Mechanical Engineer Salary in Wisconsin (2026)
The average Mechanical Engineer in Wisconsin earns around $130,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $94,574/year ($7,881/month).
Take-Home Pay Breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $94,574 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $7,881 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $3,637 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $45/hr |
Federal Tax | $19,934 |
State Tax | $5,547 |
FICA Taxes | $9,945 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 27.25% |
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Mechanical Engineer Salary Ranges in Wisconsin
Not all Mechanical Engineers earn the same — not even close
Wisconsin's mechanical engineer market is anchored by Harley-Davidson HQ Milwaukee (~5K Pilgrim Road manufacturing + Juneau Avenue HQ powertrain + chassis + connected vehicle engineering), Rockwell Automation HQ Milwaukee (~$9B revenue industrial automation + drives + control systems), Briggs & Stratton Wauwatosa (small engines), Mercury Marine Fond du Lac (~3K, Brunswick Corporation marine outboard engines — country's #1 outboard motor manufacturer), Johnson Controls Milwaukee (building automation + battery + HVAC), Snap-on HQ Kenosha (~$5B tools), A.O. Smith Milwaukee (water heaters), Kohler Company Kohler (engines + kitchen + bath), plus Foxconn Mount Pleasant + Trek Bicycle Waterloo.
Senior Principal Engineer / Fellow
$165,000–$285,000+ TC
Harley · Rockwell · Mercury · Johnson Controls senior IC · technical fellow track · 10-15 patents typical
Senior ME (Powertrain / Engines)
$118,000–$185,000
Harley-Davidson V-Twin + Revolution Max · Mercury Marine V8 + V12 outboards · Briggs small engines
Senior ME (Industrial Automation)
$125,000–$190,000
Rockwell Automation · FactoryTalk + Connected Enterprise · drives + motors + I/O hardware
Senior ME (Marine / Recreational)
$118,000–$185,000
Mercury Marine Fond du Lac · Brunswick Corporation · #1 US outboard manufacturer · 3-300+ HP
Senior ME (Building Automation)
$125,000–$185,000
Johnson Controls building HVAC + fire + security · post-2017 Tyco merger building automation
Senior ME (Tools / Snap-on)
$118,000–$175,000
Snap-on Kenosha · automotive + industrial hand + power tools · dealer + commercial product engineering
Senior ME (Consumer Appliance)
$118,000–$175,000
Kohler engines + kitchen + bath · A.O. Smith water heaters · Sub-Zero Group appliances · NPI specialty
Senior Manufacturing Engineer
$108,000–$165,000
Plant manufacturing engineering · WI Fortune 500 · Six Sigma Black Belt premium · skilled trades support
Mid-Level ME (3-6 yrs)
$82,000–$125,000
Functional ME at WI Fortune 500 · transitioning to senior band · MS + PE-track
Junior ME (0-3 yrs)
$65,000–$88,000
UW-Madison ME + Marquette ME + Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) + UW-Platteville ME pipeline · FE/EIT
Worth knowing: Mercury Marine HQ Fond du Lac is the country's largest outboard motor manufacturer and a feature most national ME surveys understate for WI. Mercury Marine (~3K Fond du Lac employees, founded 1939, division of Brunswick Corporation since 1961, the country's #1 outboard motor manufacturer with substantial 3-HP through 600-HP V12 range covering recreational + commercial fishing + military applications) operates substantial powertrain + propulsion + connected boat engineering — Mercury's V8/V10/V12 Verado supercharged outboards (introduced 2018-2023, the highest-horsepower production outboards in the world) are among the most technologically advanced marine engines globally. Senior Mercury Marine ME clear $118-185K TC. Harley-Davidson HQ Milwaukee (~5K WI employees, Fortune 500, founded 1903) operates substantial V-Twin engine + Revolution Max powertrain + chassis + connected motorcycle engineering — Harley's Revolution Max liquid-cooled platform (introduced 2021 with Pan America and now powering RH975/RH1250 mid-size + Sportster S) represents the most significant Harley engineering investment in decades. Rockwell Automation Milwaukee (~$9B revenue, the country's largest industrial automation company) anchors WI industrial controls + drives + motors. Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) is among the country's most respected undergraduate engineering schools. WI's 7.65% top bracket catches senior principal + R&D engineer comp at $250K+ TC.
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Salaries by profession, top-paying roles by industry, and an economic breakdown for Wisconsin in 2026.
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