Last updated May 20, 2026. Wage anchors use BLS OEWS May 2025 national data; occupation matching is interpreted for factory automation roles with help from O*NET occupation definitions.
Commissioning engineer pay is tied to risk. This is the person who helps turn equipment from a design, a shipped machine, or a new line into something production can actually run. In factory automation, commissioning can include PLC logic, HMI screens, safety validation, robot cells, drives, sensors, customer acceptance, startup support, and painful late-stage fixes.
The Best Salary Anchors
Commissioning engineer is not one BLS occupation. Depending on the employer, the closest official categories may be electrical engineers, industrial engineers, engineers all other, or mechatronics technicians when the title is more hands-on technician than engineering role.
May 2025 BLS OEWS data shows electrical engineers at a $120,630 median, industrial engineers at $102,440, and engineers all other at $122,930. Mechatronics technicians had a $73,900 median, which helps separate technician-level startup support from engineering-level commissioning ownership.
Why Commissioning Can Pay More
Commissioning work often happens when schedules are tight, customers are watching, and problems are expensive. The person may need to find wiring issues, tune sequences, coordinate with mechanical teams, verify safety behavior, train operators, and document punch-list items.
Travel and startup intensity can push compensation higher, but they also change the lifestyle. A role that pays well because it expects long site stretches, weekends, and constant travel should be compared differently from a local plant engineering role.
Candidate Advice
If you want commissioning pay, show commissioning proof. List startups, acceptance tests, line launches, machine types, controls platforms, customer sites, and problems solved under deadline.
Ask how much time is spent programming versus troubleshooting, how travel is scheduled, whether weekends are common, and who owns final sign-off. A commissioning title can mean anything from startup helper to lead controls authority.
Employer Advice
A commissioning engineer posting should name the equipment, travel percentage, PLC/HMI platforms, safety responsibilities, customer-facing expectations, and whether the person will write code or mainly validate equipment.
If the job requires calm technical leadership during launch, write the posting that way. Generic engineering language will not attract the candidate who has actually lived through startup pressure.
BLS Wage Anchors To Compare
Data note: Commissioning Engineer is a role scope rather than a single BLS occupation. The table uses May 2025 OEWS wage data for adjacent engineering and mechatronics categories.
| BLS occupation | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17-2071 – Electrical Engineers | $92,830 | $120,630 | $152,950 | $184,300 |
| 17-2112 – Industrial Engineers | $83,600 | $102,440 | $129,250 | $159,860 |
| 17-2199 – Engineers, All Other | $90,970 | $122,930 | $158,090 | $189,950 |
| 17-3024 – Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians | $59,780 | $73,900 | $88,540 | $109,890 |
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How To Use This Guide
For candidates, compare the job description against the responsibility level in this guide. A title alone is not enough. Look for the platforms, equipment, travel, shift, startup pressure, and troubleshooting authority.
For employers, use the guide to decide whether the posting is priced like the work you actually need. Better detail usually means fewer weak applications and more serious candidates from the PLC, controls, robotics, and industrial electrical market.
Use this guide
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