Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $74K, rent takes 33.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,599/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,400/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new mechanical engineering technologists and technicians typically earn — is $63K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,751/month.

Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $74K locally vs. $75K nationally, a 1% difference.

South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area pays $74K median vs. the U.S. average of $75K — that’s -1%.

The median is $74,120 a year, that works out to about $36 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $62,520, and experienced mechanical engineering technologists and technicians can clear $92,920. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,804/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,599/month, which eats 33.3% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median mechanical engineering technologists and technicians salary is worth about $74,120 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.