• One to under 3 years: $43,800
  
• 3 to under 6 years: $54,000
  
• 6 to under 9 years: $59,400
  
• 9 to less than 12 years: $65,400
  
• 12 to less than 15 years: $67,100
  
• 15 to less than 10 years: $68,900
  
• 20 to less than 25 years: $71,800
  
• Over 25 years: $73,400.
  

A more revealing comparison is to break down the data by age . And there, we do find that EE incomes peak at 50 to 54 and then hit a significant downslope:

• 20-24: $39,200
  
• 25-29: $49,300
  
• 30-34: $62,900
  
• 35-39: $67,500
  
• 40-44: $68,200
  
• 45-49: $69,300
  
• 50-54: $76,100
  
• 55-59: $70,400
  
• 60-64: $66,200
  
• 65 or older: $51,900.
  

While the peak earning years have varied from survey to survey, the general composition of the curve has not.

EEs start off better than just about anyone at the beginning of their careers; new grads are getting record salaries this year, at about $38,000).

Only newly minted chemical engineers and petroleum engineers beat BSEEs to the salary punch. Engineers have complained over the years that there appears to be a "speed regulator" that lids significant increases after one's 30s.

That regulator, perhaps, is skill set. If you find yourself plateauing, you may need some new tools-including management and communications skills-to reboot the curve upward.

Only 30 of the 891 respondents were women-a small sample. In our 1996 survey, women engineers averaged $62,000, vs. $65,200 for the 852 males. Last year's 20-plus women did better, at $63,300. Given such small samples in both years, though, we can't attach any significance to the drop in salaries.

But some surveys that have delved vertically into the engine ering pool, surveying only women, have found women's salaries to be competitive early in their careers but lagging for those further along.

Those surveys observe that older women may still be playing catch-up with male counterparts in salaries. But women themselves point to a lack of networks and not being given prime assignments as reasons for falling behind. Check out the Women in Technology Web page for additional information.

Heritage factor

By heritage, we get mixed results. Of course, many of these engineers are native U.S. citizens, whose families have been here for decades.

Among those groups with more than 10 respondents:

• White: $64,700
  
• Chinese: $68,300
  
• Asian Indian: $68,800
  
• Hispanic/Mexican: $62,500
  

• African-American: $61,700
  
• Korean: $71,300
  
• Vietnamese: $53,600
  
• Arab or Iranian: $56 ,700
  
• Japanese: $68,900
  

It doesn't show up in our salary surveys. In fact, most of the larger immigrant groups do better than Americans.

Keep in mind that while 21 percent of the total sample name a country of origin other than the United States, we end up with very small pool when we break down the immigrants by their country.

• Taiwan: $73,800
  
• China: $63,600
  
• Hong Kong: $79,100
  
• India : $71,000
  

By comparison, six of the American EEs surveyed are slaving away for under $ 30,000, though they may be partially retired.

Our readers generally do not want to see tighter restrictions put on legal immigration.

"Any reduction of competent engineers from abroad," says an Indian engineer, "will hasten the status of the U.S. to a Third World nation."

"All our highest software-related positions are held by foreigners," replies an engineer who favors stricter immigration. "Americans are relegated to contract positions."

A more comprehensive discussion of the impact of immigration on engineering in the United States appears in our "Opinion" chapter.

Back to EE Times Salary and Opinion Survey

Free Subscription to EE Times First Name Last Name Company Name Title Email address   Click here for your Free Subscription to EETimes Europe