There are over 73,314 senior mechanical engineers currently employed in the United States. 5.8% of all senior mechanical engineers are women, while 94.2% are men. The average senior mechanical engineer age is 40 years old.

Entry-level engineers may not need a Professional Engineer (PE) license, but senior engineers do need to be licensed. They have authority to lead the design and development process, sign official project documents, and often supervise more junior engineers.