Electrical Engineering in Wisconsin

📊 Employment Overview

Wisconsin employs 3,419 electrical engineering professionals, representing approximately 1.8% of the national workforce in this field. Wisconsin ranks #20 nationally for electrical engineering employment.

💰 Salary Information

Electrical Engineering professionals in Wisconsin earn competitive salaries across all experience levels, with an average annual salary of $105,000.

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

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🚀 Career Insights

Key information for electrical engineering professionals in Wisconsin.

🏢 Industry Landscape & Top Employers

Wisconsin's electrical engineering market — 3,419 engineers earning an average of $105,000 — is anchored by some of the world's most recognized industrial technology companies: Rockwell Automation (the global leader in industrial control systems), Johnson Controls (a $25 billion building technology company), GE Healthcare (world-leading medical imaging), and the manufacturing automation ecosystem that supports Wisconsin's deep industrial heritage. Wisconsin's EE community combines sophisticated industrial electronics with growing medical device and utility engineering in a state whose affordability, four-season recreation, and genuine Midwestern community character create a highly livable professional environment.

Major Employers: Rockwell Automation (Milwaukee) — the world's largest industrial automation and digital transformation company — employs hundreds of EEs developing Allen-Bradley PLCs, FactoryTalk software platforms, Kinetix servo drives, and PowerFlex variable frequency drives used in factories globally. Rockwell's EEs are advancing the Industry 4.0 revolution, connecting industrial equipment to cloud analytics platforms that improve manufacturing efficiency at scale. Johnson Controls (Milwaukee) is a Fortune 500 company developing HVAC control systems, fire safety electronics, security technology, and building automation infrastructure used in commercial buildings worldwide. GE Healthcare (Waukesha) is the world's leading manufacturer of medical imaging systems — MRI, CT, X-ray, and ultrasound — employing EEs for magnet system design, RF coil development, power electronics for imaging systems, and AI-powered diagnostic image processing. A.O. Smith (Milwaukee) develops water heating systems and employs EEs for combustion control electronics and heat pump technology. Harley-Davidson (Milwaukee) employs EEs for vehicle electronics, electric motorcycle systems, and manufacturing automation. Wisconsin Energy (WEC Group) employs power systems engineers for the state's utility infrastructure. Trek Bicycle (Waterloo) employs engineers for electric bicycle drive systems and connected bike technology. The University of Wisconsin-Madison's world-class engineering research enterprise employs EEs in materials, devices, and energy systems research.

Industrial Automation Leadership: Rockwell Automation's Milwaukee headquarters makes Wisconsin the global center of industrial control systems engineering — the PLCs, servo drives, and factory networking equipment that Rockwell engineers design are found in manufacturing facilities on every continent. As Industry 4.0 transforms manufacturing — connecting previously isolated factory equipment to data platforms, enabling predictive maintenance and quality optimization — Wisconsin's Rockwell engineers are building the enabling technology for a manufacturing revolution.

📈 Career Growth & Pathways

Wisconsin's EE career landscape offers strong advancement tracks in industrial automation at Rockwell Automation, medical imaging systems at GE Healthcare, and building technology at Johnson Controls — with each track offering technically sophisticated work in globally significant companies at compensation levels that create excellent purchasing power in Wisconsin's affordable market.

Typical Career Trajectory:

• Junior Electrical Engineer (0–2 years): $70,000–$92,000 — Entry at Rockwell Automation, Johnson Controls, GE Healthcare, or WEC Energy. University of Wisconsin-Madison (a top-15 EE program nationally) feeds directly into all major Wisconsin employers with well-established recruiting relationships.
• Mid-Level Engineer (3–7 years): $92,000–$125,000 — Rockwell engineers who develop expertise in servo drive hardware design, industrial Ethernet networking (EtherNet/IP), or safety PLC systems command meaningful premiums. GE Healthcare EEs with MRI RF coil design or CT X-ray tube power electronics expertise enter highly specialized and well-compensated technical niches.
• Senior Engineer (7–12 years): $125,000–$165,000 — Technical authority at Rockwell on major product lines, GE Healthcare principal imaging systems engineers, or Johnson Controls senior building technology architects. These roles shape product decisions affecting thousands of end-users globally.
• Principal/Fellow Engineer (12+ years): $165,000–$235,000+ — Rockwell Automation Technical Fellows, GE Healthcare Distinguished Scientists, and Johnson Controls principal engineers represent Wisconsin's EE apex — roles with extraordinary technical influence on the industrial and healthcare technology products used in facilities worldwide.

MRI Engineering — A Wisconsin Specialty: GE Healthcare's Waukesha facility is one of the world's primary MRI system engineering centers. The superconducting magnet systems, RF transmit and receive coil electronics, and gradient power amplifiers used in modern MRI machines represent some of the most technically demanding hardware engineering in any commercial product category. Wisconsin engineers who develop MRI system expertise — particularly in RF coil design and superconducting magnet quench protection electronics — build credentials valued globally by Siemens Healthineers, Philips Healthcare, and every other major MRI manufacturer.

💰 Salary vs. Cost of Living

Wisconsin's $105,000 average EE salary against a cost of living that remains significantly below the national average in Milwaukee and other major employment centers creates strong purchasing power — with the Milwaukee metro in particular offering major-city amenities at decidedly Midwestern prices.

Milwaukee Metro (Waukesha, Menomonee Falls, Milwaukee suburbs): The primary industrial EE employment zone, with cost of living roughly 10% below the national average. Median home prices of $270,000–$400,000 in Milwaukee's diverse suburbs make homeownership genuinely accessible for EE households within 2–3 years. The greater Milwaukee area includes excellent communities across a range of characters — historic Waukesha, lakefront Whitefish Bay, family-oriented Brookfield, and Milwaukee's own rapidly improving urban neighborhoods (Bayview, the Third Ward, Walker's Point) for engineers who prefer urban living.

Madison: The state capital and home of the University of Wisconsin — cost of living near the national average, with median homes of $360,000–$480,000. Madison's vibrant food scene, Isthmus lakes, State Street corridor, and university community make it a highly desirable place to live, though housing has become more competitive with demand from tech and state government workers.

Tax Note: Wisconsin's progressive income tax (top rate 7.65%) is higher than most Midwest states — meaningfully reducing the after-tax picture compared to no-income-tax states like Illinois (flat 4.95%) or neighboring Minnesota (top rate 9.85%). Engineers comparing Wisconsin to neighboring states should carefully model the income tax difference, though Wisconsin's lower cost of living versus Minnesota generally compensates.

📜 Licensing & Professional Development

Wisconsin's EE professional development reflects its industrial automation, medical imaging, and building technology sectors — with Rockwell platform expertise, GE Healthcare system certifications, and IEC functional safety credentials being the most career-differentiated technical qualifications.

The Wisconsin Examining Board of Architects, Landscape Architects, Professional Engineers, Designers, and Land Surveyors administers PE licensure via the standard pathway. WEC Energy Group and other utility EEs benefit from PE licensure for signing authority.

High-Value Credentials in Wisconsin:

• Rockwell Automation Certified Engineer / Allen-Bradley PLC: For engineers in Wisconsin's industrial automation community, formal Rockwell Automation training certifications (Studio 5000 Logix Designer, FactoryTalk View, Kinetix servo programming) are the practical technical credentials that demonstrate platform proficiency to the thousands of manufacturing companies that use Rockwell's systems. Rockwell's certification programs are among the most respected in industrial automation globally.
• IEC 61508 / ISO 13849 Functional Safety: For Rockwell safety PLC engineers and Johnson Controls engineers developing fire and life safety systems, IEC 61508 (functional safety for E/E/PE systems) and ISO 13849 (machinery safety) certification is a growing mandatory credential as safety standards become more rigorously enforced in industrial and building technology applications.
• GE Healthcare MRI / CT System Engineering: For GE Healthcare engineers in Waukesha, deep expertise in MRI superconducting magnet systems, RF surface coil design, gradient amplifier power electronics, or CT X-ray tube high-voltage power supply design is the technical credential that distinguishes the most valued engineers in global medical imaging. These competencies are developed exclusively through active product program work at GE Healthcare or its direct competitors.
• NFPA 72 / Johnson Controls Fire Alarm Systems: For Johnson Controls engineers developing fire alarm and mass notification systems, NFPA 72 (National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code) expertise and NICET (National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies) fire alarm certification are important professional credentials in the building life safety engineering community.

Education: The University of Wisconsin-Madison (consistently top-15 EE nationally) is the state's premier program, with exceptional connections to Rockwell Automation, GE Healthcare, Johnson Controls, and WEC Energy through research partnerships and alumni networks. Marquette University (Milwaukee) and Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) provide strong applied engineering pathways with close industry relationships in the Milwaukee metro manufacturing and automation community.

📊 Job Market Outlook

Wisconsin's EE market is expected to grow steadily, driven by Rockwell Automation's Industry 4.0 expansion, GE Healthcare's AI-powered imaging technology development, Johnson Controls' smart building growth, and the state's growing clean energy transition requirements.

Industry 4.0 — Rockwell's Growth Catalyst: Manufacturing companies globally are investing in smart factory technology — connected sensors, cloud analytics, predictive maintenance, and autonomous production systems. Rockwell Automation, as the leading supplier of this technology for discrete and process manufacturing, is growing its engineering workforce to develop the platforms that enable digital transformation at scale. Wisconsin engineers at Rockwell are building the software and hardware that will define how factories operate for the next generation.

AI-Powered Medical Imaging: GE Healthcare's investment in AI-assisted medical imaging — algorithms that detect tumors, quantify cardiac function, and guide radiologist attention — is creating new EE demands at the intersection of image processing, embedded AI hardware, and medical device regulatory compliance. The company's Edison AI platform and its integration into MRI, CT, and ultrasound systems are driving engineering growth at the Waukesha campus that did not exist in the previous generation of imaging technology.

Smart Building Technology: Johnson Controls' OpenBlue digital platform — connecting building systems through cloud analytics for energy optimization, predictive maintenance, and occupant experience management — is among the most ambitious building technology initiatives in the industry. Wisconsin EEs who develop expertise in building IoT systems, HVAC control electronics, and the cybersecurity requirements for connected building infrastructure are building careers at the center of one of commercial real estate's defining technology transitions.

Wisconsin Clean Energy: WEC Energy Group's significant renewable energy investment — wind, solar, and battery storage additions across Wisconsin and neighboring states — creates sustained power systems engineering demand. The specific challenge of integrating renewable generation into a grid historically served by coal and nuclear baseload plants requires sustained power systems engineering for protection, voltage regulation, and stability analysis across the system.

🕐 Day in the Life

Electrical engineering in Wisconsin means building the programmable controllers that automate factories on six continents, engineering the MRI systems that diagnose cancer in hospitals worldwide, or designing the building automation systems that optimize energy use in skyscrapers and hospitals — within a state whose cheese culture, Packers football, Great Lakes recreation, and genuine Midwestern community create a distinctive and deeply satisfying professional life.

At Rockwell Automation (Milwaukee): Industrial automation engineers work on the hardware and software that runs the world's factories. A day might involve developing firmware for a new generation of CompactLogix PLCs, designing the power electronics for a next-generation Kinetix servo drive intended for robotic assembly lines, or testing an EtherNet/IP network switch for integration into a hazardous area manufacturing environment. The scope of impact is global — a code change that improves PLC scan time performance by 5% benefits thousands of production lines worldwide. Rockwell's Milwaukee headquarters has a manufacturing culture that is proud of its heritage and ambitious about its digital future — engineers who join in the current period of Industry 4.0 investment are at the center of a transformation that will define industrial technology for decades.

At GE Healthcare (Waukesha): MRI systems engineers work on hardware that performs quantum-mechanical measurements of hydrogen atoms in the human body with sufficient precision and speed to produce diagnostic images of internal anatomy, blood flow, and metabolic activity. A day might involve characterizing the frequency response of a new 7T head coil design, reviewing gradient amplifier thermal management for a next-generation system, or analyzing the RF specific absorption rate (SAR) compliance of a new pulse sequence in human tissue phantoms. The work combines extraordinarily sophisticated physics and electronics with the knowledge that every improvement in image quality or scan speed translates directly to better patient diagnoses and clinical outcomes.

Lifestyle: Wisconsin's lifestyle is one of the most authentically Midwestern in the country. Packers football — the only publicly-owned NFL franchise — creates a community identity that binds Wisconsin together in ways that California or New York residents find difficult to fully appreciate until they witness a Lambeau Field game day. Milwaukee's architecture (the Santiago Calatrava-designed Milwaukee Art Museum is one of the most stunning buildings in the Midwest), Summerfest (the world's largest music festival), craft brewery culture (Milwaukee was the brewing capital of America for a century and still makes excellent beer), and the Third Ward's restaurant and arts scene give the city genuine cultural richness. Door County's peninsula jutting into Lake Michigan offers sailing, kayaking, cherry orchards, and lighthouses for weekend recreation. The affordability of Wisconsin life — relative to any coastal equivalent — means engineers here build wealth faster, own more spacious homes, and spend less of their time managing the financial stress that coastal engineering life routinely involves.

🔄 Compare with Other States

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