Biomedical engineers held about 13,900 jobs in 2007. Manufacturing industries employed 39% of all biomedical engineers, primarily in the medical instruments and supplies industries. Many others worked for health services. Some (<7%) also work on a contract (consulting) basis for government agencies or as independent consultants.

Biomedical Engineering Employment Outlook

Employment of biomedical engineers is expected to increase faster than the average for most non-engineering occupations through 2013. The aging population and the focus on health issues will increase the demand for better and cheaper medical devices and systems. For example, computer-assisted surgery and cellular/tissue engineering are being more heavily researched and are developing rapidly.

In addition, the rehabilitation and orthopedic engineering specialties are growing, increasing the need for more biomedical engineers. Along with the demand for more sophisticated medical equipment and procedures is an increased concern for cost efficiency and effectiveness that also will increase the need for biomedical engineers.

Biomedical Engineering Salaries

The middle 50% of Biomedical Engineers earned between $55,580 and $92,320. The lowest 10% earned less than $42,870 and the highest 10% earned more than $117,090.

Starting salaries in 2007 for B.S. grads in biomedical engineering averaged $51,110 and M.S. candidates were offered $64,207. PhDs averaged $73,112. West coast manufactuers offered the highest starting salaries for new grads, and east coast employers provided the highest salaries for experienced biomedical engineers and biomedical engineering managers.