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Boston Career Explorer

Architecture and Engineering

Industrial Engineers

Design, develop, test, and evaluate integrated systems for managing industrial production processes, including human work factors, quality control, inventory control, logistics and material flow, cost analysis, and production coordination.

Also called: Continuous Improvement Engineer, Engineer, Facilities Engineer, Industrial Engineer, Operations Engineer, Plant Engineer

Compare with my current job (Sociologists)
Median pay in Greater Boston
$118,970
$57.20/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
9,010
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+8.3%
720 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Bachelor's degree

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$82,600$99,070$118,970$133,510$163,010

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Estimate production costs, cost saving methods, and the effects of product design changes on expenditures for management review, action, and control.
  • Plan and establish sequence of operations to fabricate and assemble parts or products and to promote efficient utilization.
  • Analyze statistical data and product specifications to determine standards and establish quality and reliability objectives of finished product.
  • Confer with clients, vendors, staff, and management personnel regarding purchases, product and production specifications, manufacturing capabilities, or project status.
  • Communicate with management and user personnel to develop production and design standards.
  • Evaluate precision and accuracy of production and testing equipment and engineering drawings to formulate corrective action plan.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Higher exposure77 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 77
  • Language-model AIOE 71
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 83

Observed AI use today: Some (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is higher, and some observed AI use is already happening. AI tools can help with cost estimates, statistical analysis, and process planning. Talking with clients, vendors, and managers and shaping how people and machines work together still rely on people, and federal notes expect demand to grow as supply chains get more complex.

Likely to change

  • Estimating production costs
  • Analyzing quality and production data

Still relies on people

  • Conferring with clients, vendors, and managers
  • Designing work around real people and plants

What federal projections say

“Demand change - share increases as increasingly complex manufacturing processes, logistics and supply chains drive demand for industrial engineers to design and develop them.”
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, factors affecting this job (U.S.)

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Industrial Production Managers

    Production planning and quality standards carry over directly, and this management role offers higher Boston median pay and lower AI exposure.

    Pay difference
    +$34,240 median
    AI exposure
    Moderate
    MA growth
    +2.3%
    To get started
    Bachelor's degree

  • General and Operations Managers

    Cost analysis and coordinating production activities carry over, and this role offers higher median pay and 3.8% projected growth.

    Pay difference
    +$14,830 median
    AI exposure
    Moderate
    MA growth
    +3.8%
    To get started
    Bachelor's degree

  • Architectural and Engineering Managers

    Coordinating technical work and approving design changes build on engineering experience, with a much higher Boston median pay.

    Pay difference
    +$86,160 median
    AI exposure
    Moderate
    MA growth
    +0.1%
    To get started
    Bachelor's degree

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

2 programs near Boston (plus 14 graduate)

Related occupations

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