Wind Energy Engineers
Design underground or overhead wind farm collector systems and prepare and develop site specifications.
Also called: Engineer, Project Engineer, SCADA Engineer (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), Turbine Engineer, Turbine Measurements Engineer, Utility Engineer
Median pay
$122,930
Pay for the broader BLS group “Engineers, All Other”
Pay range (10th–90th)
$66,810 – $189,950
People employed
154,070
Whole BLS group
Holland code
RIC
Realistic · Investigative · Conventional
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Is this career right for you?
These are the things that stand out in this job compared with other U.S. jobs (O*NET 31.0 work context). Answer honestly.
- 1.Are you happy working mostly on your own, with little contact with others?
- 2.Are you comfortable sitting at a desk most of the day?
- 3.Do you want variety, with new tasks often?
The hard parts
- Tight deadlines are common
Wind Energy Engineers pay by state
Highest-paying states
Annual median pay by state (50 states and DC with published data). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, for the broader group “Engineers, All Other”.
What wind energy engineers do
- 01Create or maintain wind farm layouts, schematics, or other visual documentation for wind farms.
- 02Provide engineering technical support to designers of prototype wind turbines.
- 03Recommend process or infrastructure changes to improve wind turbine performance, reduce operational costs, or comply with regulations.
- 04Investigate experimental wind turbines or wind turbine technologies for properties such as aerodynamics, production, noise, and load.
- 05Create models to optimize the layout of wind farm access roads, crane pads, crane paths, collection systems, substations, switchyards, or transmission lines.
- 06Develop active control algorithms, electronics, software, electromechanical, or electrohydraulic systems for wind turbines.
Skills that matter most
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Mathematics
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Speaking
Knowledge
- Engineering and Technology
- Mathematics
- Design
- Physics
- English Language
Education and first steps
Share of workers by required education, as reported to O*NET.
How people get started
- Usually needs a bachelor's degree (O*NET Job Zone 4).
- Related work experience: over 8 years, up to and including 10 years.
- On-the-job training: over 1 month, up to and including 3 months.
Most common answers from O*NET 31.0 Education, Training and Experience.
Interest fit (Holland code)
O*NET occupational interest scores, scale 1–7. Take the Free Career Test to compare with your own.
Career changes
Change from wind energy engineers
- Water Resource Specialists80% · group pay
- Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians79% · —
- Materials Scientists78% · —
- Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists77% · group pay
- Logistics Engineers76% · group pay
Change into wind energy engineers
Jobs whose skills carry over best (skill match, their median pay).
- Water Resource Specialists80% · $167,220
- Energy Auditors78% · $74,690
- Materials Scientists78% · $117,790
- Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians77% · $64,950
- Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists77% · $122,570
Majors that lead here
- Engineering, General
- Applied Engineering
- Architectural Engineering
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
- Water Resources Engineering
- Laser and Optical Engineering
- Telecommunications Engineering
- Engineering Mechanics
- Engineering Physics/Applied Physics
- Engineering Science
- Ocean Engineering
From the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk.