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Design engineer internship salary
Average design engineer internship salary
$55,346
Average Design Engineer Internship Salary
The average salary for a Design Engineer Internship as of October 2025 is $55,346 per year, equating to about $27 per hour. Salary levels can vary based on factors such as location, industry, and experience. For instance, internships in high-demand areas often offer competitive compensation to attract talent.
Where Can Design Engineer Interns Earn More?
Design engineer interns can find the highest salaries in states like California, Texas, and New York. Major cities such as San Francisco and New York City also report higher wage averages, driven by the cost of living and demand for skilled engineers.
Key Takeaways
- Average salary: $55,346 annually
- Top-paying states: California, Texas, New York
- High-demand cities: San Francisco, New York City
Understanding these salary dynamics is crucial for making informed career decisions in the engineering field. Interns should consider both salary and opportunities for advancement when evaluating internship offers.
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Where can a Design Engineer Internship earn more?
Average design engineer internship salary by state
The average design engineer internship salary in Washington, California, and Alaska are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average design engineer internship salary states are Georgia, Florida, and Kentucky.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for design engineer interns
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $67,780 | $32.59 |
| 2 | Oregon | $62,627 | $30.11 |
| 3 | California | $67,517 | $32.46 |
| 4 | Arizona | $61,280 | $29.46 |
| 5 | Alaska | $65,377 | $31.43 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $63,025 | $30.30 |
| 7 | West Virginia | $62,400 | $30.00 |
| 8 | New Mexico | $60,370 | $29.02 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $57,932 | $27.85 |
| 10 | Texas | $55,606 | $26.73 |
| 11 | Idaho | $56,776 | $27.30 |
| 12 | Virginia | $57,263 | $27.53 |
| 13 | South Dakota | $58,724 | $28.23 |
| 14 | Michigan | $54,557 | $26.23 |
| 15 | Utah | $54,098 | $26.01 |
| 16 | Colorado | $55,289 | $26.58 |
| 17 | Maryland | $58,196 | $27.98 |
| 18 | Delaware | $55,022 | $26.45 |
| 19 | Massachusetts | $56,622 | $27.22 |
| 20 | Nevada | $55,978 | $26.91 |
| 21 | Rhode Island | $55,519 | $26.69 |
| 22 | Alabama | $52,972 | $25.47 |
| 23 | North Dakota | $52,891 | $25.43 |
| 24 | New York | $56,741 | $27.28 |
| 25 | Nebraska | $53,510 | $25.73 |
| 26 | Hawaii | $60,846 | $29.25 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $54,988 | $26.44 |
| 28 | Illinois | $54,600 | $26.25 |
| 29 | Vermont | $53,002 | $25.48 |
| 30 | Maine | $54,259 | $26.09 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $53,448 | $25.70 |
| 32 | New Hampshire | $53,286 | $25.62 |
| 33 | North Carolina | $52,545 | $25.26 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $50,022 | $24.05 |
| 35 | Pennsylvania | $52,150 | $25.07 |
| 36 | Minnesota | $52,464 | $25.22 |
| 37 | Iowa | $51,743 | $24.88 |
| 38 | Ohio | $51,633 | $24.82 |
| 39 | Montana | $51,663 | $24.84 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $50,927 | $24.48 |
| 41 | New Jersey | $53,993 | $25.96 |
| 42 | Indiana | $50,827 | $24.44 |
| 43 | Kansas | $50,455 | $24.26 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $50,980 | $24.51 |
| 45 | Missouri | $50,050 | $24.06 |
| 46 | Georgia | $48,519 | $23.33 |
| 47 | Florida | $47,772 | $22.97 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $46,219 | $22.22 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $43,857 | $21.09 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $45,471 | $21.86 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $45,017 | $21.64 |
Highest paying cities for design engineer interns
The highest-paying cities for design engineer interns are Cupertino, CA, Kirkland, WA, and Hillsboro, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cupertino, CA | $71,648 | $34.45 |
| 2 | Kirkland, WA | $68,211 | $32.79 |
| 3 | Hillsboro, OR | $62,757 | $30.17 |
| 4 | Phoenix, AZ | $61,463 | $29.55 |
| 5 | Hartford, CT | $57,792 | $27.78 |
| 6 | Boston, MA | $56,540 | $27.18 |
| 7 | Austin, TX | $55,755 | $26.81 |
| 8 | Fort Collins, CO | $55,505 | $26.69 |
| 9 | Rochester, NY | $55,333 | $26.60 |
| 10 | Baton Rouge, LA | $55,010 | $26.45 |
| 11 | Warren, MI | $54,684 | $26.29 |
| 12 | Clearfield, UT | $54,106 | $26.01 |
| 13 | Omaha, NE | $53,476 | $25.71 |
| 14 | Manchester, NH | $53,386 | $25.67 |
| 15 | Raleigh, NC | $52,802 | $25.39 |
| 16 | Chaska, MN | $52,479 | $25.23 |
| 17 | Council Bluffs, IA | $51,801 | $24.90 |
| 18 | Duluth, GA | $48,654 | $23.39 |
| 19 | Lakeland, FL | $47,586 | $22.88 |
| 20 | Fayetteville, AR | $44,251 | $21.27 |
Design engineer internship salary details
A design engineer internship's salary ranges from $38,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $79,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a design engineer internship's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $79,000 | $6,583 | $38 |
| 75th Percentile | $66,000 | $5,500 | $32 |
| Average | $55,346 | $4,612 | $27 |
| 25th Percentile | $45,000 | $3,750 | $22 |
| 10th Percentile | $38,000 | $3,167 | $18 |
Highest paying design engineer internship jobs
The highest paying types of design engineer interns are lead design engineer, system design engineer, and staff engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product Engineer | $89,645 | $7,470 | $43.10 | 157,888 |
| Staff Engineer | $107,530 | $8,961 | $51.70 | 277,011 |
| Co-Operations Engineer | $42,618 | $3,552 | $20.49 | 86,804 |
| Tool Engineer | $101,135 | $8,428 | $48.62 | 98,936 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Engineering Trainee | $60,235 | $5,020 | $28.96 | 79,966 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for design engineer internships, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Marco Schoen Ph.D.
Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Director of the Measurement and Control Engineering Research Center (MCERC), Idaho State University
Top companies hiring design engineer interns now:
Which companies pay design engineer interns the most?
Design engineer internship salaries at Ampere and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average design engineer internship salary at companies like Xilinx and General Motors are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ampere | $120,876 | $58.11 |
| 2 | Apple | $101,951 | $49.01 |
| 3 | Xilinx | $92,310 | $44.38 |
| 4 | General Motors | $88,282 | $42.44 |
| 5 | Renesas Electronics | $88,208 | $42.41 |
| 6 | Parsons | $87,189 | $41.92 |
| 7 | Adobe | $85,592 | $41.15 |
| 8 | Ambarella | $85,380 | $41.05 |
| 9 | ATI Physical Therapy | $78,302 | $37.65 |
| 10 | Illinois Central College | $77,487 | $37.25 |
| 11 | Qorvo | $73,675 | $35.42 |
| 12 | Curtiss-Wright | $72,541 | $34.88 |
| 13 | SAP | $70,949 | $34.11 |
| 14 | MACOM | $70,359 | $33.83 |
| 15 | Amd | $69,728 | $33.52 |
| 16 | Micron Technology | $68,123 | $32.75 |
| 17 | Dynamic Engineering Consultants PLLC | $67,201 | $32.31 |
| 18 | AMETEK | $66,291 | $31.87 |
| 19 | Eversource Energy | $63,481 | $30.52 |
| 20 | PACCAR | $59,573 | $28.64 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Design Engineer Internship salary by industry
The average design engineer internship salary varies across industries:
- The average design engineer internship salary in the technology industry is $62,117, the highest of any industry.
- The average design engineer internship salary in the finance industry is $60,635.
- Design engineer interns in the automotive industry earn an average salary of $57,869, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for design engineer interns
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $62,117 | $29.86 |
| 2 | Professional | $60,635 | $29.15 |
| 3 | Transportation | $59,195 | $28.46 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $58,319 | $28.04 |
| 5 | Automotive | $57,869 | $27.82 |
High paying design engineer internship jobs
Design engineer internship salary trends
The average design engineer internship salary has risen by $6,709 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average design engineer internship earned $48,637 annually, but today, they earn $55,346 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for design engineer interns over the last decade.
Compare design engineer internship salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average design engineer internship salary over time
Compare design engineer internship salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Design engineer internship salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $55,300 | $26.61 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $54,300 | $26.10 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $53,600 | $25.79 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $52,700 | $25.35 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $51,700 | $24.85 | +0.7% |
Recently added design engineer internship salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transystems Corporation | Bridge Design Engineer Intern | Fort Worth, TX | 06/28/2025 | $41,740 |
| GI Partners | Intern Engineering Designer, Roads & Higways | Irvine, CA | 06/28/2025 | $41,740 |
| Tylin | Intern Engineering Designer, Roads & Higways | Irvine, CA | 06/26/2025 | $41,740 |
| Siemens | Strategic Student Program: Functional Design/Verification Applications Engineer Intern-FV (Edags) | Phoenix, AZ | 06/25/2025 | $37,566 |
| Siemens Corporation | Mechanical Design Engineer Fall Internship | Raleigh, NC | 06/24/2025 | $52,175 |
| Siemens Corporation | Strategic Student Program: Functional Design/Verification Applications Engineer Intern-FV (Edags) | Waltham, MA | 06/24/2025 | $37,566 |
| Walter P Moore | Engineering Intern-Secure Design | Washington, DC | 06/10/2025 | $52,801 |
| Global | Engineering Design Intern | Baltimore, MD | 06/10/2025 | $35,479 |
| Global | Engineering Design Intern | Fenton, MO | 06/10/2025 | $35,479 |
| Dynamic Engineering Consultants, Pc | CAD Intern (Fall 2025)-Dynamic Engineering | Chester, NJ | 06/10/2025 | $37,566 |
Design engineer internship salary FAQs
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