Human Factors Engineer and Ergonomist Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists earn a median of $102,440 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 101% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $49.25/hr. The middle half earn between $83,600 and $129,250. The top 10% earn $159,860 or more.

The median hourly wage for human factors engineers and ergonomists is $49.25 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). On a full-year basis the $102,440 annual median works out to about $8,540 a month before tax.

BLS does not publish a starting salary. The nearest measure is the low end of the pay range: the lowest-paid 10% of human factors engineers and ergonomists earn less than $74,370 a year and the bottom quarter less than $83,600 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). New workers often start near that end, but where a particular job starts depends on the employer, the state and the credentials you bring, so read these as the bottom of the range rather than a guaranteed entry wage.

Yes, more often than not. The median is $102,440, so more than half of human factors engineers and ergonomists earn over $100,000 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). In 35 states the median itself is above $100,000: Alaska ($156,510), Washington ($129,050), Oregon ($128,290), New Mexico ($128,090), and 31 more.

The highest state medians for Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists are Alaska ($156,510), Washington ($129,050), Oregon ($128,290) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

BLS does not split human factors engineers and ergonomists' pay by specialty or employer, but its range shows how far the top end runs: the highest-paid 10% earn more than $159,860, against a median of $102,440 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Location moves pay the most in the published data: the best-paying states are Alaska ($156,510), Washington ($129,050), Oregon ($128,290).

Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as extensive preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 50.0% hold master's degree.

BLS does not publish a fixed length; it depends on the route. What it does publish: the typical way in for human factors engineers and ergonomists is a bachelor's degree. O*NET classes the work as needing extensive preparation.

Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 12.4% over 2025–2035, more than double the 3.5% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 23,100 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

Industrial engineers devise efficient systems that integrate workers, machines, materials, information, and energy to make a product or provide a service. A core O*NET task: collect data through direct observation of work activities or witnessing the conduct of tests. Employers most often ask for Analytical or scientific software, Computer aided design CAD software, Content workflow software.

Yes, for most. In O*NET's survey of people in the job, 40% of human factors engineers and ergonomists usually work more than 40 hours a week, 55% work exactly 40 and 5% work fewer. 55% say their schedule is regular and 45% irregular. Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, Work Context.

O*NET scores Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists highest on the Investigative, Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are INTJ, ISTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.

Women make up 23.3% of human factors engineers and ergonomists, against 47.1% of all employed people: more men than in the workforce as a whole. 21.9% are 55 or older, close to the 23.2% across all jobs. The median worker is 42.1 years old (all workers: 42.1). Source: BLS Current Population Survey, 2025 annual averages, for the Census group "Industrial engineers, including health and safety".