Electrical Engineer
Also known as: EE, Electronics Engineer, Hardware Engineer, Circuit Designer
Design, develop, and test electrical systems and equipment, from power grids and semiconductors to consumer electronics.
Salary Range
The highest-paid specialization or seniority level for electrical engineers.
About 1 in 333 reaches this level
About 192K electrical engineers per BLS; Principal/VP Hardware at $370K+ total comp exists primarily at top semiconductor and tech firms like Intel, Qualcomm, and NVIDIA.
Salary data based on 2025 BLS, Glassdoor, and industry reports. Actual compensation varies by location, experience, and employer.
How to Become One
This career typically requires a bachelor's degree. Here are the top colleges for it:
AI Risk Assessment
BLS projects 7% growth from 2024-2034 ("much faster than average"), with about 17,500 annual openings across 192,000 jobs. The BLS specifically notes electrical engineers are "even more insulated from any employment impacts" of AI than other engineering fields, thanks to surging demand from power grid modernization, EV manufacturing, semiconductor fabrication, and AI data center construction -- the data center industry alone contributed 4.7 million jobs in 2023, a 60% increase from 2017. AI is a demand driver for this profession, not a threat to it.
Sources
Ratings reflect a 10-year outlook based on 2025-2026 research, weighted toward entry-level impact. Individual outcomes will vary.
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