EngineeringBLS OEWS 2025 metro-area survey

Manufacturing Engineer Salary in Cincinnati

2026 · Official labour data · 8 comparison cities

$105,140/yr

Last updated: September 2026 · Source: BLS OEWS · May 2025 release · series OEUM001714000000017211213

Typical range: $87,130 $131,980

Very High Confidence · 97/100

✓ Based on official government occupation survey data — not estimated.

How much does a Manufacturing Engineer make in Cincinnati, OH?

A Manufacturing Engineer in Cincinnati earns a median of $105,140/year (about $51/hour). Most earn between $87,130 (25th percentile) and $131,980 (75th percentile); top earners (90th percentile) make $159,860 or more — 19% above the US average. Figures are from BLS employer payroll data, not self-reports.

$77,960
Entry (P10)
$105,140
Median (P50)
$131,980
Top 25% (P75)
$159,860
Top 10% (P90)

Understanding these Manufacturing Engineer salary numbers

We report percentiles, not a single average, because pay isn't evenly spread — a handful of very high earners would drag an average upward and mislead you. Here's exactly what each figure means.

Median (P50) — $105,140

Half of Manufacturing Engineers in Cincinnati earn more than this and half earn less. It's the most honest "typical" salary — better than an average, which gets skewed by a few top earners.

25th percentile (P25) — $87,130

The lower end of the typical range: 75% of Manufacturing Engineers earn more than this. It's common for early-career roles or lower-cost employers. Earning below it is grounds to negotiate.

75th percentile (P75) — $131,980

Your negotiation target: only 25% of Manufacturing Engineers earn above it. Reaching P75 usually means seniority, in-demand specialisations, or simply negotiating from data. See how to negotiate.

90th percentile (P90) — $159,860

Top earners: only 10% of Manufacturing Engineers make this or more — typically senior, highly specialised, or at the best-paying employers.

Gross vs after-tax pay

These figures are gross (before tax). What actually reaches your account depends on your country, state, and deductions. Estimate your net with the take-home calculator.

National vs Cincinnati pay

City figures apply the local market premium to BLS data, so Cincinnati differs from the US average by +19%. A higher number isn't always better once cost of living is counted.

Hourly rate — $51/hr

The hourly figure is the annual median divided by 2,080 (40 hours × 52 weeks). If you regularly work more than 40 hours, your real hourly rate is lower than this. Convert any salary with the salary calculator.

Why this differs from Glassdoor or Payscale

Those sites publish what people say they earn (self-reports), which skew high because higher earners report more often. Our figures come from mandatory employer payroll records (BLS OEWS), so they reflect the whole market — not just a vocal subset.

How current and reliable is this number?

This page carries a confidence score of 97/100, based on the data source and coverage. US figures track the latest BLS release and refresh automatically; international figures use OECD/ILO data. See the changelog for live data freshness.

What counts as a "good" Manufacturing Engineer salary in Cincinnati?

Around the median ($105,140) is solid and $131,980+ is strong — but "good" really depends on local costs. Check what the number is actually worth with the good-salary breakdown for Cincinnati.

Still curious how we get these numbers? Every figure is traceable to a primary source — see the full methodology and data sources.

Cite or reuse this data

Manufacturing Engineer salary in Cincinnati, OH: median $105,140 (P75 $131,980), per BLS OEWS via Official Salary, 2026.

Free JSON: /api/salary?job=manufacturing-engineer&city=cincinnati — no key. API & widgets →

Key insights for Manufacturing Engineers in Cincinnati

✓ Reviewed by the Official Salary Data TeamUpdated September 2026Source: BLS OEWS 2025 metro-area survey 2026Confidence: Very HighMethodology
  • Manufacturing Engineers in Cincinnati earn about 19% more than the national median for the role ($105K vs $88K).
  • Cost of living in Cincinnati runs about 10% below the US average, so $105K is worth roughly $117K at national prices.
  • After a simplified take-home estimate, $105K nets about $78K/yr — roughly $48K/yr left after typical single-person living costs here.
  • Pay climbs with seniority: a senior/staff Manufacturing Engineer reaches about $145K — a +38% step from mid-level.
Official Salary Verdict™
Typical Range

Manufacturing Engineers in Cincinnati typically earn $87K–$132K a year.

Market Median

The market median is $105K — half earn above, half earn below.

Top Earners

Top earners (top 10%) make $160K or more.

High-Paying Role

Based on BLS OEWS 2025 metro-area survey (2026) official survey data.

Official government labour statistics (BLS OEWS)Updated monthly via BLS APIHuman-reviewed methodologyConfidence Score: 97/100Editorial policy →

Manufacturing Engineer Salary Analysis — Cincinnati

Manufacturing Engineers in Cincinnati earn a median salary of $105K, which is 19% above the national median of $88K. Strong regional demand for manufacturing engineers contributes to above-average wages here.

Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) and employer payroll records. Figures represent the median (P50) across all experience levels in Cincinnati.

Cost of Living Adjustment

Cincinnati's cost of living is 10% below the US average. Your $105K salary has the equivalent purchasing power of approximately $117K in a city with average US living costs.

$105K
Nominal salary
-10%
CoL vs US avg
$117K
Real value

Salary Distribution — Cincinnati

5-band distribution from employer payroll records

P10Entry Level
$77,960

New graduates, 0–1 yr exp

P2525th Percentile
$87,130

1–3 years experience

P50Median
$105,140

3–7 years, typical professional

P7575th Percentile
$131,980

Senior / high-performer — target

P90Top 10%
$159,860

Staff / principal / lead

Manufacturing Engineer salary chart for Cincinnati, OH, 2026: median $105K, top 25% earn $132K+, from BLS employer payroll data
Manufacturing Engineer pay in Cincinnati — free to share with attributionDownload chart
+19%
vs US avg
+5%
demand growth
Med
AI risk
Data Confidence
97/100A+
BLS.OEWS.2026.v2Updated Sep 2, 2026

Are You Being Underpaid?

Enter your current salary to see your exact market percentile in Cincinnati

Am I Underpaid?

Enter your current salary to see where you stand

$

Your salary is never stored or transmitted. Calculation runs locally in your browser.

Official Salary Fair Pay Score™

Is $105K a good salary for Manufacturing Engineer in Cincinnati?

Benchmarked against the official BLS wage distribution for Manufacturing Engineers in Cincinnati

50
$105K sits exactly at the market median

Half of Manufacturing Engineers in Cincinnati earn more, half earn less. Enter your own salary in the checker above to see your exact percentile against this distribution.

Bottom 10%: $78K·Median: $105K·Top 10%: $160K
Underpaid← MedianTop earner
Official · 96% confidenceSource reliability: 40/40 (BLS)

Why This Salary?

How we arrived at $105K for Manufacturing Engineers in Cincinnati

✓ Direct
Official BLS OEWS 2025 metro-area survey survey
This salary is anchored to a direct government occupational wage survey — not an estimate.
+19%
OH market level
OH pays 19% above the global baseline for this profession.
-10%
Cincinnati metro premium
This city has a lower cost of living, reflected in typical salary ranges.

Source: BLS OEWS 2025 metro-area survey. All figures reflect 2026 market conditions.

Manufacturing Engineer Salary by Experience Level in Cincinnati

How compensation grows from entry-level through staff / lead

Experience LevelYearsPercentileAnnual SalaryMonthlyHourly
Entry00 yrs$73,598$6,133$35
Junior22 yrs$89,369$7,447$43
Mid-LevelTypical44 yrs$99,883$8,324$48
Senior66 yrs$113,131$9,428$54
Staff1010 yrs$145,093$12,091$70
Principal1414 yrs$170,327$14,194$82
Distinguished1818 yrs$176,635$14,720$85

Based on BLS OEWS percentile distribution. Actual salary depends on employer, skills, and negotiation.

Skills That Earn More — Manufacturing Engineer

Estimated premium above the Cincinnati median based on market demand

Lean Manufacturing+4% ≈ +$4K/yr
Six Sigma+4% ≈ +$4K/yr
CAD/CAM+4% ≈ +$4K/yr
Quality Control+4% ≈ +$4K/yr
PLC+4% ≈ +$4K/yr

Estimates based on job-posting salary premiums for verified high-demand skills.

Manufacturing Engineer Intelligence Report

Career metrics and full compensation breakdown — from BLS demand data

Career Opportunity Score

Composite: demand growth × 1.4 + (100 − AI risk) × 0.4

F29/100
High RiskModerateExceptional
Demand Growth+5%/yr
AI Displacement Risk45% — Moderate
Risk-Adj. Salary Growth+1.5%/yr
High Risk: High automation exposure and slow demand growth. Significant pivot risk by 2030.
$108K
In 2 yrs
$113K
In 5 yrs
$122K
In 10 yrs

Total Compensation — Manufacturing Engineer

Beyond base salary: bonus, equity, and benefits

Total Comp Range
$140K$150K
per year
Base (72%)Bonus (7%)Equity (4%)Benefits (16%)
Base Salary
Median market rate
$105,140
Annual Bonus
Typical: 5–15% of base
$10,514
Equity (annualised)
~6% of base — RSUs/options
$6,308
Benefits Value
~22% — healthcare, 401k, PTO
$23,131
Total Comp (mid)
$145,093

Bonus, equity, and benefits are modelled estimates from category norms (not scraped from any single employer); base is BLS. Actual total comp varies by employer, level, and negotiation.

Typical Benefits for Manufacturing Engineers

— show

Often adds 20–35% to your effective pay

Health Insurance
Medical, dental, vision
401(k) Match
Avg 3–6% employer match
PTO
15–25 days / year
Remote / Hybrid
Common in this role
Total compensation tip: Always negotiate base salary first. Equity, signing bonus, and remote flexibility have the highest negotiation leverage.

Compare Manufacturing Engineer Salaries by City

How Cincinnati, OH stacks up against other major markets

CityMedianP75vs US avg
Cincinnati, OH (current)$105,140$131,980++19%
New York, NY$105,840$130,260++20%
San Francisco, CA$125,888$154,099++43%
Seattle, WA$127,782$156,417++45%
Austin, TX$103,610$134,360++18%
Boston, MA$118,970$133,510++35%
Chicago, IL$101,760$126,580++16%
Los Angeles, CA$113,040$134,930++28%
Denver, CO$108,680$130,890++24%

Official Salary Career GPS™

What should I do next as a Manufacturing Engineer?

O*NET · US Dept of Labor

Higher-paying roles in the same field

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average Manufacturing Engineer salary in Cincinnati, OH?

Per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025), manufacturing engineers in the Cincinnati metro area earn a median of $105,140 per year (BLS series OEUM001714000000017211213). The top 25% earn $132K+ per year.

What is a good Manufacturing Engineer salary in Cincinnati, OH?

The 75th percentile ($132K/yr) is the professional benchmark — what the top quarter already earns. It's a documented, negotiable target backed by BLS payroll data. Anything above the median ($105K) is above-average for this role in Cincinnati, OH.

How much does a Manufacturing Engineer earn per hour in Cincinnati, OH?

Based on the median annual salary of $105K, a Manufacturing Engineer in Cincinnati, OH earns approximately $51/hr (2,080-hour work year). The P75 rate is ~$63/hr.

Is Cincinnati, OH a good market for Manufacturing Engineers?

Cincinnati, OH pays 19% above the US national average for this role. BLS projects 5% employment growth for Manufacturing Engineers over 2022–2032, and AI automation risk is rated moderate for this occupation.

How do I negotiate a higher Manufacturing Engineer salary in Cincinnati, OH?

Cite the BLS P75 figure ($132K) — it is verifiable public data from government payroll records. Request the full compensation package: base + equity/bonus + benefits. Timing matters: negotiate at the offer stage, not after acceptance. Counter with a specific number, not a range.

What is the entry-level Manufacturing Engineer salary in Cincinnati, OH?

Entry-level Manufacturing Engineers in Cincinnati, OH (10th–25th percentile) earn roughly $78K–$87K per year, rising toward the $105K median with experience and in-demand skills.

What does a senior Manufacturing Engineer earn in Cincinnati, OH?

Senior Manufacturing Engineers in Cincinnati, OH — the top quartile up to the 90th percentile — earn about $132K–$160K per year, with the top 10% making $160K+.

How Is This Salary Calculated?

Every number is derived from a transparent, reproducible methodology — no estimates, no black boxes.

Where does the salary data come from?

US metro figures are published estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, which covers roughly 1.1 million employer establishments. Where BLS does not publish a figure for an occupation and area, this site shows a modeled estimate and labels it as one.

How is the Cincinnati figure calculated?

The BLS publishes metro-area occupational wage statistics for 300+ US metropolitan areas. For Cincinnati, Official Salary uses the BLS metro premium ratio (metro median ÷ national median) and applies it to the national baseline.

What do P10, P25, P50, P75, and P90 mean?

These are salary percentiles from employer payroll records. P50 (median) means 50% of workers earn less. P75 means 75% earn less — this is the recommended negotiation anchor. P10 and P90 represent the bottom 10% and top 10% respectively.

How is take-home pay estimated?

Take-home pay is estimated using progressive tax brackets from official government sources (IRS for US, HMRC for UK, ATO for Australia, etc.). Social contributions (National Insurance, FICA, etc.) are added. These are estimates — actual take-home depends on deductions, filing status, and location.

How often is data updated?

US BLS salary data refreshes every 24 hours via the BLS public API. OECD international wages refresh monthly. ECB currency rates refresh every 4 hours.

Full formulas and source citations on the methodology page.

What a Manufacturing Engineer salary really means in Cincinnati

Take-home pay, rent affordability, and remote benchmarking — on the $105,140 median.

Estimated take-home

$82,125/yr

$6,844/month net

Gross median
$105,140
Income tax
$14,972
Social / FICA
$8,043
Effective rate
22%

Federal income tax only (FICA included). State income tax varies. Single-filer estimate — not tax advice.

Rent affordability

15%

of take-home on a typical 1-bed (~$1,058/mo)

The 30% rule says housing should stay under 30% of take-home. Here it's comfortably within that line. After all living costs (~$2,520/mo), roughly $4,324/mo is left to save or invest.

Cost-of-living estimate for Cincinnati; rent ≈ 42% of budget.

Remote vs onsite

$88,000$105,140

typical fully-remote benchmark range

Onsite Manufacturing Engineers in Cincinnati earn the local median of $105,140. Fully-remote roles are usually benchmarked between the US median ($88,000) and the local rate — employers increasingly set remote pay by national or regional bands, not your city.

Compare all Manufacturing Engineer markets →
✓ Reviewed by the Official Salary Data TeamUpdated September 2026Source: BLS OEWS 2025 metro-area survey 2026Confidence: Very HighMethodology

How to reach the top 25% as a Manufacturing Engineer in Cincinnati

The gap between a typical Manufacturing Engineer and the top quartile in Cincinnati is $26,840/year — about $2,237/month more than the median. Reaching the 75th percentile ($131,980) usually comes down to seniority, in-demand specialisations, and negotiating from real data instead of hoping for a raise.

Salary trend data not available for this occupation.

Education Premium — Manufacturing Engineer

How degree level affects salary · ACS Census data

High School / GED
-30%
~$74K
Associate's Degree
-14%
~$90K
Bachelor's DegreeBASELINE
~$105K
Master's Degree
+20%
~$126K
Doctoral (PhD)
+28%
~$135K
Professional (MBA/JD/MD)
+18%
~$124K

Source: US Census Bureau ACS PUMS · BLS OES wage data.

Negotiation Deep-Dive

Get your data-backed negotiation opening ask and walking-away floor.

📊Your exact market percentile based on BLS distribution
🎯P75 target + 10% stretch as your opening ask price
🚪Walking-away floor so you know when to move on
Cincinnati benchmarks
$105K
Market median
$132K
P75 target
$160K
Top 10%

Negotiation Calculator

Enter your current salary to see your market position and opening ask

$
Manufacturing Engineer in Cincinnati — Distribution
P10
$78K
P25
$87K
P50
$105K
P75
$132K
P90
$160K
Enter your salary above to see your negotiation position

Data Source & Attribution

This page’s figures are published estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey , May 2025 release, series OEUM001714000000017211213. Verify them directly at bls.gov/oes. International figures draw on OECD Average Wages, Eurostat SES, and ILO ILOSTAT.

BLS.OEWS.2026.v2

Sep 2, 2026

Full methodology →
Check If You're Underpaid →