Engineering · 25 Cities Ranked

Highest Paying Cities for Industrial Engineer (2024)

The median Industrial Engineer salary is $136,290 in San Jose, CA, the highest-paying city for this role. After adjusting for cost of living, Houston, TX offers the best purchasing power at $120,383 adjusted.

$109,313

National Median

$136,290

Highest City

$99,880

Lowest City

Cities Ranked

Ranked by Median Salary

Rank	City	Median	Range (10th–90th)	COL Index	COL-Adjusted	Jobs
1	San Jose, CA	$136,290	$88,680 – $210,070	195.8	$69,607	3,850
2	San Francisco, CA	$133,790	$85,840 – $202,860	179.6	$74,493	4,630
3	Portland, OR	$126,530	$82,270 – $207,180	130.1	$97,256	5,440
4	Seattle, WA	$126,310	$83,710 – $177,010	149.4	$84,545	5,350
5	Houston, TX	$116,170	$62,930 – $177,840	96.5	$120,383	8,210
6	San Diego, CA	$114,400	$77,730 – $172,700	160.2	$71,411	3,110
7	Washington, DC	$110,110	$79,810 – $183,690	152.8	$72,062	1,750
8	Phoenix, AZ	$110,100	$79,660 – $176,860	100.7	$109,335	5,400
9	Boston, MA	$109,960	$81,060 – $164,250	152.1	$72,295	8,450
10	Los Angeles, CA	$108,300	$77,340 – $168,120	166	$65,241	8,900
11	Miami, FL	$107,400	$67,760 – $162,780	123.1	$87,246	3,490
12	New York, NY	$107,000	$78,010 – $156,570	187.2	$57,158	7,910
13	Denver, CO	$106,800	$80,030 – $159,910	112.8	$94,681	2,410
14	Dallas, TX	$105,070	$73,230 – $164,120	104.1	$100,932	10,150
15	Nashville, TN	$102,850	$73,070 – $141,750	100.3	$102,542	1,890
16	Minneapolis, MN	$102,440	$77,190 – $153,930	106.2	$96,460	14,250
17	Charlotte, NC	$102,110	$74,750 – $137,030	96.7	$105,595	2,640
18	Raleigh, NC	$101,880	$74,690 – $136,220	99.8	$102,084	1,660
19	Salt Lake City, UT	$101,340	$71,180 – $135,040	101.4	$99,941	2,250
20	Austin, TX	$101,090	$60,280 – $165,390	103	$98,146	3,570
21	Philadelphia, PA	$101,040	$73,110 – $153,980	118.4	$85,338	5,900
22	Chicago, IL	$100,940	$65,880 – $141,130	107.3	$94,073	10,640
23	Detroit, MI	$100,940	$77,440 – $140,410	95.1	$106,141	17,080
24	Tampa, FL	$100,090	$62,450 – $136,980	99.6	$100,492	2,200
25	Atlanta, GA	$99,880	$70,190 – $151,580	99.2	$100,685	3,800

Ranked by Purchasing Power (COL-Adjusted)

Cost-of-living adjusted salaries show where your Industrial Engineer paycheck goes furthest. A lower COL index means your dollars stretch further.

Rank	City	COL-Adjusted	Raw Median	COL Index
1	Houston, TX	$120,383	$116,170	96.5
2	Phoenix, AZ	$109,335	$110,100	100.7
3	Detroit, MI	$106,141	$100,940	95.1
4	Charlotte, NC	$105,595	$102,110	96.7
5	Nashville, TN	$102,542	$102,850	100.3
6	Raleigh, NC	$102,084	$101,880	99.8
7	Dallas, TX	$100,932	$105,070	104.1
8	Atlanta, GA	$100,685	$99,880	99.2
9	Tampa, FL	$100,492	$100,090	99.6
10	Salt Lake City, UT	$99,941	$101,340	101.4
11	Austin, TX	$98,146	$101,090	103
12	Portland, OR	$97,256	$126,530	130.1
13	Minneapolis, MN	$96,460	$102,440	106.2
14	Denver, CO	$94,681	$106,800	112.8
15	Chicago, IL	$94,073	$100,940	107.3
16	Miami, FL	$87,246	$107,400	123.1
17	Philadelphia, PA	$85,338	$101,040	118.4
18	Seattle, WA	$84,545	$126,310	149.4
19	San Francisco, CA	$74,493	$133,790	179.6
20	Boston, MA	$72,295	$109,960	152.1
21	Washington, DC	$72,062	$110,110	152.8
22	San Diego, CA	$71,411	$114,400	160.2
23	San Jose, CA	$69,607	$136,290	195.8
24	Los Angeles, CA	$65,241	$108,300	166
25	New York, NY	$57,158	$107,000	187.2

Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose, CA pays the highest median Industrial Engineer salary at $136,290. However, after cost-of-living adjustment, Houston, TX offers the most purchasing power at $120,383 adjusted.

The national median Industrial Engineer salary is $109,313 based on BLS data. Salaries range from $99,880 to $136,290 depending on city.

Not necessarily. A city with higher nominal pay may have a higher cost of living that offsets the salary difference. Compare the "COL-Adjusted" column in both tables above — cities with lower costs of living often offer better real purchasing power.