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Acoustical engineers play a vital role in designing environments that balance sound quality and noise control. As of October 2025, the average salary for an acoustical engineer stands at $93,808 annually or $45 per hour. Factors influencing this salary include experience, with entry-level positions earning around $65,000, while seasoned professionals can command upwards of $120,000.
Geographic location affects earnings significantly. For instance, acoustical engineers in states like California and New York often see higher salaries compared to those in less populated regions. The top-paying states for acoustical engineers also include Texas and Florida, where job opportunities are plentiful.
Acoustical engineers can find diverse opportunities across various sectors including construction, entertainment, and environmental consulting. These positions not only offer competitive compensation but also the chance to engage in innovative projects that shape how we experience sound in our daily lives.
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The average acoustical engineer salary in California, Alaska, and Nevada are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average acoustical engineer salary states are Iowa, Montana, and Mississippi.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $120,338 | $57.85 |
| 2 | Arizona | $104,110 | $50.05 |
| 3 | Washington | $101,128 | $48.62 |
| 4 | Oregon | $95,954 | $46.13 |
| 5 | Nevada | $105,115 | $50.54 |
| 6 | Alaska | $109,649 | $52.72 |
| 7 | Maryland | $101,330 | $48.72 |
| 8 | North Carolina | $95,397 | $45.86 |
| 9 | Colorado | $94,781 | $45.57 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $100,544 | $48.34 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $94,059 | $45.22 |
| 12 | New Mexico | $92,202 | $44.33 |
| 13 | Michigan | $87,650 | $42.14 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | $90,837 | $43.67 |
| 15 | Georgia | $91,489 | $43.99 |
| 16 | Illinois | $91,040 | $43.77 |
| 17 | Idaho | $86,620 | $41.64 |
| 18 | Texas | $84,995 | $40.86 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $87,089 | $41.87 |
| 20 | Indiana | $87,758 | $42.19 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $91,822 | $44.15 |
| 22 | Ohio | $85,988 | $41.34 |
| 23 | Rhode Island | $83,998 | $40.38 |
| 24 | Virginia | $84,627 | $40.69 |
| 25 | West Virginia | $86,231 | $41.46 |
| 26 | Louisiana | $87,440 | $42.04 |
| 27 | Utah | $80,513 | $38.71 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | $83,542 | $40.16 |
| 29 | New York | $84,603 | $40.67 |
| 30 | Kentucky | $83,216 | $40.01 |
| 31 | Delaware | $80,274 | $38.59 |
| 32 | Connecticut | $81,559 | $39.21 |
| 33 | Florida | $82,831 | $39.82 |
| 34 | Tennessee | $81,206 | $39.04 |
| 35 | New Hampshire | $79,576 | $38.26 |
| 36 | Alabama | $78,908 | $37.94 |
| 37 | Wyoming | $76,109 | $36.59 |
| 38 | Maine | $80,370 | $38.64 |
| 39 | North Dakota | $75,315 | $36.21 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $79,138 | $38.05 |
| 41 | Kansas | $77,197 | $37.11 |
| 42 | Vermont | $73,090 | $35.14 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $75,207 | $36.16 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $74,157 | $35.65 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $66,566 | $32.00 |
| 46 | Iowa | $72,160 | $34.69 |
| 47 | Montana | $71,792 | $34.52 |
| 48 | Missouri | $73,559 | $35.36 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $69,407 | $33.37 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $70,016 | $33.66 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $63,034 | $30.30 |
The highest-paying cities for acoustical engineers are San Francisco, CA, Fairbanks, AK, and Everett, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $133,799 | $64.33 |
| 2 | Fairbanks, AK | $103,604 | $49.81 |
| 3 | Everett, WA | $101,822 | $48.95 |
| 4 | Bethesda, MD | $101,189 | $48.65 |
| 5 | Denver, CO | $94,756 | $45.56 |
| 6 | Boston, MA | $94,042 | $45.21 |
| 7 | Mundelein, IL | $91,281 | $43.89 |
| 8 | Troy, MI | $87,941 | $42.28 |
| 9 | Eden Prairie, MN | $87,017 | $41.84 |
| 10 | The Woodlands, TX | $85,101 | $40.91 |
| 11 | Fairborn, OH | $84,893 | $40.81 |
| 12 | Newport News, VA | $84,839 | $40.79 |
| 13 | New York, NY | $84,823 | $40.78 |
| 14 | Chester, PA | $83,805 | $40.29 |
| 15 | Wichita, KS | $77,606 | $37.31 |
An acoustical engineer's salary ranges from $69,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $126,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $126,000 | $10,500 | $61 |
| 75th Percentile | $109,000 | $9,083 | $52 |
| Average | $93,808 | $7,817 | $45 |
| 25th Percentile | $80,000 | $6,667 | $38 |
| 10th Percentile | $69,000 | $5,750 | $33 |
The highest paying types of acoustical engineers are principal engineer, contracting engineer, and staff engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research Engineer | $96,945 | $8,079 | $46.61 | 136,763 |
| Integration Engineer | $99,674 | $8,306 | $47.92 | 103,437 |
| Operations Engineer | $91,522 | $7,627 | $44.00 | 155,188 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Equipment Engineer | $97,539 | $8,128 | $46.89 | 108,449 |
| Technical Services Engineer | $81,204 | $6,767 | $39.04 | 217,103 |
Top companies hiring acoustical engineers now:
Acoustical engineer salaries at Meta and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average acoustical engineer salary at companies like Google and Microsoft are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $144,197 | $69.33 |
| 2 | Apple | $135,980 | $65.38 |
| 3 | $133,448 | $64.16 | |
| 4 | Microsoft | $123,854 | $59.55 |
| 5 | Cruise Automation | $121,937 | $58.62 |
| 6 | Sonos | $110,296 | $53.03 |
| 7 | Nokia | $105,914 | $50.92 |
| 8 | Dolby Laboratories | $102,422 | $49.24 |
| 9 | Snap | $96,557 | $46.42 |
| 10 | Textron | $95,223 | $45.78 |
| 11 | Meyer Sound | $95,208 | $45.77 |
| 12 | uBeam | $94,702 | $45.53 |
| 13 | Huntington Ingalls Industries | $94,702 | $45.53 |
| 14 | *n/a* | $94,623 | $45.49 |
| 15 | Brose North America, Inc. | $94,533 | $45.45 |
| 16 | Knowles | $94,245 | $45.31 |
| 17 | Gulfstream Aerospace | $94,191 | $45.28 |
| 18 | Bose | $93,712 | $45.05 |
| 19 | Boeing | $93,216 | $44.82 |
| 20 | Intertek | $92,453 | $44.45 |
The average acoustical engineer salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $97,267 | $46.76 |
| 2 | Automotive | $94,601 | $45.48 |
| 3 | Telecommunication | $91,237 | $43.86 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $90,412 | $43.47 |
| 5 | Professional | $89,014 | $42.80 |
The average acoustical engineer salary has risen by $11,372 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average acoustical engineer earned $82,436 annually, but today, they earn $93,808 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for acoustical engineers over the last decade.
Compare acoustical engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare acoustical engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $93,800 | $45.10 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $92,000 | $44.23 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $90,900 | $43.70 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $89,400 | $42.96 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $87,600 | $42.11 | +0.7% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Origin | SR Acoustics Engineer-New Glenn | Seattle, WA | 06/30/2025 | $140,959 |
| AAON | Acoustical Engineer-Hvac Systems | Tulsa, OK | 05/24/2025 | $77,789 |
| Johnson & Johnson | SR. Ultrasound Acoustic Engineer | Santa Clara, CA | 05/15/2025 | $103,000 |
| Blue Origin | SR Acoustics Engineer-New Glenn | Denver, CO | 05/14/2025 | $140,959 |
| Blue Origin | SR Acoustics Engineer-New Glenn | Seattle, WA | 05/14/2025 | $140,959 |
| Apple | Acoustic Engineer | Vision Products Group | Cupertino, CA | 05/09/2025 | $143,100 |
| Northrop Grumman | Acoustic Engineer Lead 4 | Sunnyvale, CA | 05/03/2025 | $137,400 |
| Kimley-Horn | Acoustics Engineer | Seattle, WA | 05/02/2025 | $100,000 |
| Kimley-Horn | Acoustics Engineer | Greenwood Village, CO | 05/02/2025 | $100,000 |
| Kimley-Horn | Acoustics Engineer | San Diego, CA | 05/02/2025 | $100,000 |
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