JobAfterNext

Nanosystems Engineers

Design, develop, or supervise the production of materials, devices, or systems of unique molecular or macromolecular composition, applying principles of nanoscale physics and electrical, chemical, or biological engineering.

Wages

BLS doesn't publish wages for Nanosystems Engineers separately. These are the figures for Engineers, All Other (17-2199), its parent occupation.

Median annual wage, U.S.$122,930
Employment, U.S.154,070
Median hourly wage$59.10
Annual wage percentiles, U.S., May 2025
10th25thMedian75th90th
$66,810$90,970$122,930$158,090$189,950
By state (51)
StateEmploymentMedian annualLocation quotient
Alabama3,460$152,5501.65
Alaska200$142,3900.61
Arizona1,720$102,2800.54
Arkansas820$76,9400.63
California28,610$130,8501.59
Colorado2,540$132,5900.89
Connecticut2,430$124,1101.44
Delaware$103,580
District of Columbia3,560$151,9205.12
Florida8,600$105,4100.87
Georgia4,120$112,2600.85
Hawaii1,100$122,8001.77
Idaho560$130,9700.67
Illinois2,520$111,9300.42
Indiana1,540$120,8800.49
Iowa1,100$103,0900.71
Kansas780$76,1000.55
Kentucky500$99,8300.25
Louisiana6,310$99,0703.29
Maine590$120,4300.93
Maryland7,340$129,7702.68
Massachusetts2,850$131,2600.79
Michigan7,700$121,0001.77
Minnesota1,290$108,8500.44
Mississippi480$111,0300.42
Missouri1,850$102,9800.63
Montana240$97,4700.47
Nebraska300$88,4900.29
Nevada870$103,7800.57
New Hampshire610$128,1300.90
New Jersey4,540$132,4501.07
New Mexico2,190$162,0702.54
New York5,760$117,6000.60
North Carolina4,270$112,4500.87
North Dakota220$100,2500.52
Ohio7,000$120,4701.27
Oklahoma860$119,8100.51
Oregon2,030$123,2201.04
Pennsylvania3,250$108,9500.54
Rhode Island380$117,0800.77
South Carolina1,280$110,4900.56
South Dakota110$112,2600.23
Tennessee4,400$96,6401.36
Texas10,820$115,8100.78
Utah1,750$110,3201.02
Vermont390$126,5501.29
Virginia5,060$148,1601.24
Washington3,580$134,5701.02
West Virginia660$118,8000.95
Wisconsin690$110,3600.24
Wyoming110$113,0500.40

Similar occupations

Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.

#OccupationJob ZoneSimilarity
1Materials Engineers40.982
2Fuel Cell Engineers40.981
3Materials Scientists40.981
4Chemical Engineers40.973
5Photonics Engineers40.972
6Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers40.971
7Nuclear Engineers40.967
8Microsystems Engineers50.965
9Hydrologists40.964
10Biochemists and Biophysicists50.962

One skill away

Among the 50 occupations most similar to Nanosystems Engineers, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.

OccupationSkill to buildLevel gapSimilarity
Nuclear EngineersOperations Monitoring1.000.967
Mechatronics EngineersOperation and Control1.000.956
Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety EngineersManagement of Material Resources1.000.952
Aerospace EngineersOperations Analysis0.880.950
Mechanical Engineering Technologists and TechniciansOperation and Control1.000.942
Engineering Teachers, PostsecondaryInstructing1.240.940
Marine Engineers and Naval ArchitectsOperation and Control1.120.937
Molecular and Cellular BiologistsLearning Strategies1.000.933

Software to learn next

Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Nanosystems Engineers, excluding software Nanosystems Engineers already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.

SoftwareSimilar jobs using itLift
The MathWorks MATLAB18 of 207.5x
C++16 of 206.7x
C13 of 208.7x
Microsoft Visual Basic12 of 205.8x
MathWorks Simulink7 of 2017.0x
Minitab10 of 206.6x
Maplesoft Maple6 of 2018.5x
Finite element analysis FEA software5 of 2033.0x
Laboratory information management system LIMS6 of 2015.4x
UNIX9 of 204.7x

Skills

From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.

SkillTypeImportanceLevel
Reading ComprehensionEssential skill 4.00 5.00
Critical ThinkingEssential skill 4.00 4.88
ScienceEssential skill 4.00 4.75
SpeakingEssential skill 4.00 4.25
Active LearningEssential skill 3.88 4.88
MathematicsEssential skill 3.88 4.75
WritingEssential skill 3.88 4.62
Complex Problem SolvingTransferable skill 3.88 4.12
Judgment and Decision MakingTransferable skill 3.88 4.00
Active ListeningEssential skill 3.88 3.88
Systems AnalysisTransferable skill 3.62 3.75
MonitoringEssential skill 3.50 4.00
Systems EvaluationTransferable skill 3.38 3.75
Operations AnalysisTransferable skill 3.25 4.00
Technology DesignTransferable skill 3.12 3.88
Quality Control AnalysisTransferable skill 3.12 3.75
Social PerceptivenessTransferable skill 3.12 3.25
Time ManagementTransferable skill 3.00 3.62
Learning StrategiesEssential skill 3.00 3.50
CoordinationTransferable skill 3.00 3.38
InstructingTransferable skill 3.00 3.38
PersuasionTransferable skill 3.00 3.38
NegotiationTransferable skill 3.00 3.00
Operations MonitoringTransferable skill 3.00 3.00
Management of Personnel ResourcesTransferable skill 2.88 3.12
Service OrientationTransferable skill 2.88 3.00
Equipment SelectionTransferable skill 2.50 3.38
Management of Material ResourcesTransferable skill 2.38 2.25
Operation and ControlTransferable skill 2.38 2.00
ProgrammingTransferable skill 2.25 2.88
TroubleshootingTransferable skill 2.25 2.62
Management of Financial ResourcesTransferable skill 2.25 2.25
Equipment MaintenanceTransferable skill 2.12 2.25
RepairingTransferable skill 2.12 2.12
InstallationTransferable skill 1.00not rated
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
Knowledge
NameImportanceLevel
Engineering and Technology 4.62 5.81
Physics 4.60 5.90
Chemistry 4.29 5.76
Mathematics 4.14 5.52
Computers and Electronics 3.81 4.67
English Language 3.52 4.24
Education and Training 3.43 4.71
Design 3.38 4.38
Production and Processing 3.38 3.90
Mechanical 3.10 4.24
Administration and Management 3.00 3.86
Biology 2.85 3.52
Customer and Personal Service 2.48 2.33
Administrative 2.43 3.29
Public Safety and Security 2.38 2.71
Personnel and Human Resources 2.25 2.57
Communications and Media 2.14 2.10
Economics and Accounting 2.05 2.00
Sales and Marketing 2.00 1.86
Medicine and Dentistry 1.95 2.00
Telecommunications 1.86 1.52
Building and Construction 1.76 1.52
Law and Government 1.65 1.62
Psychology 1.62 1.10
Foreign Language 1.48 1.00
Transportation 1.29not rated
Philosophy and Theology 1.24not rated
Sociology and Anthropology 1.24not rated
Food Production 1.19not rated
Geography 1.19not rated
History and Archeology 1.14not rated
Therapy and Counseling 1.10not rated
Fine Arts 1.05not rated
Abilities
NameImportanceLevel
Oral Comprehension 4.00 5.38
Written Comprehension 4.00 5.38
Deductive Reasoning 4.00 5.00
Inductive Reasoning 4.00 4.88
Oral Expression 4.00 4.88
Near Vision 4.00 4.62
Written Expression 3.88 5.00
Category Flexibility 3.88 4.75
Information Ordering 3.88 4.25
Mathematical Reasoning 3.75 4.62
Originality 3.75 4.38
Problem Sensitivity 3.75 4.38
Flexibility of Closure 3.75 3.88
Fluency of Ideas 3.62 4.12
Speech Clarity 3.62 3.75
Speech Recognition 3.50 3.75
Number Facility 3.38 4.12
Selective Attention 3.25 3.25
Visualization 3.12 3.88
Far Vision 3.00 3.12
Control Precision 2.88 3.00
Memorization 2.88 3.00
Perceptual Speed 2.88 3.00
Finger Dexterity 2.88 2.88
Speed of Closure 2.75 3.00
Visual Color Discrimination 2.75 2.88
Arm-Hand Steadiness 2.62 3.12
Manual Dexterity 2.25 2.62
Time Sharing 2.12 2.25
Auditory Attention 2.12 2.12
Reaction Time 2.12 1.25
Wrist-Finger Speed 2.00 2.00
Depth Perception 2.00 1.88
Extent Flexibility 2.00 1.88
Hearing Sensitivity 2.00 1.88
Multilimb Coordination 2.00 1.75
Trunk Strength 2.00 1.62
Static Strength 2.00 1.00
Rate Control 1.88 1.00
Explosive Strength 1.75 0.75
Dynamic Flexibility 1.00not rated
Dynamic Strength 1.00not rated
Glare Sensitivity 1.00not rated
Gross Body Coordination 1.00not rated
Gross Body Equilibrium 1.00not rated
Night Vision 1.00not rated
Peripheral Vision 1.00not rated
Response Orientation 1.00not rated
Sound Localization 1.00not rated
Spatial Orientation 1.00not rated
Speed of Limb Movement 1.00not rated
Stamina 1.00not rated

Software used

Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.

All 49
  • Finite difference time domain FDTD software
  • GE Healthcare Centricity EMR
  • General Atomic and Molecular Electronic Structure System GAMESS
  • IMSI Design DesignCAD
  • LAMMPS Molecular Dynamics Simulator
  • LinkCAD
  • MAYA Nastran
  • NWChem
  • National Instruments LabVIEW
  • Optical Research Associates LightTools
  • Oracle Manufacturing Scheduling
  • PTC Creo Parametric
  • QuantumWise Atomistix ToolKit
  • Rapid prototyping software
  • SEMC-2D
  • Simulation software
  • Tanner EDA L-Edit
  • UTQUANT
  • Vienna Ab-Initio Simulation Package VASP

Where it concentrates

BLS doesn't publish wages for Nanosystems Engineers separately. These are the figures for Engineers, All Other (17-2199), its parent occupation.

Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.

Metro areaEmploymentLocation quotientMedian annual
Lexington Park, MD1,02014.58$166,230
Lake Charles, LA1,33013.19$94,810
Huntsville, AL3,11011.77$155,630
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL8306.66$132,650
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL1,6206.65$127,400
Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL4605.07$115,210
Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA4404.78$142,130
Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH1,6504.48$142,080
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA4,9704.42$169,650
Baton Rouge, LA1,7804.39$101,720

More metros, other thresholds