Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians Salary
The median industrial engineering technologists and technicians salary in the United States is $66,120 per year ($31.79/hour). Salaries range from $47,300 at the entry level to $99,150+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 75,570 industrial engineering technologists and technicians jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to grow 1.7% through 2034.
Last updated: June 2026 Β· Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Salary Distribution
Job Growth (2024-2034)
Annual Openings
Education Required
Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians Career Guide
Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for industrial engineering technologists and technicianss.
Industrial engineering technologists and technicians (IE Techs) do the on-the-floor work that turns line-balancing math into cycle-time reduction, WIP shrinkage, and OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) improvement. Day-to-day means MOST / MTM-UAS / MODAPTS work measurement, time studies with stopwatch and Kronos labor-tracking data, standard-work documentation, line balancing, ergonomics (RULA / REBA / NIOSH lifting equation), Value Stream Mapping, 5S / kaizen event facilitation, and the SolidWorks / AutoCAD Mechanical layout drawings that go with a line-move project. BLS reports 75,570 employed with a median of $66,120, p10 $41,800, p90 $99,200+. Entry IE Tech at OEMs and contract manufacturers $50-62k; established IE Tech II $62-78k; Sr IE Tech / Continuous Improvement Tech $78-95k; Lead IE Tech / Kaizen Facilitator $92-115k+. Aerospace & defense (Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX/Raytheon) and automotive Tier 1s (Toyota North America, Ford, GM, Stellantis, Bosch, Denso) pay 10-20% above BLS median. The single biggest single comp lever is completing a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt plus 3-5 documented projects with hard-dollar savings β an IE Tech with a BB and a $650k-$1.5M annual savings portfolio is a Manufacturing Engineer candidate, not a Tech.
Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For
How to Become a Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- 1Earn an Associate's degree in Industrial Engineering Technology (IET) or Manufacturing Engineering Technology from an ABET-accredited program2-year AAS/AS degree; ~$5-25k tuition depending on public vs private. ABET accreditation matters at aerospace / defense and Fortune-500 automotive employers. Some employers accept a 4-year BS in IET as equivalent to a 2-yr AAS + 2-4 years experience or an internal promotion.
- 2Alternative path β military logistics / manufacturing / process specialty + industry transitionUS Army 88N Transportation Management Coordinator, 92A Automated Logistical Specialist, or 91X Maintenance Supervisor; US Navy LS (Logistics Specialist); US Air Force 2T2X1 Air Transportation, 2A5X4 Refuel/Bomber Aircraft Maintenance. Military-trained NCOs often bypass the associate's degree at aerospace and defense OEMs.
- 3Start as IE Tech I / Manufacturing Tech / Continuous Improvement Tech at $50-62kFirst 12-24 months is stopwatch and floor-time heavy: time studies, standard-work documentation, 5S event facilitation, shadowing Sr IE Techs on line-balancing and cell-layout projects. Complete internal Lean orientation (typically a Lean 101 + Yellow Belt equivalent) in first 90 days.
- 4Complete Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt + Green Belt certificationsYellow Belt (Lean 101 + basic DMAIC) is typically internal / employer-delivered at no cost. Green Belt (~40-80 hrs training + 1 documented DMAIC project) via ASQ ($395 exam), IASSC ($295 exam), or Villanova / Michigan State / Purdue OpEx ($1,500-3,500 employer-paid). Green Belt on the resume is table-stakes for the Sr IE Tech promotion.
- 5Move to IE Tech II / Manufacturing Tech II at $62-78k3-6 years experience. Own line-balancing projects end-to-end; run 5-8 kaizen events per year as co-facilitator; produce final future-state VSMs and cell layouts; supervise 1-2 IE Techs on major projects. Complete MSSC CPT (Certified Production Technician) or SME CMfgT / CMfgE if not already.
- 6Earn Lean Six Sigma Black Belt + specialty (Ergonomics, Six Sigma Master Black Belt, PMP)Black Belt (~120-180 hrs training + 2 documented DMAIC projects with $250k+ combined savings) via ASQ ($495 exam), IASSC ($395 exam), or Villanova / Purdue ($3,500-6,500 employer-paid). BCPE (Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics) CPE / AEP for ergonomics-heavy shops; PMP for project-management-heavy IE Techs.
- 7Advance to Sr IE Tech / Lead Continuous Improvement Tech at $78-95k8-15 years experience. Lead cross-functional Lean transformations across a plant or a value stream; own hard-dollar savings targets ($350k-$1.2M/yr); calibrate and mentor 3-6 IE Techs; represent the IE function in plant-manager staff meetings. Deputy Plant IE at some Tier 1 automotive shops sits at this level with a bump toward $95-115k.
- 8Optional path β complete BS IET or MET + transition to Industrial Engineer at $75-115k+Some experienced IE Techs complete a BS IET or MET (usually employer-subsidized under Section 127 up to $5,250/yr federal tax-free) and transition to full Industrial Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer, or CI Engineer roles at $75-115k+ base + bonus + RSU. This is a real ladder step, not a lateral move. The other advancement path is Lead Kaizen Facilitator / Plant CI Manager at $95-135k+.
Career Progression
- β’Run direct time studies (10-25 cycle observations) with stopwatch or timer app; produce standard-work documents
- β’Facilitate 5S events on assigned work-cells; produce before-and-after photo boards
- β’Support Sr IE Tech on kaizen events as scribe / data analyst / participant
- β’Complete Lean Yellow Belt + 40-hr OSHA General Industry + forklift certification in first 90 days
- β’Own line-balancing projects end-to-end β data collection, analysis, future-state design, implementation, and post-implementation audit
- β’Co-facilitate 5-8 kaizen events per year with a Master Black Belt / Lead Tech as sponsor
- β’Produce final SolidWorks / AutoCAD facility layouts and Bosch Rexroth workstation drawings
- β’Ergonomic assessments using RULA / REBA / NIOSH; countermeasure recommendations and implementation oversight
- β’Lead cross-functional Lean transformations across a value stream or a plant sub-area
- β’Own hard-dollar savings targets of $350k-$1.2M/yr
- β’Mentor and calibrate 3-6 IE Tech I / II professionals; own their development plans
- β’Represent the IE function in plant-manager staff meetings; own the plant's OEE and productivity dashboards
- β’Own the plant-wide Lean transformation roadmap; report to Plant Manager or Director of CI
- β’Deliver $1.5-6M/yr in documented hard-dollar savings across the plant
- β’Lead 15-25 kaizen events per year as sponsor / lead facilitator
- β’Represent the plant in corporate CI reviews and network-wide best-practice sharing (Toyota TPS, GM GMS, Ford FPS, Boeing Production System)
- β’Own Lean transformation across a network of 3-12 plants or a corporate manufacturing function
- β’Calibrate and hold accountable Plant CI Managers and Lead IE Techs (10-40 professionals)
- β’Report to VP Manufacturing / VP Operations; sit on the operations leadership team
- β’Own the corporate Lean audit function and internal Master Black Belt certification program
Interview Questions & Answers
5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 15 total plus resume bullets for every level.
Q1. Walk me through a line-balancing project you led.technical
Q2. You're doing a time study and the operator slows down when you show up with a stopwatch. How do you handle it?situational
Q3. Describe a kaizen event you facilitated and the hard-dollar savings.technical
Q4. How do you handle a Manufacturing Engineer or shop-floor supervisor who pushes back on a CI project?situational
Q5. Where do you see your career in 5 years?closer
Resume Template β IE Tech II / CI Tech II (3-6 yrs)
Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.
- βΈIE Tech II in the Chassis assembly value stream at Toyota North America Georgetown; 3 Green Belt projects completed with $685k cumulative annualized hard-dollar savings in FY24.
- βΈLed line-balancing on 4 assembly cells raising OEE from 82% to 91%; cycle-time variance reduced from 18% to 6% across 12 stations.
- βΈFacilitated 8 kaizen events as co-facilitator; drove 5S implementation across 22 work-cells; documented 145 standard-work sheets to TWI job-instruction format.
- βΈLean Six Sigma Green Belt (ASQ) + MSSC CPT + OSHA 30-hr + Yale forklift + BCPE ergonomic-associate. AAS Industrial Engineering Technology. $72k base + 6% bonus + shift diff.
What Gets You Rejected
- βNo time-study experience β can't articulate performance-rating factor or Westinghouse system; screens out at any Tier-1 automotive or aerospace shop.
- βVague on Lean tools β mixes up VSM, kaizen, and 5S; can't name specific standard-work tools (TWI, JIS, JES).
- βNo Green Belt at 4+ years β signals the IE Tech hasn't invested in the discipline; typically screened at the Sr IE Tech promotion.
- βZero documented hard-dollar savings β CI is a hard-dollar business; a resume without $ amounts on projects is a red flag.
- βPoor floor-time / shop-floor discipline β CI Techs live on the floor; anyone who describes themselves as 'office-based CI' isn't a serious candidate.
- βCan't read a Rockwell / Allen-Bradley ladder-logic program at a basic level β signal-tracing is table-stakes for line-side troubleshooting.
- βWeak Ergonomics β can't calculate NIOSH Lifting Equation RWL or LI on the whiteboard; standard interview screening at repetitive-motion / lift-heavy shops.
Salary Negotiation Levers
- βBlack Belt premium β Lean Six Sigma Black Belt with 2+ documented projects adds 8-15% at Sr IE Tech promotion; Master Black Belt commands another 10-15% at Lead / CI Manager level.
- βSpecialty premium β aerospace / defense (Boeing, Lockheed, Northrop, Raytheon) pays 12-20% over automotive Tier 1s; medical device (Medtronic, Boston Scientific, Stryker) pays a similar premium.
- βMetro premium β Detroit / Grand Rapids / Louisville / Nashville pay 5-10% below Boston / SF Bay / San Diego / Puget Sound; contract manufacturers (Jabil, Flex, Sanmina) in the Sunbelt pay near median.
- βShift differential and OT β 2nd shift +$1-3/hr, 3rd shift +$2-5/hr, weekend premium at 24/7 shops; OT at 1.5x can add $8-25k/yr at floor-heavy roles.
- βSign-on bonus β Sr IE Techs and Lead CI Techs moving between OEMs routinely negotiate $8-25k sign-on plus a 12-24 month retention hook.
- βTuition reimbursement β Section 127 caps at $5,250/yr federal tax-free; some Fortune-500 (GE, GM, Boeing) offer $8-15k/yr with retention clause. Negotiate this alongside base for the BS IET / MET path.
- βPMP and Ergonomics certification support β full reimbursement for exam fees + prep materials + PDUs / CEUs; $600-1,500/yr in employer-paid credentialing.
- βBook of documented savings β Sr IE Techs and Lead CI Techs with a $2-5M portable annualized savings portfolio negotiate at the top of the band; the portfolio moves with you.
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Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians Salary by State
Best Cities (cost-adjusted) βSalary Map β Click a state for details
Top Paying States
| State | Median | vs. National |
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | $79,330 | +20.0% |
| Maryland | $79,090 | +19.6% |
| California | $79,070 | +19.6% |
| Washington | $78,430 | +18.6% |
| Oregon | $75,760 | +14.6% |
| New Jersey | $72,890 | +10.2% |
| Vermont | $72,410 | +9.5% |
| Massachusetts | $71,830 | +8.6% |
| Illinois | $71,090 | +7.5% |
| Minnesota | $70,490 | +6.6% |
Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians Salary by Metro Area
| Metro Area | Median | vs. National |
|---|---|---|
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | $121,320 | +83.5% |
| Midland, TX | $114,140 | +72.6% |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $90,660 | +37.1% |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $90,620 | +37.1% |
| Savannah, GA | $89,850 | +35.9% |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $84,410 | +27.7% |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $83,370 | +26.1% |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | $82,480 | +24.7% |
| Ogden, UT | $82,370 | +24.6% |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | $82,270 | +24.4% |