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The average salary for a combustion engineer in the United States is approximately $87,464 annually or about $42 per hour. This figure provides a baseline for understanding potential earnings in this technical field.
Income can fluctuate based on various factors, including experience, education, and specific job roles. For example, entry-level combustion engineers may start with salaries below the average, while those with extensive experience or specialized skills can exceed $100,000 per year.
Geographic location plays a crucial role in salary variations. States such as California, Texas, and New York often offer higher compensation due to demand and cost of living. Additionally, industries such as energy and manufacturing tend to provide more lucrative opportunities.
Estimates from various sources confirm these averages, but it’s essential to consider local market conditions and industry trends. The salary potential for combustion engineers is promising, particularly with advancements in technology and energy efficiency driving demand.
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The average combustion engineer salary in Massachusetts, Oregon, and Connecticut are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average combustion engineer salary states are Kentucky, South Dakota, and Mississippi.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $106,617 | $51.26 |
| 2 | Oregon | $100,351 | $48.25 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $99,094 | $47.64 |
| 4 | Texas | $97,521 | $46.89 |
| 5 | California | $98,805 | $47.50 |
| 6 | New York | $95,523 | $45.92 |
| 7 | North Carolina | $93,853 | $45.12 |
| 8 | Michigan | $91,518 | $44.00 |
| 9 | Maryland | $94,814 | $45.58 |
| 10 | Washington | $90,888 | $43.70 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $95,749 | $46.03 |
| 12 | Arizona | $88,330 | $42.47 |
| 13 | New Jersey | $94,509 | $45.44 |
| 14 | Nevada | $91,000 | $43.75 |
| 15 | Alaska | $91,266 | $43.88 |
| 16 | Colorado | $85,863 | $41.28 |
| 17 | Illinois | $85,471 | $41.09 |
| 18 | Louisiana | $89,769 | $43.16 |
| 19 | New Mexico | $86,076 | $41.38 |
| 20 | South Carolina | $84,206 | $40.48 |
| 21 | Virginia | $80,325 | $38.62 |
| 22 | Georgia | $81,444 | $39.16 |
| 23 | Florida | $82,979 | $39.89 |
| 24 | West Virginia | $81,264 | $39.07 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $80,172 | $38.54 |
| 26 | Indiana | $79,271 | $38.11 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | $80,046 | $38.48 |
| 28 | Idaho | $77,686 | $37.35 |
| 29 | Delaware | $76,805 | $36.93 |
| 30 | Alabama | $76,521 | $36.79 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $78,211 | $37.60 |
| 32 | New Hampshire | $75,245 | $36.18 |
| 33 | Utah | $72,627 | $34.92 |
| 34 | Minnesota | $74,679 | $35.90 |
| 35 | Wyoming | $71,318 | $34.29 |
| 36 | North Dakota | $72,823 | $35.01 |
| 37 | Maine | $75,653 | $36.37 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $75,887 | $36.48 |
| 39 | Wisconsin | $73,822 | $35.49 |
| 40 | Ohio | $72,428 | $34.82 |
| 41 | Kansas | $72,689 | $34.95 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $71,317 | $34.29 |
| 43 | Vermont | $69,087 | $33.21 |
| 44 | Iowa | $69,772 | $33.54 |
| 45 | Montana | $65,759 | $31.61 |
| 46 | Missouri | $70,508 | $33.90 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $60,652 | $29.16 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $67,800 | $32.60 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $67,039 | $32.23 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $66,900 | $32.16 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $60,416 | $29.05 |
The highest-paying cities for combustion engineers are San Francisco, CA, East Hartford, CT, and Dallas, TX.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $105,911 | $50.92 |
| 2 | East Hartford, CT | $98,761 | $47.48 |
| 3 | Dallas, TX | $96,565 | $46.43 |
| 4 | Columbia, MD | $94,806 | $45.58 |
| 5 | Pontiac, MI | $91,661 | $44.07 |
| 6 | Seattle, WA | $91,511 | $44.00 |
| 7 | Chandler, AZ | $88,341 | $42.47 |
| 8 | Des Plaines, IL | $85,702 | $41.20 |
| 9 | Greenville, SC | $84,009 | $40.39 |
| 10 | Tampa, FL | $83,584 | $40.18 |
| 11 | Atlanta, GA | $81,416 | $39.14 |
| 12 | Columbus, IN | $78,945 | $37.95 |
| 13 | Huntsville, AL | $76,306 | $36.69 |
| 14 | North Ridgeville, OH | $73,149 | $35.17 |
| 15 | Wichita, KS | $73,060 | $35.13 |
A combustion engineer's salary ranges from $61,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $123,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $123,000 | $10,250 | $59 |
| 75th Percentile | $104,000 | $8,667 | $50 |
| Average | $87,464 | $7,289 | $42 |
| 25th Percentile | $72,000 | $6,000 | $35 |
| 10th Percentile | $61,000 | $5,083 | $29 |
The highest paying types of combustion engineers are principal engineer, contracting engineer, and senior engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facility Engineer | $89,623 | $7,469 | $43.09 | 94,268 |
| Research Engineer | $96,945 | $8,079 | $46.61 | 136,763 |
| Lead Engineer | $84,927 | $7,077 | $40.83 | 301,777 |
| Service Engineer | $87,151 | $7,263 | $41.90 | 143,806 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Principal Engineer | $130,213 | $10,851 | $62.60 | 312,683 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for combustion engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Daisy Huang
Assistant Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Top companies hiring combustion engineers now:
Combustion engineer salaries at Argonne National Laboratory and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average combustion engineer salary at companies like General Electric and General Motors are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Argonne National Laboratory | $103,603 | $49.81 |
| 2 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America | $99,740 | $47.95 |
| 3 | General Electric | $98,074 | $47.15 |
| 4 | General Motors | $94,987 | $45.67 |
| 5 | Greenville County | $94,351 | $45.36 |
| 6 | FCA US LLC | $94,055 | $45.22 |
| 7 | Faurecia Emissions Control Systems Na, LLC | $92,822 | $44.63 |
| 8 | Raytheon Technologies | $92,582 | $44.51 |
| 9 | Solar.com | $91,373 | $43.93 |
| 10 | GasTechnology | $91,204 | $43.85 |
| 11 | The Owens Group | $90,571 | $43.54 |
| 12 | Advanced Green Innovations | $90,570 | $43.54 |
| 13 | Jacobs Enterprises | $90,568 | $43.54 |
| 14 | Power Systems Mfg., LLC, Ansaldo Energia Group | $89,213 | $42.89 |
| 15 | Jacobs Engineering Group | $88,076 | $42.34 |
| 16 | O-I Glass | $88,038 | $42.33 |
| 17 | TECO Energy | $88,037 | $42.33 |
| 18 | R.W. Beckett | $87,807 | $42.21 |
| 19 | The AES | $87,665 | $42.15 |
| 20 | Florida Power and Light | $87,370 | $42.00 |
The average combustion engineer salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $98,018 | $47.12 |
| 2 | Automotive | $93,185 | $44.80 |
| 3 | Construction | $87,976 | $42.30 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $87,634 | $42.13 |
The average combustion engineer salary has risen by $10,603 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average combustion engineer earned $76,861 annually, but today, they earn $87,464 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for combustion engineers over the last decade.
Compare combustion engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare combustion engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $87,500 | $42.05 | +1.9% |
| 2025 | $85,800 | $41.24 | +1.2% |
| 2024 | $84,800 | $40.75 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | $83,300 | $40.05 | +2.0% |
| 2022 | $81,700 | $39.27 | +0.7% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barr Systems | Hydrogeologist or Engineer-Senior Level-Coal Combustion Residuals Focus (CCR) (Hybrid) | Bismarck, ND | 06/30/2025 | $105,000 |
| Arbor Energy | Combustion Analysis Engineer | El Segundo, CA | 06/09/2025 | $130,000 |
| Actalent | Combustion Engineer | Davenport, IA | 05/28/2025 | $125,220 |
| Actalent | Combustion Engineer | Maryville, TN | 05/28/2025 | $125,220 |
| Barr Systems | Hydrogeologist or Engineer-Senior Level-Coal Combustion Residuals Focus (CCR) (Hybrid) | Bismarck, ND | 05/25/2025 | $105,000 |
| Barr Systems | Hydrogeologist or Engineer-Senior Level-Coal Combustion Residuals Focus (CCR) (Hybrid) | Bismarck, ND | 04/29/2025 | $105,000 |
| Arbor Energy | Combustion Analysis Engineer | El Segundo, CA | 04/28/2025 | $130,000 |
| Barr Engineering Co | Hydrogeologist or Engineer-Senior Level-Coal Combustion Residuals Focus (CCR) (Hybrid) | Bismarck, ND | 04/17/2025 | $105,000 |
| Barr Systems | Hydrogeologist or Engineer-Senior Level-Coal Combustion Residuals Focus (CCR) (Hybrid) | Bismarck, ND | 03/30/2025 | $105,000 |
| Jc Residential and Light Commercial LLC | Principle Combustion Engineer | Wichita, KS | 03/24/2025 | $90,730 |
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