2027 Salary Guide · Automation and robotics
There is no BLS line for automation engineers, so this page starts from Engineers, All Other, the occupation O*NET uses for mechatronics and robotics engineers. Its median was $122,930 in May 2025, about $130,500 projected to 2027. Whether that number fits you depends on what you automate: a PLC programmer, a robotics engineer and a software test engineer are paid on different scales.
Why the title is confusing
Job boards use the same title for work that BLS classifies in at least three different occupations. Knowing which one a role really is matters more than any single salary figure.
Industrial controls and plant automation. Programming PLCs, HMIs and motion systems, commissioning production lines and integrating machines. This guide benchmarks this work to electrical engineers, the same line used for controls engineers.
Robotics and mechatronics. Designing robotic cells, end effectors and electromechanical systems. O*NET lists Robotics Engineers and Mechatronics Engineers as specialties inside Engineers, All Other, which is why that occupation anchors this page.
Software test automation. Writing automated test suites and CI pipelines for software. Despite the shared title, BLS classifies this as Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers, a computer occupation with its own pay scale.
If a posting mixes all three, ask which one the team spends most of its time on. That answer decides which pay line in the table below is the right benchmark.
Pick your benchmark
National medians from BLS, May 2025. None of these is a measured figure for the automation engineer title; each is the closest occupation BLS publishes.
| Kind of automation work | Closest BLS occupation | BLS median |
|---|---|---|
| Robotics, mechatronics, automated systems design | Engineers, All Other | $122,930 |
| PLC, HMI and plant controls programming | Electrical Engineers (as for controls engineers) | $120,630 |
| Software test automation | Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | $104,300 |
| Line integration and manufacturing process automation | Industrial Engineers (as for manufacturing engineers) | $102,440 |
Occupation assignments follow O*NET classifications and the mappings used elsewhere in this guide. Compare the 2027 estimates in the comparison table further down.
Pay distribution
Engineers, All Other is a catch-all of about 166,700 engineers in specialties BLS does not list separately. Its range is wide, $66,810 at the 10th percentile to $189,950 at the 90th. The shaded band shows the middle of that range as a rough guide for automation engineer offers. Treat it as an approximation, not a measured automation engineer figure.
Typical for the Automation Engineer title: $90,970 to $158,090 (25th to 75th percentile of Engineers, All Other)
| Percentile | BLS, May 2025 | 2027 planning estimate |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $66,810 | $71,000 |
| 25th percentile | $90,970 | $96,500 |
| Median | $122,930 | $130,500 |
| 75th percentile | $158,090 | $168,000 |
| 90th percentile | $189,950 | $202,000 |
BLS has no automation engineer category. O*NET's closest match is Mechatronics Engineers, part of Engineers, All Other, the BLS group this page uses.
Compare
These are the BLS occupations the different kinds of automation work most often fall under. Controls engineers (counted as electrical engineers) sit within about $2,300 of the catch-all median; software QA and manufacturing engineering lines sit about $18,600 to $20,500 lower.
| Role | BLS median | 2027 estimate | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Automation Engineer | $122,930 | $130,500 | Average |
| Controls Engineer | $120,630 | $128,000 | Much faster than average |
| Manufacturing Engineer | $102,440 | $109,000 | Much faster than average |
| QA Engineer | $104,300 | $111,000 | Faster than average |
| Mechanical Engineer | $104,110 | $110,500 | Much faster than average |
Local pay
Washington, DC has the most engineers in this catch-all occupation (about 9,230, ahead of Los Angeles at about 7,530) and a $151,340 median, which likely reflects federal and defense engineering more than factory automation. Detroit, with about 5,800 jobs and a $126,250 median, is closer to the plant-floor automation market. The Bay Area pays the most at $159,800; Miami pays the least of the 29 metros at $91,790.
| Metro area | Median | 10th – 90th | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay Area | $159,800 +30% | $86,080 – $273,780 | 4,850 |
| Washington, DC | $151,340 +23% | $83,700 – $195,190 | 9,230 |
| Seattle | $137,430 +12% | $75,800 – $209,600 | 2,260 |
| New York City | $135,300 +10% | $82,450 – $197,490 | 5,780 |
| Boston | $133,940 +9% | $86,120 – $194,310 | 2,490 |
| San Diego | $132,790 +8% | $77,310 – $195,190 | 3,570 |
| Denver | $131,740 +7% | $79,030 – $188,240 | 1,270 |
| Albany | $130,810 +6% | $81,590 – $175,780 | 580 |
| Houston | $130,270 +6% | $63,700 – $195,190 | 3,490 |
| Portland | $126,380 +3% | $80,810 – $183,190 | 1,850 |
| Metro area | Median | 10th – 90th | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit | $126,250 +3% | $77,730 – $166,730 | 5,800 |
| Los Angeles | $125,060 +2% | $72,110 – $187,640 | 7,530 |
| Atlanta | $122,570 +-0% | $67,810 – $166,420 | 2,750 |
| Chicago | $121,910 -1% | $61,860 – $172,260 | 1,570 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul | $120,040 -2% | $73,940 – $167,120 | 1,040 |
| Charlotte | $118,230 -4% | $72,140 – $167,750 | 1,030 |
| Baltimore | $113,880 -7% | $58,460 – $189,520 | 2,340 |
| Pittsburgh | $112,420 -9% | $62,970 – $161,530 | 870 |
| Providence | $110,520 -10% | $57,180 – $195,190 | 430 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | $110,010 -11% | $60,540 – $170,360 | 2,720 |
| Austin | $109,610 -11% | $75,870 – $172,820 | 1,070 |
| Hartford | $109,080 -11% | $73,960 – $159,220 | 600 |
| Raleigh | $104,910 -15% | $63,130 – $163,180 | 970 |
| Phoenix | $102,280 -17% | $63,240 – $169,910 | 1,180 |
| Buffalo | $100,280 -18% | $62,040 – $165,890 | 430 |
| Nashville | $98,000 -20% | $59,650 – $154,560 | 1,450 |
| Philadelphia | $97,590 -21% | $61,510 – $164,650 | 2,160 |
| Tampa | $92,790 -25% | $59,740 – $164,290 | 870 |
| Miami | $91,790 -25% | $52,460 – $157,600 | 1,330 |
BLS metro estimates, May 2025. Percent compares the metro median with the national median. "Jobs" is BLS estimated employment in the metro; blank where BLS does not publish it.
Career path
BLS does not publish pay by experience. These stages are mapped onto the Engineers, All Other percentiles as a planning guide.
About $67,000 to $91,000 (10th to 25th percentile)
Supports commissioning and troubleshooting, edits existing PLC or robot programs, and documents changes. Field and start-up travel is common at system integrators.
About $91,000 to $158,000 (25th to 75th percentile)
Owns a cell, a line or a test framework from design through start-up. Engineers who can work across controls platforms and also write higher-level code move up this band fastest.
About $158,000 to $190,000 (75th to 90th percentile)
Sets automation standards for a plant or product line, leads integration projects and reviews other engineers' designs.
Outlook
BLS projects average growth (3% to 4%) for Engineers, All Other through 2035, with about 8,800 openings a year. That projection covers every specialty in the group, from energy to photonics, so it says little about automation specifically.
BLS Employment Projections via O*NET OnLine. Projections cover Engineers, All Other as a whole.
FAQ
Automation engineer is not one of the occupations BLS prices. The closest occupation, Engineers, All Other, had a median of $122,930 in May 2025, about $130,500 in 2027 terms. Controls-focused roles track electrical engineers ($120,630 median), and software test automation tracks QA analysts and testers ($104,300).
Often the jobs overlap: both may program PLCs and commission equipment. Controls engineer usually means the electrical and control-system side, which this guide benchmarks to electrical engineers ($120,630 median). Automation engineer is broader and can also mean robotics design or software test automation.
Software test automation is classified by BLS as Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers, a computer occupation rather than an engineering one. Its national median was $104,300 in May 2025, about $18,600 below the Engineers, All Other median used for industrial and robotics automation.
As a planning range, the 10th to 25th percentiles of Engineers, All Other were $66,810 to $90,970 in May 2025. Entry roles at system integrators often include site travel. Pay rises quickly once an engineer can run a commissioning project without supervision.
Often, yes, especially for commissioning and start-up work. For Engineers, All Other, the BLS hourly median was $59.10 in May 2025, with the 10th percentile at $32.12. Contract rates are usually quoted above employee hourly pay because they exclude benefits, but BLS does not publish contract rates.
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