Electrical Engineering in Indiana

📊 Employment Overview

Indiana employs 3,800 electrical engineering professionals, representing approximately 2.0% of the national workforce in this field. Indiana ranks #17 nationally for electrical engineering employment.

💰 Salary Information

Electrical Engineering professionals in Indiana earn competitive salaries across all experience levels, with an average annual salary of $102,000.

Note: Salaries are adjusted for cost of living and local market conditions. Data based on BLS statistics and industry surveys (2024-2025).

🎓 Schools Offering Electrical Engineering

Loading school data...

🚀 Career Insights

Key information for electrical engineering professionals in Indiana.

🏢 Industry Landscape & Top Employers

Indiana's electrical engineering market — 3,800 engineers earning an average of $102,000 — is anchored by aerospace propulsion electronics, pharmaceutical manufacturing automation, and an automotive sector undergoing a historic electric vehicle transition. The state ranks #17 nationally and is one of the most industrially diverse EE markets in the Midwest, with Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and the I-65 corridor offering distinct employment clusters.

Major Employers: Rolls-Royce (Indianapolis) operates one of its largest North American facilities, employing electrical engineers for aircraft gas turbine engine control systems (FADEC), fuel system electronics, and propulsion health monitoring — working on engines that power regional jets, business aircraft, and military platforms worldwide. Raytheon (Fort Wayne) employs EEs for radar systems and defense electronics. Eli Lilly (Indianapolis) — one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies — employs electrical engineers for pharmaceutical manufacturing automation, cleanroom environmental control systems, and laboratory instrumentation. Cummins (Columbus) develops power electronics for diesel and natural gas engines, hydrogen fuel cells, and electric powertrain systems for commercial vehicles and power generation equipment. Subaru of Indiana Automotive (Lafayette), Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana (Princeton), and Honda's Greensburg plant employ electrical engineers for automotive assembly automation, robotics, and increasingly, EV battery and powertrain systems as these plants transition to electric vehicle production. Duke Energy Indiana and Indiana Michigan Power employ power systems engineers for the state's generation and distribution infrastructure.

EV Battery Manufacturing Surge: Indiana has become one of the nation's premier destinations for EV battery manufacturing investment. Samsung SDI (Kokomo, partnered with Stellantis), StarPlus Energy (Kokomo), and multiple other battery cell and module manufacturers are building massive facilities in central Indiana, creating entirely new categories of EE employment in battery management system design, cell formation electronics, and manufacturing automation.

Defense & Government: Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division (Crane) — one of the Navy's largest shore installations — employs electrical engineers for electronic warfare systems, radar, and weapons technology. Fort Benjamin Harrison supports Army finance and administrative technology. Grissom Air Reserve Base employs defense electronics contractors.

📈 Career Growth & Pathways

Indiana's EE career landscape offers excellent advancement in aerospace propulsion electronics, pharmaceutical automation, and the rapidly expanding EV supply chain — all within a state where the cost of living allows engineers to build wealth faster than coastal counterparts earning more on paper.

Typical Career Trajectory:

• Junior Electrical Engineer (0–2 years): $68,000–$88,000 — Entry at Rolls-Royce, Eli Lilly, Cummins, or automotive plants. Purdue University's engineering program feeds directly into most major Indiana EE employers. Naval Crane provides government employment with strong stability.
• Mid-Level Engineer (3–7 years): $88,000–$118,000 — Aerospace engine control engineers at Rolls-Royce who develop FADEC expertise command strong premiums. Pharmaceutical automation engineers with FDA validation knowledge are well-positioned as Eli Lilly's manufacturing investment accelerates.
• Senior Engineer (7–12 years): $118,000–$152,000 — Technical leadership at Rolls-Royce, Cummins, or the EV battery sector. Senior engineers at Samsung SDI's new Kokomo facilities — managing battery management system electronics at production scale — represent a fast-growing premium tier.
• Principal/Lead Engineer (12+ years): $152,000–$200,000+ — Senior technical authority roles at Indiana's major aerospace, pharma, and automotive employers. Cummins' electrification division and Rolls-Royce electrical systems represent the ceiling of Indiana's EE compensation.

EV Transition Opportunity: Indiana's automotive plants (Subaru, Toyota, Honda, Stellantis) are all transitioning toward EV production, creating extraordinary demand for EEs with expertise in high-voltage battery systems, electric motor drives, and vehicle electrical architecture. Engineers who position themselves at the intersection of automotive and power electronics are among the most sought-after in the state's job market.

💰 Salary vs. Cost of Living

Indiana's $102,000 average EE salary — delivered in one of the most affordable states in the nation — creates purchasing power that rivals engineers earning $150,000+ in coastal markets.

Indianapolis Metro: Indiana's primary tech and pharmaceutical employment center, with cost of living roughly 10–15% below the national average. Median home prices of $260,000–$360,000 make homeownership achievable within 2–3 years of starting an engineering career. Rent for a comfortable two-bedroom apartment averages $1,100–$1,500/month. Indianapolis has grown significantly in amenities — excellent dining, a thriving arts scene, and major professional sports — while maintaining dramatically lower costs than comparable-sized coastal cities.

Fort Wayne: Even more affordable — cost of living 20–25% below the national average with median home prices of $190,000–$260,000. Defense sector EEs at Raytheon and other Fort Wayne employers achieve strong financial positions on Indiana salaries.

Columbus (Cummins Area): A small city with outsized quality of life — Columbus is internationally recognized for its extraordinary collection of modernist architecture, with buildings by Eero Saarinen, I.M. Pei, and other masters commissioned by the Cummins Foundation. A comfortable life in Columbus on an engineering salary is extremely financially efficient.

Purchasing Power Comparison: An EE earning $102,000 in Indianapolis takes home approximately $77,000–$79,000 after federal and Indiana state income taxes (flat rate 3.15%, plus county taxes of 0.5–2.9%). This income supports spacious homeownership, strong retirement savings, and regular discretionary spending at a level requiring $170,000–$190,000 in California.

📜 Licensing & Professional Development

Indiana's EE professional development reflects its aerospace, pharmaceutical, automotive, and defense sectors — each with distinct credentialing priorities and regulatory frameworks.

The Indiana State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers administers PE licensure via the standard FE → 4 Years Experience → PE Exam pathway. Indiana's licensing process is efficient, and the state has reciprocity with neighboring states — useful for engineers who work across the Midwest.

High-Value Credentials in Indiana:

• DO-178C / DO-254 (Aerospace Software and Hardware Assurance): Critical for Rolls-Royce engineers working on FAA-certified engine control systems. Understanding design assurance levels and the formal verification requirements for flight-critical electronics is a foundational credential in Indiana's aerospace sector.
• FDA 21 CFR Part 820 / ISO 13485: For Eli Lilly manufacturing engineers, pharmaceutical quality system standards are essential. As Lilly's production of GLP-1 drugs expands dramatically, manufacturing automation EEs with validation and qualification expertise are in particularly strong demand.
• Battery Management System (BMS) Engineering: As Samsung SDI and other battery manufacturers ramp production in Indiana, engineers with expertise in lithium-ion cell characterization, BMS algorithm development, and battery pack safety standards (UL 2580, IEC 62133) command significant premiums in the state's fast-growing EV supply chain.
• IEC 61508 / Functional Safety: Increasingly relevant for Cummins power systems engineers and automotive safety engineers as electrified powertrains require formal functional safety analysis and ASIL certification.
• NAVSEA Standards: For Naval Crane engineers, familiarity with Navy electronic warfare and weapons system standards is foundational to the unique work performed at this important but often overlooked defense facility.

Education: Purdue University (West Lafayette) is Indiana's premier EE program — a consistently top-10 national program with extensive employer relationships across the state. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Terre Haute) and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) provide additional high-quality pathways.

📊 Job Market Outlook

Indiana's electrical engineering market is one of the fastest-growing in the Midwest, driven by the EV battery manufacturing boom, pharmaceutical manufacturing expansion, and continued aerospace investment.

EV Battery Manufacturing Explosion: Indiana's central location, established automotive manufacturing workforce, and state economic development incentives have made it one of the top destinations for EV battery investment in the country. The Samsung SDI/Stellantis StarPlus Energy facility (Kokomo) represents billions in investment, and additional battery and component manufacturers are expected to follow. This buildout is creating hundreds of new EE positions in battery systems, manufacturing automation, and facility power design.

Eli Lilly Manufacturing Scale-Up: Lilly's GLP-1 drugs (Mounjaro, Zepbound) have created extraordinary global demand that the company is racing to meet with massive manufacturing expansion across Indiana. New pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in Lebanon and other Indiana locations require electrical engineers for manufacturing automation, environmental control systems, cleanroom electrical infrastructure, and process instrumentation — creating a multi-year demand surge.

Rolls-Royce Next-Generation Programs: Rolls-Royce's Indianapolis facility is a key participant in next-generation aircraft engine programs, including hybrid-electric propulsion research that combines traditional jet turbine technology with electrical power generation. This electrification of aerospace propulsion creates new EE demand at the intersection of power electronics and aerospace systems.

Workforce Projection: Indiana is expected to add 1,200–2,000 EE positions over the next five years, with EV battery manufacturing, pharmaceutical automation, and aerospace electronics driving the largest share of growth — making it one of the strongest Midwestern growth markets for the profession.

🕐 Day in the Life

Electrical engineering in Indiana offers technically meaningful work across industries where EE decisions directly affect aircraft safety, drug manufacturing quality, vehicle electrification, and national defense — all within a Midwestern lifestyle of genuine affordability and community.

At Rolls-Royce (Indianapolis): Propulsion electronics engineers work on engine control systems that must function reliably across 30,000+ hours of operation in the harshest thermal and vibrational environments imaginable. A day might involve reviewing FADEC software integration test results for a new engine variant, analyzing thermocouple failure data from a fleet report, or preparing DO-254 design assurance evidence for an FAA submission. The culture is formal and precise — aerospace engine failures have catastrophic consequences, and the engineering rigor required is correspondingly demanding.

At Samsung SDI / StarPlus Energy (Kokomo): One of Indiana's newest and most exciting EE environments — a massive battery manufacturing facility where engineers work on the production of lithium-ion cells that will go into next-generation Stellantis electric vehicles. Day-to-day work involves commissioning formation and aging equipment, optimizing cell grading algorithms, developing quality control specifications for electrode coating lines, and designing BMS validation test procedures. The facility is ramping production on an accelerated timeline, creating an intense but intellectually exciting environment.

Lifestyle: Indiana's lifestyle is classically Midwestern — unpretentious, community-oriented, and excellent value for money. Indianapolis has grown into a genuinely vibrant city with the Children's Museum, Indianapolis Museum of Art (now Newfields), a thriving Mass Avenue restaurant and arts district, and major sporting events including the Indianapolis 500, NFL's Colts, and NBA's Pacers. The Indiana countryside provides hunting, fishing, and recreational opportunities that urban-raised engineers often discover with pleasant surprise. The cost of a comfortable Indiana life on an engineering salary is simply not replicable anywhere east of the Appalachians or west of the Rockies.

🔄 Compare with Other States

See how Indiana compares to other top states for electrical engineering: