Accountants vs Mechanical Engineers
Mechanical Engineers earns $20,430 more at the middle. Every figure is US government data you can check.
| Accountants | Mechanical Engineers | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay in the middle median annual wage, May 2025 | $83,680 | $104,110 |
| Pay range 10th to 90th percentile | $56,020 to $144,090 | $73,990 to $164,340 |
| Years of school you pay for our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure | 4 | 4 |
| Typical entry education | Bachelor's degree | Bachelor's degree |
| Jobs opening up each year | 115,300 | 17,800 |
| Growth by 2035 | 5.0% | 11.2% |
| People doing it now | 1,595,200 | 298,500 |
| Where the pay is highest and lowest state medians, not adjusted for cost of living or taxes | $111,530 in Washington DC down to $66,330 in Arkansas | $157,710 in New Mexico down to $80,180 in Arkansas |
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Jobs that use what you already know
Same skills, same knowledge, same daily tasks. Most of these are not on this site.
Accountants
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks
- Financial Examiners
- Treasurers and Controllers
- Tax Preparers
- Financial Managers
- Budget Analysts
What these usually take: Usually a four-year degree, plus a few years of experience.
Mechanical Engineers
- Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- Electrical Engineers
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- Mechatronics Engineers
- Industrial Engineers
- Electronics Engineers, Except Computer
What these usually take: Usually a four-year degree, plus a few years of experience.
O*NET 30.3 Database, U.S. Department of Labor. These are jobs that use similar skills, knowledge and daily tasks. It is a measure of how alike two jobs are — not a record of people moving between them.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational employment and wage data, May 2025, and employment projections 2025-35. Years of school is our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure. State medians are not adjusted for cost of living or taxes, and that difference could be large either way. No advice, just data.