Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Electro optical engineer salary
Average electro optical engineer salary
$94,958
Average Electro Optical Engineer Salary
The average salary for an Electro Optical Engineer in the United States is $94,958 annually. This figure translates to approximately $46 per hour, reflecting the demand for skilled professionals in this sector. As technology evolves, the need for engineers who specialize in optical systems continues to grow.
Salary by Experience Level
Entry-level positions typically start around $70,000, while experienced engineers can earn upwards of $120,000 depending on their expertise and the complexity of their projects. Factors such as the type of employer, industry, and geographical location significantly affect salaries.
Top Paying States
Electro Optical Engineers in states like California, Texas, and New York often see higher salaries, driven by a concentration of tech companies and research institutions. Understanding these regional differences can help job seekers target their applications effectively.
Job Opportunities
As industries increasingly rely on optical technology, job openings for Electro Optical Engineers are expected to rise. Companies across electronics, telecommunications, and defense sectors are actively seeking qualified candidates. Utilizing resources such as Zippia can aid in finding relevant job listings tailored to your skills and location.
Let Zippi find your next electro optical engineer job
Let Zippi find your next electro optical engineer job
Where can an Electro Optical Engineer earn more?
Electro optical engineer salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level electro optical engineer | $85,000 | $40.86 |
| Mid-level electro optical engineer | $106,000 | $50.84 |
| Senior-level electro optical engineer | $134,000 | $64.19 |
Electro optical engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average electro optical engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for electro optical engineers are Washington, California, and Nevada. The lowest average electro optical engineer salary states are Nebraska, Montana, and Wisconsin.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for electro optical engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $123,956 | $59.59 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $121,155 | $58.25 |
| 3 | California | $115,384 | $55.47 |
| 4 | Maryland | $103,430 | $49.73 |
| 5 | Arizona | $96,708 | $46.49 |
| 6 | Utah | $95,250 | $45.79 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $101,622 | $48.86 |
| 8 | Michigan | $90,550 | $43.53 |
| 9 | Nevada | $103,881 | $49.94 |
| 10 | Idaho | $103,028 | $49.53 |
| 11 | Delaware | $91,294 | $43.89 |
| 12 | Virginia | $91,123 | $43.81 |
| 13 | Oregon | $91,304 | $43.90 |
| 14 | Florida | $92,104 | $44.28 |
| 15 | Texas | $88,642 | $42.62 |
| 16 | Alabama | $84,807 | $40.77 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $97,780 | $47.01 |
| 18 | New Mexico | $89,462 | $43.01 |
| 19 | Alaska | $92,720 | $44.58 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $89,263 | $42.91 |
| 21 | Colorado | $88,514 | $42.55 |
| 22 | Oklahoma | $88,672 | $42.63 |
| 23 | Rhode Island | $90,107 | $43.32 |
| 24 | Minnesota | $88,300 | $42.45 |
| 25 | Wyoming | $83,351 | $40.07 |
| 26 | Georgia | $84,645 | $40.69 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $83,666 | $40.22 |
| 28 | Connecticut | $83,885 | $40.33 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $82,746 | $39.78 |
| 30 | Kansas | $82,609 | $39.72 |
| 31 | Maine | $84,813 | $40.78 |
| 32 | New Hampshire | $80,094 | $38.51 |
| 33 | Ohio | $79,547 | $38.24 |
| 34 | Arkansas | $80,219 | $38.57 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $78,421 | $37.70 |
| 36 | Indiana | $77,082 | $37.06 |
| 37 | New York | $75,871 | $36.48 |
| 38 | Mississippi | $81,340 | $39.11 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $80,962 | $38.92 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $79,067 | $38.01 |
| 41 | Illinois | $76,828 | $36.94 |
| 42 | Missouri | $79,708 | $38.32 |
| 43 | Vermont | $74,831 | $35.98 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $73,096 | $35.14 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $70,845 | $34.06 |
| 46 | Wisconsin | $68,030 | $32.71 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $66,626 | $32.03 |
| 48 | Iowa | $71,089 | $34.18 |
| 49 | Montana | $68,312 | $32.84 |
| 50 | West Virginia | $66,766 | $32.10 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $61,458 | $29.55 |
Highest paying cities for electro optical engineers
The highest-paying cities for electro optical engineers are Lynnwood, WA, Fremont, CA, and Potomac, MD.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lynnwood, WA | $124,673 | $59.94 |
| 2 | Fremont, CA | $123,067 | $59.17 |
| 3 | Potomac, MD | $103,268 | $49.65 |
| 4 | Cambridge, MA | $101,469 | $48.78 |
| 5 | Orlando, FL | $95,860 | $46.09 |
| 6 | Tucson, AZ | $94,876 | $45.61 |
| 7 | Reston, VA | $91,241 | $43.87 |
| 8 | Beaverton, OR | $90,979 | $43.74 |
| 9 | Albuquerque, NM | $89,965 | $43.25 |
| 10 | Fort Worth, TX | $88,999 | $42.79 |
| 11 | Aurora, CO | $88,287 | $42.45 |
| 12 | Oak Ridge, TN | $83,268 | $40.03 |
| 13 | Charlotte, NC | $82,769 | $39.79 |
| 14 | Evanston, IL | $77,242 | $37.14 |
Electro optical engineer salary details
An electro optical engineer's salary ranges from $68,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $132,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an electro optical engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $132,000 | $11,000 | $63 |
| 75th Percentile | $113,000 | $9,417 | $54 |
| Average | $94,958 | $7,913 | $46 |
| 25th Percentile | $79,000 | $6,583 | $38 |
| 10th Percentile | $68,000 | $5,667 | $33 |
Highest paying electro optical engineer jobs
The highest paying types of electro optical engineers are staff design engineer, asic design engineer, and circuit design engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCB Designer | $74,841 | $6,237 | $35.98 | 72,971 |
| Engineering Trainee | $60,235 | $5,020 | $28.96 | 79,966 |
| Controls Designer | $91,944 | $7,662 | $44.20 | 79,729 |
| Circuit Design Engineer | $107,694 | $8,975 | $51.78 | 70,906 |
| Staff Design Engineer | $128,071 | $10,673 | $61.57 | 154,963 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
Top companies hiring electro optical engineers now:
Which companies pay electro optical engineers the most?
Electro optical engineer salaries at 3M Company and Science are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average electro optical engineer salary at companies like Reliance Test & Technology, Llc and ISP Optics are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3M Company | $100,837 | $48.48 |
| 2 | Science | $100,272 | $48.21 |
| 3 | Reliance Test & Technology, Llc | $100,024 | $48.09 |
| 4 | ISP Optics | $99,776 | $47.97 |
| 5 | Jobot | $99,524 | $47.85 |
| 6 | KBR | $99,342 | $47.76 |
| 7 | Management Recruiters International(MRI) | $98,440 | $47.33 |
| 8 | Moseley Technical Services | $97,633 | $46.94 |
| 9 | Oak Ridge National Laboratory | $97,367 | $46.81 |
| 10 | Boeing | $97,268 | $46.76 |
| 11 | Elbit Systems of America | $96,468 | $46.38 |
| 12 | Novanta | $96,344 | $46.32 |
| 13 | HEICO | $94,739 | $45.55 |
| 14 | Draper | $94,414 | $45.39 |
| 15 | Corning Incorporated | $93,688 | $45.04 |
| 16 | Opnext | $93,409 | $44.91 |
| 17 | E Ink | $92,244 | $44.35 |
| 18 | Lockheed Martin | $91,332 | $43.91 |
| 19 | Ball | $90,715 | $43.61 |
| 20 | SAIC | $90,367 | $43.45 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Electro Optical Engineer salary by industry
The average electro optical engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average electro optical engineer salary in the telecommunication industry is $105,570, the highest of any industry.
- The average electro optical engineer salary in the finance industry is $91,921.
- Electro optical engineers in the professional industry earn an average salary of $88,074, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for electro optical engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Telecommunication | $105,570 | $50.75 |
| 2 | Retail | $91,921 | $44.19 |
| 3 | Technology | $91,859 | $44.16 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $89,162 | $42.87 |
| 5 | Professional | $88,074 | $42.34 |
High paying electro optical engineer jobs
Electro optical engineer salary trends
The average electro optical engineer salary has risen by $14,164 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average electro optical engineer earned $80,794 annually, but today, they earn $94,958 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for electro optical engineers over the last decade.
Compare electro optical engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average electro optical engineer salary over time
Compare electro optical engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Electro optical engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $95,000 | $45.65 | +1.8% |
| 2024 | $93,200 | $44.82 | +2.7% |
| 2023 | $90,700 | $43.60 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | $90,200 | $43.38 | +2.9% |
| 2021 | $87,600 | $42.12 | +0.9% |
Recently added electro optical engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heico Corp | Electro-Optical System Engineer | Santa Barbara, CA | 06/27/2025 | $120,000 |
| Lockheed Martin | Electro-Optical Test Engineer-Infrared Detectors | Goleta, CA | 06/19/2025 | $73,400 |
| Lightmatter | Principal Electro-Optic Engineer, Chip Bring-Up | Mountain View, CA | 06/12/2025 | $210,000 |
| Nlight | Electro-Optical Engineer | Longmont, CO | 06/10/2025 | $90,000 |
| Mission Support & Test Services, LLC (MSTS | Electro-Optical Engineer I | Nevada | 06/10/2025 | $66,248 |
| Psiquantum | Electro-Optic Package and Assembly Product Engineer | Milpitas, CA | 06/09/2025 | $105,000 |
| Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory | Electro-Optic Engineer | Fulton, MD | 06/06/2025 | $90,000 |
| Boeing | Senior Electrophysics Optical Engineer | Los Angeles, CA | 05/28/2025 | $155,550 |
| Espace Aubade | Principal Electro-Optical Engineer | Saratoga, CA | 05/28/2025 | $100,000 |
| Carillon Technologies Management Corporation | Electro-Optical Test Engineer | New Haven, CT | 05/26/2025 | $70,000 |
Electro optical engineer salary FAQs
Search for electro optical engineer jobs