Benefits July 9, 2001

Petroleum Engineers Run Out of Gas in Comp Survey

July 9, 2001 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Total annual income for engineers, a profession that seems to have escaped the downsizing tsunami, rose 4.6%, according to a new survey.

Reported by

Nevin E. Adams

The 2001 National Society of Professional Engineers Income and Salary Survey found that the median income of the 8,000 engineer respondents was $79,000.

In general, female engineers are suffering from a gender gap, earning just 71% of the median income of their male counterparts, according to the NSPE’s 35th national compensation survey.

Forensic engineers topped the list of full-time salaried engineers with a median income of $143,500, displacing petroleum engineers, who have been at the top of the list for the past decade. This year that category came in second, at $114,616, while nuclear engineers were third at $102,970.

Bay Watch

As they did last year, engineers in the San Francisco metropolitan area earned the most at $114,393, with West Jersey coming in second at $112,000. El Paso, Texas, reported the lowest median income, $53,150.

Founded in 1934, NSPE serves more than 59,000 members and the public through 53 state territorial societies and more than 500 chapters.