All careersEngineering & science

Industrial Engineering Technician

$66,120
median / year
$47,300 – $99,150
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Collect and analyze production data and help design efficient workflows, layouts, standards, and quality controls.

You may also see this posted as: Manufacturing Technology Analyst, Quality Control Engineering Technician (QC Engineering Technician), Quality Technician, Business Process Analyst, Engineering Technician, Industrial Engineering Analyst.

Where you work

Factories, warehouses, hospitals, and offices.

The hours

Usually full-time; plant roles may use shifts.

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • Test selected products at specified stages in the production process for performance characteristics or adherence to specifications.
  • Compile and evaluate statistical data to determine and maintain quality and reliability of products.
  • Study time, motion, methods, or speed involved in maintenance, production, or other operations to establish standard production rate or improve efficiency.
  • Read worker logs, product processing sheets, or specification sheets to verify that records adhere to quality assurance specifications.
  • Verify that equipment is being operated and maintained according to quality assurance standards by observing worker performance.

Good fit if you like…

Realistic

working with tools, equipment, materials, or the physical world

Conventional

organizing information, following systems, and getting details right

Investigative

solving problems, analyzing evidence, and figuring out how things work

O*NET job zone 3 of 5

Medium preparation—often vocational training, an associate degree, or substantial experience—is usually needed.

Work styles that matter most

Attention to DetailDependabilityCautiousnessAchievement Orientation

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareAutodesk AutoCADBentley MicroStationCC++

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$66,120
per year
Hourly median
$31.79
per hour
What most earn
$47,300–$99,150
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~6,300
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+1.7%
Little change
Working in the U.S.
75,570
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

BLS estimates 1.5% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

Associate degree

Training path: Associate degree in industrial engineering technology.

Related work experience: None.

On-the-job training: None.

License or certification

No license required to start in most places.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

What it takes

Process mappingData analysisQuality toolsMeasurement

The honest take

Measures workflows, layouts, quality, and costs to help factories and service operations run better.

Standard Occupational Classification 17-3026. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.