Hiring an engineer in Philadelphia, PA

Do Philadelphia residents in architecture and engineering work earn more than employers in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area pay?

Philadelphia residents working in architecture and engineering occupations earn a median of $85,950 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $82,870 as the median of the 30 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 4%, with the residents figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole architecture and engineering group, not this one role. In the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area the group covers 30 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from environmental engineering technologists and technicians at $57,110 to nuclear engineers at $140,590 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with engineers, all other at $97,590 inside it.

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 30 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

The two sit within 10% of each other, so residents of Philadelphia and employers across the metro are priced about the same in this field, and pay alone is unlikely to be what wins or loses this hire.

Is the talent actually in Philadelphia?

This is a job zone four: considerable preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not. O*NET OnLine, SOC 17-2199.

That matters here, because 34.6% of Philadelphia adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a workable pool, but the search will reach beyond the city line. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of Philadelphia aged 25 and over.

The average Philadelphia commute runs 32 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 16.4% of Philadelphia workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for Philadelphia.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Philadelphia County, architectural, engineering and related services employs 7,847 and turns over 5.4% a quarter, with 467 hires against 434 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $9,126 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5413.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about engineers, all other. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a low-churn market, where people do not move often and passive candidates are the whole game.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $97,590 median in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $19,518 to $29,277 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Questions employers ask about hiring an engineer in Philadelphia

What does it cost to hire an engineer in Philadelphia?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $97,590 median wage in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $19,518 to $29,277 on the first year salary alone.

What should an offer for an engineer in Philadelphia look like?

Employers in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area pay engineers, all other a median of $97,590, with the middle half of the market between $82,800 and $135,470 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $82,800 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.

Do Philadelphia residents in architecture and engineering work earn more than employers in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area pay?

Philadelphia residents working in architecture and engineering occupations earn a median of $85,950 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $82,870 as the median of the 30 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 4%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.

Is the talent for this role already in Philadelphia?

This is a job zone 4 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 34.6% of Philadelphia adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a workable pool, though the search will reach beyond the city line.

Related

• Hiring Engineers, All Other: the role, the pay, the process
• Recruiting services in Philadelphia
• Every Pennsylvania city we cover

Philadelphia is the largest of 2 Pennsylvania cities in this dataset.