Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Caterpillar's average salary stands at $57,298 per year, making it an attractive employer in the industrial sector. Salaries vary significantly based on factors like location, department, and job role. For example, positions in engineering tend to command higher salaries due to the specialized skills required. In states like Texas and Illinois, employees often see higher compensation compared to other regions. Furthermore, job titles such as Senior Engineer and Project Manager are among the highest-paying roles, reflecting the company's commitment to rewarding expertise and leadership. Understanding these salary dynamics can help prospective employees gauge their earning potential and make informed career decisions.
The highest paying jobs at Caterpillar are section manager, project team lead, sap consultant, and android developer. Section manager jobs at Caterpillar earn an average yearly salary of $112,193, Caterpillar project team lead jobs average $109,974, and Caterpillar sap consultant jobs average $109,779.
The lowest paying Caterpillar roles include assembly line worker and assembler. Caterpillar assembly line worker average salary is $28,677 per year. So while the average Caterpillar salary is $57,298 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.
| Rank | Job title | Average Caterpillar salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Section Manager | $112,193 | $53.94 |
| 2 | Project Team Lead | $109,974 | $52.87 |
| 3 | SAP Consultant | $109,779 | $52.78 |
| 4 | Android Developer | $106,962 | $51.42 |
| 5 | Java Developer | $105,407 | $50.68 |
| 6 | Engineering Specialist | $105,019 | $50.49 |
| 7 | Senior Design Engineer | $104,547 | $50.26 |
| 8 | Lean SIX Sigma Black Belt | $104,023 | $50.01 |
| 9 | Project Manager | $103,105 | $49.57 |
| 10 | Senior Engineering Associate | $102,013 | $49.04 |
| 11 | Information Technology Analyst | $98,065 | $47.15 |
| 12 | Requirements Engineer | $90,548 | $43.53 |
| 13 | Distribution Supervisor | $84,962 | $40.85 |
| 14 | Team Leader | $64,778 | $31.14 |
| 15 | Planning Analyst | $55,236 | $26.56 |
| 16 | Buyer | $48,475 | $23.31 |
| 17 | Operation Supervisor | $47,919 | $23.04 |
| 18 | Human Resources Coordinator | $39,888 | $19.18 |
| 19 | Machinist | $38,898 | $18.70 |
| 20 | Welder | $37,902 | $18.22 |
Rate Caterpillar's fairness in compensating employees.
Caterpillar pays the highest salaries in California due to higher costs of living and competition in the state.
| Rank | State | Average Caterpillar salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $64,933 | $31.22 |
| 2 | Washington | $63,459 | $30.51 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $61,229 | $29.44 |
| 4 | Colorado | $58,644 | $28.19 |
| 5 | Texas | $58,271 | $28.01 |
| 6 | Virginia | $58,154 | $27.96 |
| 7 | Arizona | $58,066 | $27.92 |
| 8 | Minnesota | $57,608 | $27.70 |
| 9 | Illinois | $57,069 | $27.44 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $56,880 | $27.35 |
| 11 | North Dakota | $56,056 | $26.95 |
| 12 | Michigan | $55,500 | $26.68 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $55,493 | $26.68 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $55,294 | $26.58 |
| 15 | Georgia | $55,242 | $26.56 |
| 16 | Ohio | $54,915 | $26.40 |
| 17 | Missouri | $54,606 | $26.25 |
| 18 | Alabama | $53,903 | $25.91 |
| 19 | South Carolina | $53,826 | $25.88 |
| 20 | Tennessee | $53,769 | $25.85 |
| Rank | Location | Average Caterpillar salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego, CA | $64,257 | $30.89 |
| 2 | Spokane, WA | $62,781 | $30.18 |
| 3 | Denver, CO | $58,482 | $28.12 |
| 4 | Seguin, TX | $58,207 | $27.98 |
| 5 | Tucson, AZ | $57,640 | $27.71 |
| 6 | Brooklyn Park, MN | $57,596 | $27.69 |
| 7 | Rossville, IL | $57,007 | $27.41 |
| 8 | Pittsburgh, PA | $56,110 | $26.98 |
| 9 | West Fargo, ND | $56,108 | $26.98 |
| 10 | Menominee, MI | $55,603 | $26.73 |
| 11 | Griffin, GA | $55,341 | $26.61 |
| 12 | South Milwaukee, WI | $55,260 | $26.57 |
| 13 | Sanford, NC | $55,223 | $26.55 |
| 14 | Boonville, MO | $54,636 | $26.27 |
| 15 | Clayton, OH | $54,531 | $26.22 |
| 16 | Wamego, KS | $54,269 | $26.09 |
| 17 | Sumter, SC | $53,912 | $25.92 |
| 18 | Lafayette, IN | $53,193 | $25.57 |
| 19 | Miami, FL | $52,619 | $25.30 |
| 20 | Corinth, MS | $52,566 | $25.27 |
Do you work at Caterpillar?
Were you satisfied with Caterpillar's salary and benefits?
Salaries at Caterpillar vary depending on the department you work in. Caterpillar salaries in the research & development department are the highest with an average salary of $93,914. Employees in the engineering department at Caterpillar receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $93,403 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at Caterpillar include the warehouse and the administrative organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $33,748 and $34,058, respectively.
| Rank | Department | Average Caterpillar salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Research & Development | $93,914 | $45.15 |
| 2 | Engineering | $93,403 | $44.91 |
| 3 | Marketing | $77,553 | $37.29 |
| 4 | Supply Chain | $71,075 | $34.17 |
| 5 | IT | $70,473 | $33.88 |
| 6 | Retail | $62,239 | $29.92 |
| 7 | Facilities | $42,758 | $20.56 |
| 8 | Plant/Manufacturing | $41,786 | $20.09 |
| 9 | Construction | $40,199 | $19.33 |
| 10 | Administrative | $34,059 | $16.37 |
| 11 | Warehouse | $33,748 | $16.23 |
| Rank | Position | Average Caterpillar salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Project Leader | $124,348 | $59.78 |
| 2 | Technical Team Lead | $114,797 | $55.19 |
| 3 | Oracle Database Administrator | $114,270 | $54.94 |
| 4 | Section Manager | $112,193 | $53.94 |
| 5 | SAP Consultant | $109,779 | $52.78 |
| 6 | Sap-Sd Consultant | $109,472 | $52.63 |
| 7 | Android Developer | $106,962 | $51.42 |
| 8 | Java Developer | $105,407 | $50.68 |
| 9 | Engineering Specialist | $105,019 | $50.49 |
| 10 | Senior Design Engineer | $104,547 | $50.26 |
| 11 | Lean SIX Sigma Black Belt | $104,023 | $50.01 |
| 12 | Senior Engineering Associate | $102,013 | $49.04 |
| 13 | Data Scientist | $94,376 | $45.37 |
| 14 | Data Analyst | $92,062 | $44.26 |
| 15 | Requirements Engineer | $90,548 | $43.53 |
| 16 | Quality Supervisor | $83,407 | $40.10 |
| 17 | Test Specialist | $34,617 | $16.64 |
| 18 | Manufacturing Technician | $34,312 | $16.50 |
| 19 | Production Technician | $33,065 | $15.90 |
| Rank | Position | Average Caterpillar salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tool And Die Maker | $55,015 | $26.45 |
| 2 | Production Supervisor | $53,658 | $25.80 |
| 3 | Machinist | $38,898 | $18.70 |
| 4 | Welder | $37,902 | $18.22 |
| 5 | Production Support Specialist | $36,209 | $17.41 |
| 6 | Manufacturing Engineering Internship | $36,101 | $17.36 |
| 7 | 2nd Shift Supervisor | $35,016 | $16.83 |
| 8 | Assembly Technician | $34,807 | $16.73 |
| 9 | Auditor/Quality | $34,659 | $16.66 |
| 10 | Test Specialist | $34,617 | $16.64 |
| 11 | Lift Operator | $34,440 | $16.56 |
| 12 | Manufacturing Technician | $34,312 | $16.50 |
| 13 | Machine Operator | $33,632 | $16.17 |
| 14 | Quality Inspector | $32,885 | $15.81 |
| 15 | Forklift Driver | $32,694 | $15.72 |
| 16 | Assembler | $31,609 | $15.20 |
| 17 | Line Up Worker | $30,817 | $14.82 |
| 18 | Assembly Line Worker | $28,678 | $13.79 |
| 19 | Detailer | $27,907 | $13.42 |
| Rank | Position | Average Caterpillar salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inventory Analyst | $64,843 | $31.17 |
| 2 | Receiving Team Leader | $35,820 | $17.22 |
| 3 | Order Selector | $35,335 | $16.99 |
| 4 | Forklift Operator | $34,114 | $16.40 |
| 5 | Shipping And Receiving Clerk | $34,062 | $16.38 |
| 6 | Materials Specialist | $33,841 | $16.27 |
| 7 | Fork Truck Operator | $33,801 | $16.25 |
| 8 | Shipping Clerk | $33,521 | $16.12 |
| 9 | Inventory Coordinator | $33,468 | $16.09 |
| 10 | Order Picker | $33,353 | $16.04 |
| 11 | Warehouse Worker | $33,293 | $16.01 |
| 12 | Warehouse Associate | $33,152 | $15.94 |
| 13 | Production Worker | $32,977 | $15.85 |
| 14 | Material Handler | $32,908 | $15.82 |
| 15 | Forklift Driver | $32,694 | $15.72 |
| 16 | Picker And Packer | $32,509 | $15.63 |
Average salaries at Caterpillar competitors, like General Electric, General Motors, and Cummins, vary. General Electric employees earn the highest salaries, with an average yearly salary of $86,183. The average salary at General Motors is $79,461 per year, and the average salary at Cummins is $71,408 per year.
| Rank | Company name | Zippia score | Average salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | General Electric | 4.8 | $86,183 |
| 2 | General Motors | 4.6 | $79,461 |
| 3 | Cummins | 4.6 | $71,408 |
| 4 | Gardner Denver | 4.8 | $68,714 |
| 5 | PACCAR | 4.5 | $67,735 |
| 6 | Terex | 4.2 | $59,612 |
| 7 | Eaton | 4.7 | $58,806 |
| 8 | Kimberly-Clark | 4.7 | $55,890 |
| 9 | Whirlpool | 4.6 | $49,382 |
| 10 | Alcoa | 4.8 | $49,237 |
| Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concurrent Product and Process Development (Cppd) Engineer | Decatur, IL | 06/28/2025 | $95,640 |
| Parts Inventory Analyst | Morton, IL | 06/28/2025 | $87,480 |
| Engineer-Design | Tucson, AZ | 06/28/2025 | $87,480 |
| Senior Engineering Project Team Leader | Tucson, AZ | 06/28/2025 | $126,000 |
| Material Planning and Purchasing Manager-Electric Power | Griffin, GA | 06/28/2025 | $110,520 |
Safety conscious large company could transfer
Low pay not enough paid time off
Clubs that we can join and be a part of
Knows me by first name
Monetary incentives more
I didn’t prepare I’m naturally gregarious and outgoing
I’m not sure
Adequate
Being singled out for positive behavior and for advertising
The work environment and job itself is great depending on where you’re at, and the benefits are pretty decent.
Pay is not where it needs to be and they’re no longer in a competitive margin with similar companies as far as compensation.
The work isn’t hard and, when available, the overtime is nice.
Get familiar with the S.T.A.R. Format (Situation, Task, Action, Result) when formulating your answers and you’ll do fine.
The compensation at Caterpillar is definitely below the industry average depending on your position.
We are a diverse team with a strong focus on safety and quality. We have exceptional benefits and lots of pto. My hours are Monday through Thursday.
It is not located in or near Chattanooga TN where my family lives.
PTO, 401K, Insurance and we do not work on weekends.
Good company, communication, benefits always has a vested interest in the people that work for them.
Benefits, life involvement
Good pay, variety of work opportunities and 401k match
During busy times mandatory scheduled weekend work.
Good healthcare
work-life balance
the organization and management is a mess. very little growth opportunity
working from home
They have very good salaries on average.
I do not like the central Illinois location
Incentivized bonuses
There are lots of learning experiences that benefit your personal development.
There is not much room for opportunities for promotions. They will hire from outside for a higher position before they will promote you.
401K and Vacation time
Good pay not great
They do not care about employees, just stock holders
401k
great corporate culture
slowly career development
the opportunity to interact with different type of people and cultures, good social package
I like the variety of opportunities available in a variety of disciplines and the opportunity to travel globally.
Some changes required a significant amount of bureaucracy to improve.
Flexibility
Ability to grow internally transfers
Distance to work
Flexibility
It pays decent
No time for personal life and they need to re-evaluate their pay
Health benefits and retirement benifits
The experience, working hands on, and pretty good pay for entry level type welding.
The lack of care to employees.
The Caterpillar name.
Co- workers made the job fun and interesting.
Some Bias Managers and clicks. More focus is needed on developing employees and management and demonstrating values rather than saying you have them.
Pay and Healthcare benefits are fair. The community focus is good as well.
Chance to learn different areas so you can grow
Lacking communication
Benefits in loans, housing, vehicles, etc
Hours, large company, pay scale, manufacturing, customer service
No advancement,
I believe it is a fair and honest company. The work environment is comfortable. I like the people and the atmosphere.
I would like to see more women in higher paying jobs. Most of the women work in office settings. I would like to see a women CEO eventually running the company. I think there is too much nepotism.
Insurance is the best perk of working for this company. I received a full health insurance at no cost to me while I was there. It is something that I wish all companies had since it could be so expensive.
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Caterpillar, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Caterpillar. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Caterpillar. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Caterpillar. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Caterpillar and its employees or that of Zippia.
Caterpillar may also be known as or be related to Caterpillar, Caterpillar (Qingzhou) Ltd., Caterpillar Inc, Caterpillar Inc. and Caterpillar, Inc.