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As of October 2025, the average salary for an Engineering Scientist stands at $90,138 annually. This figure reflects the demand for professionals who merge engineering with scientific inquiry to drive innovation. Salaries can vary widely based on factors such as geographic location, experience level, and specific industry sector. For instance, engineering scientists in states like California and Texas often earn higher wages due to the concentration of technology firms and research institutions.
Entry-level engineering scientists can expect to earn significantly less, with salaries starting around $60,000. With experience, especially in specialized fields such as biomedical engineering or environmental science, salaries can increase dramatically. Senior positions, such as lead engineering scientists or project managers, may command salaries exceeding $120,000 per year.
Some of the highest paying jobs in this field include roles in biotechnology, aerospace, and energy. These positions often require advanced degrees and specific technical skills, making them competitive yet rewarding career paths for engineering scientists.
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| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level engineering scientist | $59,700 | $28.70 |
| Mid-level engineering scientist | $82,000 | $39.45 |
| Senior-level engineering scientist | $130,000 | $62.44 |
The highest-paying states for engineering scientists are Arizona, Rhode Island, and Washington. The lowest average engineering scientist salary states are Oklahoma, Kansas, and Arkansas.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $105,984 | $50.95 |
| 2 | Arizona | $107,325 | $51.60 |
| 3 | Idaho | $97,773 | $47.01 |
| 4 | Washington | $105,025 | $50.49 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $103,657 | $49.84 |
| 6 | Utah | $93,628 | $45.01 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $99,837 | $48.00 |
| 8 | Minnesota | $99,517 | $47.84 |
| 9 | Maryland | $95,827 | $46.07 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $95,595 | $45.96 |
| 11 | Colorado | $96,793 | $46.54 |
| 12 | Ohio | $101,135 | $48.62 |
| 13 | North Dakota | $87,431 | $42.03 |
| 14 | Maine | $91,300 | $43.89 |
| 15 | Hawaii | $102,483 | $49.27 |
| 16 | Wyoming | $87,165 | $41.91 |
| 17 | Montana | $91,000 | $43.75 |
| 18 | New Mexico | $91,442 | $43.96 |
| 19 | Nevada | $96,360 | $46.33 |
| 20 | District of Columbia | $101,110 | $48.61 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $88,319 | $42.46 |
| 22 | Vermont | $95,010 | $45.68 |
| 23 | South Dakota | $84,328 | $40.54 |
| 24 | Alaska | $86,154 | $41.42 |
| 25 | California | $101,899 | $48.99 |
| 26 | Delaware | $84,939 | $40.84 |
| 27 | Michigan | $86,754 | $41.71 |
| 28 | New Hampshire | $82,838 | $39.83 |
| 29 | New York | $86,938 | $41.80 |
| 30 | Louisiana | $87,650 | $42.14 |
| 31 | Virginia | $83,319 | $40.06 |
| 32 | Pennsylvania | $82,666 | $39.74 |
| 33 | Illinois | $83,488 | $40.14 |
| 34 | Texas | $84,520 | $40.63 |
| 35 | Oregon | $89,013 | $42.79 |
| 36 | Alabama | $83,241 | $40.02 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $79,873 | $38.40 |
| 38 | Indiana | $75,336 | $36.22 |
| 39 | Missouri | $76,225 | $36.65 |
| 40 | Georgia | $79,846 | $38.39 |
| 41 | North Carolina | $73,078 | $35.13 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $76,355 | $36.71 |
| 43 | Florida | $77,981 | $37.49 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $73,455 | $35.31 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $73,984 | $35.57 |
| 46 | Kansas | $70,120 | $33.71 |
| 47 | Wisconsin | $60,402 | $29.04 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $69,442 | $33.39 |
| 49 | Iowa | $68,887 | $33.12 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $72,048 | $34.64 |
| 51 | Tennessee | $69,127 | $33.23 |
The highest-paying cities for engineering scientists are South San Francisco, CA, Newport, RI, and Seattle, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South San Francisco, CA | $109,194 | $52.50 |
| 2 | Newport, RI | $106,275 | $51.09 |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | $105,633 | $50.79 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $103,723 | $49.87 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | $101,147 | $48.63 |
| 6 | Minneapolis, MN | $99,608 | $47.89 |
| 7 | Cincinnati, OH | $98,874 | $47.54 |
| 8 | Colorado Springs, CO | $98,282 | $47.25 |
| 9 | East Hartford, CT | $95,688 | $46.00 |
| 10 | Gaithersburg, MD | $95,492 | $45.91 |
| 11 | Idaho Falls, ID | $94,604 | $45.48 |
| 12 | Morgantown, WV | $89,351 | $42.96 |
| 13 | Austin, TX | $84,557 | $40.65 |
| 14 | Arlington, VA | $84,035 | $40.40 |
| 15 | Des Plaines, IL | $83,801 | $40.29 |
| 16 | Charlotte, NC | $72,241 | $34.73 |
| 17 | Lenexa, KS | $70,046 | $33.68 |
| 18 | Knoxville, TN | $69,343 | $33.34 |
An engineering scientist's salary ranges from $65,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $124,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $124,000 | $10,333 | $60 |
| 75th Percentile | $106,000 | $8,833 | $51 |
| Average | $90,138 | $7,512 | $43 |
| 25th Percentile | $76,000 | $6,333 | $37 |
| 10th Percentile | $65,000 | $5,417 | $31 |
The highest paying types of engineering scientists are master lay out specialist, senior engineer/scientist, and stress engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stress Analyst | $85,194 | $7,100 | $40.96 | 8,437 |
| Structural Analysis Engineer | $98,208 | $8,184 | $47.22 | 26,462 |
| Avionics Systems Engineer | $99,014 | $8,251 | $47.60 | 80,025 |
| Aeronautical Engineer | $80,442 | $6,703 | $38.67 | 28,911 |
| Flight Test Engineer | $90,538 | $7,545 | $43.53 | 26,384 |
| Simulation Engineer | $97,266 | $8,105 | $46.76 | 46,570 |
Top companies hiring engineering scientists now:
Engineering scientist salaries at Apple and Amazon are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average engineering scientist salary at companies like Adobe and ConocoPhillips are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $150,089 | $72.16 |
| 2 | Amazon | $139,420 | $67.03 |
| 3 | Adobe | $124,047 | $59.64 |
| 4 | ConocoPhillips | $123,977 | $59.60 |
| 5 | AbbVie | $113,690 | $54.66 |
| 6 | Bristol-Myers Squibb | $112,720 | $54.19 |
| 7 | Nokia | $110,562 | $53.15 |
| 8 | AstraZeneca | $108,793 | $52.30 |
| 9 | Editas Medicine | $105,712 | $50.82 |
| 10 | United Technology Group | $105,562 | $50.75 |
| 11 | Tesla | $105,057 | $50.51 |
| 12 | Aureon HR | $101,909 | $48.99 |
| 13 | Keysight Technologies | $100,182 | $48.16 |
| 14 | Daltile | $99,894 | $48.03 |
| 15 | Avery Dennison | $99,714 | $47.94 |
| 16 | Kelly Services | $99,640 | $47.90 |
| 17 | Vertex Pharmaceuticals | $99,456 | $47.82 |
| 18 | DuPont | $98,535 | $47.37 |
| 19 | Sdc | $98,054 | $47.14 |
| 20 | Mylan | $97,764 | $47.00 |
The average engineering scientist salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Automotive | $95,339 | $45.84 |
| 2 | Professional | $93,790 | $45.09 |
| 3 | Transportation | $93,340 | $44.88 |
| 4 | Technology | $89,850 | $43.20 |
| 5 | Manufacturing | $88,197 | $42.40 |
| 6 | Non Profits | $80,891 | $38.89 |
The average engineering scientist salary has risen by $12,304 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average engineering scientist earned $77,834 annually, but today, they earn $90,138 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for engineering scientists over the last decade.
Compare engineering scientist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare engineering scientist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $90,100 | $43.34 | +1.8% |
| 2024 | $88,500 | $42.56 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | $87,600 | $42.10 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $85,900 | $41.30 | +3.0% |
| 2021 | $83,300 | $40.06 | +1.7% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeppesen | Electrophysics Engineer/Scientist (Modeling, Simulation & Analysis) | Albuquerque, NM | 06/30/2025 | $145,350 |
| The University of Texas at Austin | Research Engineering/Scientist Associate | Cove, UT | 06/30/2025 | $55,000 |
| Exponent | Engineer/Scientist (PH.D.) | Menlo Park, CA | 06/29/2025 | $135,000 |
| Boeing | Electrophysics Engineer/Scientist (Modeling, Simulation & Analysis) | Albuquerque, NM | 06/26/2025 | $145,350 |
| Invitrogen Holdings | Engineer/Scientist II, QC (Lcms Testing) | Fremont, CA | 06/25/2025 | $72,000 |
| University of Texas at Austin | Linux Security Engineering Scientist Associate | Austin, TX | 06/22/2025 | $88,500 |
| Katmai | Engineer Scientist I | Vicksburg, MS | 06/21/2025 | $74,000 |
| SLR Consulting | Entry To Mid-Level Engineer or Scientist | Portland, OR | 06/20/2025 | $55,000 |
| Merck Sharp & Dohme | Scientist, Engineering | Point, PA | 06/19/2025 | $85,600 |
| Govcio | PLC Engineer/Scientist | North Charleston, SC | 06/19/2025 | $140,000 |
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