Good news for engineers on the salary front: On average, base salaries have risen 3 percent from last year.

According to a new salary survey by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Society of Civil Engineers, the average salary for engineers in 2012 is $95,603, an increase of $2,877 over last year. Annual income for engineers, including commissions and fees, increased nearly 4 percent from 2011 to 2012.

The data were compiled from an online survey of 12,720 engineers in multiple age groups and employed in various industry sectors and technical disciplines. Nearly 72 percent of the respondents indicated a salary increase.

Engineers working in the field of ocean engineering represent the highest full-time salaried median income, at $169,000.

The median annual income is the highest in California, Nevada, and Hawaii, and lowest in the Upper Mountain states.

Nearly 57 percent of respondents are recipients of a standard benefits plan from their employers; the remaining group receives flexible benefits.

"There has never been a more exciting time to be an engineer, and the results of the 2012 Engineering Income and Salary Survey confirm what we already know: Careers in engineering are rewarding on many levels," says Thomas Loughlin, executive director of ASME.

Alicia Karwoski, director of professional activities at ASCE, says, "We hope the survey will be a resource to the many organizations that track employment and salary data on engineers. We are encouraged to see engineering salaries on the rise at a time when more engineers are needed to spur technological innovation in the United States and around the world."

ASME and ASCE have been collaborating on the salary survey report for the last five years.