reviewed by Carlos Martinez, BSEEData verified by Nia Thompson, MEng

Data Sources & Methodology

Source: BLS, OEWS 2025, released May 2026.

Compiled and verified by Amina Patel, MEng, PE, a licensed electrical engineer with 10+ years of clinical experience. · View source data at BLS.gov

Methodology & Data Source

Salary figures on this page are 2026 projections based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2026 release. We applied a 3.65% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), derived from 6-year national BLS trends, to estimate current 2026 compensation.