Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers Salary

Bureau of Labor Statistics title: Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers

The median electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assemblers salary in the United States is $45,850 per year ($22.04/hour). Salaries range from $35,350 at the entry level to $62,950+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 246,970 electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assemblers jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to grow 4.6% through 2034.

Last updated: June 2026 Β· Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Median Salary
$45,850
per year
Hourly Rate
$22.04
per hour
Employment
246,970
jobs in the U.S.

Salary Distribution

10th percentile
$35,350
25th percentile
$38,380
Median
$45,850
75th percentile
$51,670
90th percentile
$62,950

Job Growth (2024-2034)

+4.6%
As fast as average

Annual Openings

29,600
jobs/year (growth + replacements)

Education Required

High school diploma or equivalent

Training Needed

Moderate-term on-the-job training

Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers Career Guide

Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assemblerss.

Electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assemblers build circuit-board assemblies (PCBAs), medical devices, aerospace subassemblies, defense electronics, and battery packs. Employers span contract electronics manufacturing services (EMS) at Jabil, Flex, Sanmina, Benchmark Electronics, and Celestica; medical-device makers Medtronic, Stryker, Boston Scientific; defense primes Raytheon (RTX), Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and L3Harris; and battery/EV OEMs including Tesla battery pack assembly at Gigafactory Nevada and Fremont. BLS national median is $45,850 (about $22.05/hr); p10 sits at $35,350 and p90 at $62,950, with 246,970 workers nationally. The p90 tier is dominated by ITAR-cleared aerospace and defense assemblers, IPC-A-610 Class 3 certified medical-device assemblers, and Tesla battery-pack Sr technicians whose hourly + overtime + stock component clears $62-78k.

Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For

IPC-A-610 & IPC J-STD-001 workmanship standards
The industry standard for PCB assembly quality. Class 2 covers general electronics; Class 3 (high-reliability) is required for medical, aerospace, and defense. IPC Certified Specialist (CIS) status is worth $2-5/hr and required for any Medtronic, Raytheon, or Lockheed Martin cell.
Hand soldering & rework
Fine-pitch SMT rework (0201, 01005 passives; 0.4mm-pitch BGAs), through-hole insertion soldering, and wire termination. J-STD-001 certification proves the technique. A skilled rework tech at Jabil or Flex earns $4-7/hr above general assembly.
SMT line operation (pick-and-place, reflow, AOI)
Load reels into Panasonic, Fuji, or ASM (Siemens) pick-and-place machines; monitor reflow oven profile; interpret AOI (automated optical inspection) reject reasons. SMT line techs at Sanmina or Benchmark earn $22-30/hr.
ESD (electrostatic discharge) discipline
Wrist straps grounded, ionizers running, ESD-safe packaging, ESD-flooring in the assembly bay. A single unprotected touch to a $200 IC can cost the batch. ANSI/ESD S20.20 compliance is mandatory at every serious EMS.
Traceability & Device History Record (DHR) discipline
Medical device assembly under 21 CFR Part 820 requires complete DHR β€” every operator signature, every serial number, every lot code. Skipping a signature on a Medtronic pacemaker cell triggers a full-batch quarantine worth six figures.
Torque & fastener sequence discipline
Assembly torque specs are audited on every airframe, medical device, and battery pack. Follow the sequence (star pattern, cross pattern, or as specified in the work instruction). At Tesla battery-pack assembly, torque data is captured per fastener by the smart wrench and reviewed in QA.
Reading engineering drawings, BOMs, and work instructions
Understand a schematic, BOM, and a mechanical drawing well enough to catch a work-instruction error before you build 200 defective units. Sr assemblers at Raytheon and Lockheed catch these and are compensated for it.

How to Become a Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers

  1. 1
    High school diploma or GED + basic manual dexterity
    Required at every EMS, medical, and aerospace employer. Some employers also administer a dexterity test (bead-string, small-part assembly) and a vision screen.
  2. 2
    Apply for entry-level assembler at an EMS or OEM
    Jabil, Flex, Sanmina, Benchmark, Celestica hire entry assemblers at $17-20/hr. Medical (Medtronic, Stryker, Boston Scientific) starts $19-23/hr. Defense (Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman) starts $20-25/hr but requires US citizenship and clearance eligibility.
  3. 3
    Complete IPC-A-610 CIS (Certified Specialist) certification
    The foundational cert. Class 2 covers general electronics; Class 3 covers high-reliability. Employer typically pays the $150-350 cert fee. Adds $1-3/hr immediately.
  4. 4
    Add J-STD-001 (soldering) certification and cross-train on SMT
    J-STD-001 CIS is the soldering-specific credential and moves you from general assembly into hand-solder and rework at $22-28/hr. SMT line certification (Panasonic, Fuji, or ASM) opens the SMT operator track.
  5. 5
    Get security clearance for defense work if eligible
    SECRET clearance takes 6-12 months and requires US citizenship. Cleared assemblers at Raytheon and Lockheed Martin earn a $3-6/hr differential and have effectively lifetime employability in the defense sector. TS/SCI is worth another $3-5/hr.
  6. 6
    Move into Sr Assembler β†’ Lead β†’ Manufacturing Technician β†’ Supervisor
    4-8 years to lead ($27-34/hr); 8-14 years to manufacturing technician ($30-42/hr) or production supervisor ($72-105k salaried). ITAR-cleared plus IPC-A-610 Class 3 Trainer (CIT) is the fastest promotion combination.

Career Progression

Entry Assembler
0-2 yrs$36k-44k ($17.50-21/hr) + shift differential
  • β€’Manual through-hole insertion, cable termination, mechanical subassembly per work instruction
  • β€’Follow ESD, torque, and traceability discipline on every unit
  • β€’Complete IPC-A-610 Class 2 CIS certification in first 6-12 months
  • β€’Signature/DHR entries on medical or aerospace lines under supervision
Next: Sr assembler or SMT operator at 18-30 months with CIS certifications.
Sr Assembler / SMT Operator
2-5 yrs$44k-56k ($21-27/hr) + shift differential + OT
  • β€’Own a station on an SMT line (pick-and-place, reflow, AOI, wave) or a complex hand-assembly cell
  • β€’Perform first-piece and in-process inspection to IPC-A-610 Class 2 or Class 3
  • β€’Complete J-STD-001 hand solder certification; run rework and touch-up on defective units
  • β€’Own DHR / MRB (material review board) documentation on medical or aerospace lines
Next: Lead assembler or rework tech at 4-7 years with J-STD-001 + CIT credential.
Lead Assembler / Rework Technician
4-8 yrs$56k-72k ($27-34/hr) + shift differential + OT
  • β€’Lead an assembly cell of 6-15 operators or run the rework bench for a $10-40M-per-year product line
  • β€’Perform BGA rework, fine-pitch SMT rework, and complex diagnostic troubleshooting
  • β€’Own IPC-A-610 CIT (Certified Trainer) responsibility β€” train and certify operators in the cell
  • β€’Coordinate MRB decisions with quality engineering; scrap-vs-rework calls on high-value assemblies
Next: Manufacturing technician or production supervisor at 7-12 years.
Manufacturing Technician / Production Supervisor
7-14 yrs$72k-105k salaried + shift bonus + OT eligibility (technician track)
  • β€’Manufacturing tech: own SMT line PMs, changeovers, process engineering support, and equipment troubleshooting
  • β€’Supervisor: own 25-60 assemblers/techs across 1-3 shifts; hit throughput, yield, and audit targets
  • β€’For medical/aerospace: own FDA 21 CFR Part 820 or AS9100 audit readiness on the cell
  • β€’For defense: own ITAR compliance, cleared-workforce management, and contract-milestone delivery
Next: Production manager or process engineering role at 12-18 years.
Production Manager / Sr Manufacturing Engineer
12+ yrs$105k-165k salaried + 15-25% bonus + LTIP at large OEMs
  • β€’Own an entire production line, product family, or manufacturing engineering scope
  • β€’Report to Plant Manager or Director of Operations; peer to Quality Manager and Materials Manager
  • β€’Own capex planning ($1-8M annually), yield-improvement projects, and new-product introduction (NPI)
  • β€’Lead ISO 9001, ISO 13485 (medical), AS9100 (aerospace), or ITAR compliance for the line

Interview Questions & Answers

5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 15 total plus resume bullets for every level.

Q1. Walk through what happens when you touch a live static-sensitive IC without your wrist strap grounded.technical
Nothing visible happens. That's the problem. ESD damage on a modern IC is often latent β€” the part passes final test at the EMS, ships to the customer, and fails 200-2,000 hours into field operation. On a $12,000 medical device or a $180,000 aerospace subassembly, that latent failure comes back as a field return, and the traceability audit walks back to the assembler who touched the part without ESD protection. ANSI/ESD S20.20 requires wrist strap grounded at under 35 megohms, ESD flooring, ionization in high-risk areas, and ESD-safe packaging in every step of the flow. At Jabil, Flex, and any Medtronic or Raytheon cell, unprotected touches are a documented disciplinary offense β€” first offense a written coaching, second offense often terminates.
Q2. You're running a Panasonic SMT pick-and-place and the AOI machine downstream is rejecting 12% of boards for tombstoning on 0402 passives. What do you check?technical
First, verify it's actually tombstoning and not a false reject β€” pull a rejected board and look under 30x microscope. Real tombstoning means one end of the passive lifted off the pad during reflow. Root causes in order of likelihood: (1) reflow profile β€” if one side reaches liquidus before the other, surface tension pulls the passive up. Verify the preheat ramp and check the profile against the paste manufacturer's recommendation. (2) Pad design asymmetry or copper thieving imbalance, but that's a design issue, not a line issue. (3) Solder paste β€” check the print thickness on the SPI machine; too much paste on one pad is a common trigger. (4) Pick-and-place placement offset β€” verify the fiducial camera calibration and the nozzle offset. Fix should get you back under 1% AOI reject on 0402 in 15-30 minutes.
Q3. Describe a time you caught a work-instruction error before it went into full production.behavioral
STAR. Situation: I was setting up first-piece build on a Medtronic pacemaker header cell. Task: verify the work instruction against the engineering drawing and BOM. Action: the work instruction called for a 12mm M2 stainless steel screw at position 4 on the connector housing, but the engineering drawing spec called out titanium at 10mm because the pacemaker was going into MRI-conditional configuration and stainless can't be used. I stopped setup, called manufacturing engineering, and paused the cell for 40 minutes while they issued a redlined WI. Result: no scrapped units, no field-return risk. If I'd built even the first 30-unit batch, we'd have quarantined $18k of headers and delayed the release ship by 2 weeks. Every large employer (Medtronic, Stryker, Raytheon) tracks these catches on the operator scorecard and rewards them.
Q4. Why electronic assembly instead of general warehouse or auto assembly at similar pay?culture
Two reasons. First, the skill compounds. IPC-A-610 CIS is portable; J-STD-001 is portable; SMT line certification on a Panasonic or Fuji machine is portable. In 5 years I can move from Jabil to Medtronic to Raytheon with those credentials and pick up a $4-8/hr raise each time. General warehouse skills don't stack the same way. Second, the top of the ladder is real. Cleared aerospace assemblers, medical-device Sr assemblers, and Tesla battery-pack techs clear $65-80k with overtime and stock components. That's a $20k premium over general assembly work at the same tenure, and the differential grows.
Q5. Where do you want to be in 5 years?closer
Sr assembler by year 2 with IPC-A-610 Class 3 CIS and J-STD-001. Rework tech or lead assembler by year 4-5, with IPC CIT (Certified Trainer) so I can train and certify the operators in my cell. If I'm in defense, I want SECRET clearance so I can move into the ITAR-controlled cells where the pay differential is real. Long term I want to move into manufacturing technician or production supervisor, which is a $85-105k salary at a large OEM. To get there I'll add SMT line certification on Panasonic or Fuji equipment and pick up a two-year electronics technology certificate at the community college in the evenings.

Resume Template β€” Entry Assembler (0-2 yrs)

Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.

Entry Assembler (0-2 yrs)
  • β–ΈBuilt 12,000+ PCBA units on a Jabil SMT line supporting a Tier-1 automotive customer; first-pass yield held at 97.2% against 96% target.
  • β–ΈIPC-A-610 CIS Class 2 certified within 6 months; enrolled in J-STD-001 for Q1 next fiscal.
  • β–ΈESD-current per ANSI/ESD S20.20; zero ESD-related latent-failure returns traced to my station.
  • β–ΈBilingual English/Spanish. $18.75/hr + $1.25 2nd-shift differential + medical/dental.

What Gets You Rejected

  • βœ—Skipping ESD protection to move faster β€” the failure is invisible at the line but shows up in the field weeks or months later, and traceability walks back to you.
  • βœ—Signing a DHR line on a medical device you didn't actually inspect β€” 21 CFR Part 820 puts personal liability on the signer, and FDA writes this up as a Form 483 finding.
  • βœ—Bypassing a torque spec or a fastener sequence on aerospace or battery-pack assembly β€” every serious operator has captured torque data and will trace the failure back.
  • βœ—Attempting SMT rework without J-STD-001 certification β€” even if you can do it technically, uncertified rework on a Class 3 device is scrap.
  • βœ—Leaking any ITAR-controlled information (technical drawings, work instructions, part specifications) to a non-US-person β€” federal felony under the Arms Export Control Act, plus immediate termination and blacklisting.

Salary Negotiation Levers

  • βœ“IPC-A-610 CIS certification (Class 2) adds $1-3/hr; Class 3 (high-reliability, required for medical and aerospace) adds another $2-3/hr on top.
  • βœ“J-STD-001 (soldering) certification is the ceiling-lifter β€” moves you from general assembly into rework and hand-solder cells at $22-28/hr.
  • βœ“IPC CIT (Certified Trainer) status commands $3-5/hr and opens the lead-assembler and supervisor tracks at every serious EMS and OEM.
  • βœ“SECRET clearance in defense (Raytheon, Lockheed, Northrop, L3Harris) adds $3-6/hr; TS/SCI adds another $3-5/hr. Clearance eligibility (US citizenship, clean background) is table stakes.
  • βœ“Shift differential is real: 2nd shift adds $1-2.50/hr, 3rd shift adds $2-4/hr, weekend nights can add $3-6/hr at plants running 24/7 (most large EMS).
  • βœ“Overtime eligibility is significant β€” 45-55 hour weeks are common at Tesla battery pack, Jabil, and defense primes; time-and-a-half plus doubletime on Sunday adds $12-25k annually.
  • βœ“Sign-on bonuses of $2,500-8,000 are standard at plants running under target headcount, especially for CIS-certified or cleared assemblers.
  • βœ“Stock component (RSUs) at Tesla, Raytheon (RTX), Lockheed Martin, and other public OEMs is real β€” often 5-15% of base for salaried tech and above.

Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers Resume Review β€” $29

Personalized resume review from someone who has hired electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assemblerss. Purchase, email your resume to support@weblabra.com, and receive detailed written feedback within 7 days.

  • βœ“ Occupation-specific critique (not generic)
  • βœ“ Rewrite suggestions for weak bullets
  • βœ“ Missing skills / keywords flagged
  • βœ“ Formatting + ATS-readability feedback
  • βœ“ 7-day turnaround, 100% refund if we miss it

Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers Career Kit β€” $19

  • βœ“ All 15 interview questions with expert answers
  • βœ“ 8 real questions aggregated from Glassdoor, Blind, Reddit, LinkedIn
  • βœ“ Interview format intel for 10 top employers
  • βœ“ 3 copy-paste salary negotiation emails
  • βœ“ Resume bullets for every level of the career ladder
  • βœ“ 30–60–90 day plan for your first role
  • βœ“ Cover letter templates specific to this occupation
  • βœ“ Detailed salary negotiation script
  • βœ“ Ranked list of certifications with cost + ROI
  • βœ“ Downloadable PDF for offline access
  • βœ“ Instant access, no expiration, no subscription
βœ“ 7-day money-back guarantee β€” no questions asked

One-time purchase. 7-day refund guarantee.

Sample reviews β€” real customer reviews will appear here as they come in.

β€œThe interview question bank saved me. I got the exact question about 'walking through a DCF' at my Goldman Sachs superday, verbatim.”

β€” Anonymous, Financial Analyst

β€œCopy-paste negotiation emails are worth the price alone. I used the 'accepting with counter' template and got an extra $8k signing bonus.”

β€” Anonymous, Software Developer

β€œThe 30-60-90 day plan for a new grad RN was better than the orientation my hospital gave. Wish I'd bought this in nursing school.”

β€” Anonymous, Registered Nurse

Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers Salary by State

Best Cities (cost-adjusted) β†’

Salary Map β€” Click a state for details

$37K
$52Kβ–  No data

Top Paying States

Washington
$52K
+14%
New Hampshire
$49K
+7%
Vermont
$49K
+6%
California
$48K
+5%
Delaware
$48K
+4%
Montana
$48K
+4%
Maryland
$48K
+4%
Minnesota
$48K
+4%
Colorado
$48K
+4%
Oregon
$48K
+4%
Vertical line = national median. Click a state for full details.
StateMedianvs. National
Washington$52,480+14.5%
New Hampshire$49,020+6.9%
Vermont$48,830+6.5%
California$48,080+4.9%
Delaware$47,880+4.4%
Montana$47,730+4.1%
Maryland$47,720+4.1%
Minnesota$47,720+4.1%
Colorado$47,660+3.9%
Oregon$47,640+3.9%
1–10 of 48

Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers Salary by Metro Area

Metro AreaMedianvs. National
Idaho Falls, ID$86,330+88.3%
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA$62,200+35.7%
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA$60,130+31.1%
Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA$59,440+29.6%
Athens-Clarke County, GA$58,560+27.7%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$58,370+27.3%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$56,400+23.0%
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$55,230+20.5%
Boulder, CO$55,220+20.4%
Jefferson City, MO$54,850+19.6%
1–10 of 233
Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data reflects the most recent annual survey.
How does this compare to pro athletes?
A electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assemblers earning $45,850/year would need 1300 years to match Stephen Curry's NBA salary, or 1396 yearsto match Patrick Mahomes' NFL contract.
See all sports & celebrity salaries β†’
πŸ“ˆ See how electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assemblers salaries have changed over the past decade.
View Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers salary trend (2011–2024) β†’