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The average salary for a Design Engineering Manager is approximately $143,603 annually or $69 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly based on factors such as location, experience, and industry. For instance, those in high-demand regions may earn substantially more.
Entry-level positions typically start around $100,000 annually, while experienced professionals can command salaries exceeding $180,000. The difference often reflects the complexity of projects managed and leadership responsibilities.
States such as California, Texas, and New York consistently offer higher salaries. For example, a Design Engineering Manager in California can expect to earn upwards of $160,000 per year. Understanding these dynamics can help candidates negotiate better compensation packages.
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The average design engineering manager salary in Washington, California, and Connecticut are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average design engineering manager salary states are North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Wyoming.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $164,116 | $78.90 |
| 2 | Oregon | $149,248 | $71.75 |
| 3 | California | $163,449 | $78.58 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $153,784 | $73.93 |
| 5 | Alaska | $152,287 | $73.21 |
| 6 | Nevada | $150,256 | $72.24 |
| 7 | Utah | $132,196 | $63.56 |
| 8 | Virginia | $141,723 | $68.14 |
| 9 | Idaho | $132,511 | $63.71 |
| 10 | Missouri | $147,710 | $71.01 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $137,528 | $66.12 |
| 12 | Arizona | $134,025 | $64.44 |
| 13 | Montana | $133,230 | $64.05 |
| 14 | Texas | $132,662 | $63.78 |
| 15 | New Hampshire | $132,988 | $63.94 |
| 16 | Maine | $132,622 | $63.76 |
| 17 | New York | $139,597 | $67.11 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $133,062 | $63.97 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $144,861 | $69.64 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $130,379 | $62.68 |
| 21 | South Dakota | $127,228 | $61.17 |
| 22 | Tennessee | $130,688 | $62.83 |
| 23 | Michigan | $123,282 | $59.27 |
| 24 | Delaware | $124,696 | $59.95 |
| 25 | Mississippi | $126,695 | $60.91 |
| 26 | North Dakota | $119,665 | $57.53 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $128,452 | $61.76 |
| 28 | Indiana | $123,318 | $59.29 |
| 29 | Rhode Island | $118,286 | $56.87 |
| 30 | Colorado | $120,497 | $57.93 |
| 31 | Kansas | $120,301 | $57.84 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $119,887 | $57.64 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $120,817 | $58.09 |
| 34 | Arkansas | $118,333 | $56.89 |
| 35 | Alabama | $117,842 | $56.65 |
| 36 | District of Columbia | $116,253 | $55.89 |
| 37 | Maryland | $120,742 | $58.05 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $119,260 | $57.34 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $116,879 | $56.19 |
| 40 | West Virginia | $117,295 | $56.39 |
| 41 | Vermont | $121,867 | $58.59 |
| 42 | Wyoming | $110,669 | $53.21 |
| 43 | Iowa | $113,145 | $54.40 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $113,485 | $54.56 |
| 45 | North Carolina | $111,838 | $53.77 |
| 46 | Ohio | $112,702 | $54.18 |
| 47 | Illinois | $112,300 | $53.99 |
| 48 | Florida | $109,252 | $52.52 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $111,622 | $53.66 |
| 50 | Georgia | $110,135 | $52.95 |
| 51 | Kentucky | $110,022 | $52.90 |
The highest-paying cities for design engineering managers are San Francisco, CA, Vancouver, WA, and East Hartford, CT.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $173,348 | $83.34 |
| 2 | Vancouver, WA | $168,938 | $81.22 |
| 3 | East Hartford, CT | $154,414 | $74.24 |
| 4 | Hillsboro, OR | $149,581 | $71.91 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $139,650 | $67.14 |
| 6 | Boston, MA | $137,647 | $66.18 |
| 7 | El Paso, TX | $136,553 | $65.65 |
| 8 | Tempe, AZ | $134,172 | $64.51 |
| 9 | Magna, UT | $132,182 | $63.55 |
| 10 | Billings, MT | $131,307 | $63.13 |
| 11 | Sioux Falls, SD | $127,591 | $61.34 |
| 12 | Sterling Heights, MI | $123,601 | $59.42 |
| 13 | Colorado Springs, CO | $120,877 | $58.11 |
| 14 | Columbia, SC | $119,589 | $57.49 |
| 15 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $114,012 | $54.81 |
| 16 | Columbus, OH | $112,328 | $54.00 |
| 17 | Orlando, FL | $110,092 | $52.93 |
| 18 | Savannah, GA | $109,656 | $52.72 |
A design engineering manager's salary ranges from $104,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $197,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $197,000 | $16,417 | $95 |
| 75th Percentile | $169,000 | $14,083 | $81 |
| Average | $143,603 | $11,967 | $69 |
| 25th Percentile | $121,000 | $10,083 | $58 |
| 10th Percentile | $104,000 | $8,667 | $50 |
The highest paying types of design engineering managers are engineering director, senior engineering manager, and vice president of engineering.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research And Development Director | $137,944 | $11,495 | $66.32 | 102,901 |
| Research And Development Manager | $117,507 | $9,792 | $56.49 | 125,447 |
| Manager, Systems Engineering | $130,127 | $10,844 | $62.56 | 174,962 |
| Mechanical Design Engineer | $75,821 | $6,318 | $36.45 | 120,258 |
| Vice President Of Engineering | $150,651 | $12,554 | $72.43 | 92,133 |
| Engineering Supervisor | $97,535 | $8,128 | $46.89 | 57,046 |
Top companies hiring design engineering managers now:
Design engineering manager salaries at Google and Meta are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average design engineering manager salary at companies like Apple and Leprino Foods are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $198,486 | $95.43 | |
| 2 | Meta | $197,738 | $95.07 |
| 3 | Apple | $193,153 | $92.86 |
| 4 | Leprino Foods | $168,204 | $80.87 |
| 5 | Cadence Design Systems | $165,520 | $79.58 |
| 6 | Hansen-Rice | $165,441 | $79.54 |
| 7 | Adobe | $164,834 | $79.25 |
| 8 | The Nueva School | $162,102 | $77.93 |
| 9 | Xilinx | $160,832 | $77.32 |
| 10 | Tesla | $158,884 | $76.39 |
| 11 | Ames Construction | $158,628 | $76.26 |
| 12 | Woodbridge Corporation | $158,342 | $76.13 |
| 13 | Broadcom | $157,303 | $75.63 |
| 14 | Sumitomo Rubber Industries | $155,715 | $74.86 |
| 15 | Oshkosh | $154,621 | $74.34 |
| 16 | National Semiconductor | $154,307 | $74.19 |
| 17 | Fluor Corporation | $153,344 | $73.72 |
| 18 | Supermicro | $153,225 | $73.67 |
| 19 | Intel | $152,618 | $73.37 |
| 20 | SunPower | $152,591 | $73.36 |
The average design engineering manager salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction | $150,344 | $72.28 |
| 2 | Automotive | $146,976 | $70.66 |
| 3 | Technology | $144,746 | $69.59 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $143,077 | $68.79 |
| 5 | Telecommunication | $135,809 | $65.29 |
| 6 | Professional | $132,375 | $63.64 |
The average design engineering manager salary has risen by $26,257 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average design engineering manager earned $117,346 annually, but today, they earn $143,603 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for design engineering managers over the last decade.
Compare design engineering manager salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare design engineering manager salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $144,000 | $69.04 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | $139,000 | $66.87 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | $135,000 | $64.99 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $132,000 | $63.59 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $129,000 | $62.21 | +1.4% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relativity | Manager, Vehicle Integrated Design Engineering | Long Beach, CA | 06/29/2025 | $185,000 |
| CAES | Digital Design Engineering Manager | Lansdale, PA | 06/28/2025 | $157,388 |
| Kiewit | Design Engineering Manager 4 | Fort Worth, TX | 06/27/2025 | $56,349 |
| Pacificorp | Manager, Design Engineering, Salt Lake City, UT, or Portland, or #113775 | Salt Lake City, UT | 06/27/2025 | $137,000 |
| Meta | Product Design Engineering Manager | Sunnyvale, CA | 06/25/2025 | $204,000 |
| Meta | Product Design Engineering Manager | Redmond, WA | 06/24/2025 | $170,000 |
| KLA Corporation | Manufacturing Design Engineer Manager | Milpitas, CA | 06/24/2025 | $140,700 |
| Lockheed Martin | Missile Mechanical Design and Integration Engineering Manager | Huntsville, AL | 06/22/2025 | $141,300 |
| Actalent | Design Engineering Manager | Janesville, WI | 06/20/2025 | $100,000 |
| Cadrex Manufacturing Solutions | Mold Design Engineering Manager | Westminster, CO | 06/15/2025 | $124,000 |
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