How much does a Mechanical Engineer make in Hawaii?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $95,250 for Mechanical Engineers in Hawaii as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $82,660 and the 75th-percentile is $117,310.

Where does Hawaii rank for Mechanical Engineer pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Hawaii ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

How wide is the wage spread in Hawaii?

P10 to P90 spans $74,180 to $132,950. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

What are the limits of these Mechanical Engineer salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

Does PE license raise mechanical engineer pay in Hawaii?

PE (Professional Engineer) license through Hawaii's engineering board typically adds 5-15% to the BLS-reported median for mechanical engineers, concentrated in industries that require sealed drawings — civil-mechanical (HVAC for buildings), pressure-vessel, oil/gas, and government contracts. In R&D, defense (where security clearance dominates), and consumer-product design, PE has limited wage premium. Hawaii follows the NCEES path: BS-ABET + FE exam + 4 years of progressive experience + PE exam.

BS vs MS in mechanical engineering — does the master's pay back in Hawaii?

MS-ME in Hawaii adds roughly $8-15K to starting pay versus BS-only and shortens the path into specialty roles (CFD, FEA, controls, robotics). The 1.5-2 year tuition + foregone earnings opportunity cost typically breaks even 6-9 years out. PhD-MechE only pays back inside research-heavy positions (national labs, R&D-heavy primes) and largely doesn't lift the BLS-tracked engineering-staff wage in standard industry roles.

How Much Do Mechanical Engineers Make in Hawaii? $95K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

Hawaii pays Mechanical Engineers a BLS median of $95,250 — the more useful number is $86,825, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $74,180 · P25 $82,660 · P75 $117,310 · P90 $132,950.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #51 of 51; nominal rank is #42.

Wage breakdown — Hawaii

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$74,180	$67,619
P25 (lower quartile)	$82,660	$75,349
P50 (median)	$95,250	$86,825
P75 (upper quartile)	$117,310	$106,934
P90 (top tier)	$132,950	$121,191
Mean	$101,040	$92,103
Employment	460 Mechanical Engineers in Hawaii

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Hawaii index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	109.7
Goods	110.3
Services	191.7
Rents	128.7

Hawaii is a high-cost state — RPP 109.7 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (128.7) and services (191.7).

After-tax take-home — Hawaii (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Mechanical Engineer)	$95,250	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$12,202	12.8% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$6,930	1.4–11% (12 brackets)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,287	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$68,831	72.3% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$62,743	÷ (109.7 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Hawaii state-tax burden means for Mechanical Engineer take-home

Hawaii carries one of the heavier state-tax loads in the country at this income tier (7.3% effective on the BLS median). Combined with federal and FICA, gross-to-take-home spread is 27.7%, leaving $68,831 pre-RPP and $62,743 after the 109.7 cost-of-living index — a $32,507 gap from the headline gross.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $102,320 for Mechanical Engineers with mean pay of $110,080 and total employment of 286,760. Hawaii sits at #42 on nominal pay and #51 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Hawaii falls 9 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Mechanical Engineer make in Hawaii?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $95,250 for Mechanical Engineers in Hawaii as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $82,660 and the 75th-percentile is $117,310.
Where does Hawaii rank for Mechanical Engineer pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Hawaii ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
How wide is the wage spread in Hawaii?: P10 to P90 spans $74,180 to $132,950. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
What are the limits of these Mechanical Engineer salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
Does PE license raise mechanical engineer pay in Hawaii?: PE (Professional Engineer) license through Hawaii's engineering board typically adds 5-15% to the BLS-reported median for mechanical engineers, concentrated in industries that require sealed drawings — civil-mechanical (HVAC for buildings), pressure-vessel, oil/gas, and government contracts. In R&D, defense (where security clearance dominates), and consumer-product design, PE has limited wage premium. Hawaii follows the NCEES path: BS-ABET + FE exam + 4 years of progressive experience + PE exam.
BS vs MS in mechanical engineering — does the master's pay back in Hawaii?: MS-ME in Hawaii adds roughly $8-15K to starting pay versus BS-only and shortens the path into specialty roles (CFD, FEA, controls, robotics). The 1.5-2 year tuition + foregone earnings opportunity cost typically breaks even 6-9 years out. PhD-MechE only pays back inside research-heavy positions (national labs, R&D-heavy primes) and largely doesn't lift the BLS-tracked engineering-staff wage in standard industry roles.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 17-2141, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Hawaii Mechanical Engineer pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.