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Head engineer salary
Average head engineer salary
$143,852
Average Head Engineer Salary
The average salary for a Head Engineer as of October 2025 stands at $143,852 per year. This figure represents a competitive compensation for professionals leading engineering teams across various industries. Factors contributing to salary variations include geographic location, years of experience, and specific engineering disciplines.
How Much Does a Head Engineer Make?
Head Engineers typically earn between $120,000 and $180,000 depending on their expertise and the complexity of projects they manage. Entry-level positions may start lower, while seasoned professionals can command higher salaries, especially in metropolitan areas.
Where Can a Head Engineer Earn More?
To enhance earnings, consider relocating to states like California, New York, or Texas, known for offering higher salaries in engineering roles. Specialized fields such as software, aerospace, and civil engineering often provide lucrative opportunities.
Head Engineer Salary Estimates
- Entry-Level: $100,000 - $120,000
- Mid-Career: $130,000 - $150,000
- Experienced: $160,000 - $180,000
Understanding these salary dynamics can guide your career decisions and help you determine your potential within the engineering landscape.
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Where can a Head Engineer earn more?
Head engineer salaries by experience level
Head engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average head engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for head engineers are Oregon, California, and Idaho. The lowest average head engineer salary states are Missouri, Montana, and Nebraska.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for head engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $165,013 | $79.33 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $177,337 | $85.26 |
| 3 | Virginia | $158,166 | $76.04 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $157,808 | $75.87 |
| 5 | Idaho | $158,936 | $76.41 |
| 6 | Arizona | $155,030 | $74.53 |
| 7 | California | $160,488 | $77.16 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $154,724 | $74.39 |
| 9 | Washington | $152,720 | $73.42 |
| 10 | Delaware | $150,021 | $72.13 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $145,825 | $70.11 |
| 12 | Colorado | $146,236 | $70.31 |
| 13 | New York | $151,059 | $72.62 |
| 14 | Maryland | $150,264 | $72.24 |
| 15 | New Mexico | $141,050 | $67.81 |
| 16 | Tennessee | $145,013 | $69.72 |
| 17 | Utah | $131,574 | $63.26 |
| 18 | Iowa | $145,005 | $69.71 |
| 19 | Alabama | $135,507 | $65.15 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $141,680 | $68.12 |
| 21 | Nevada | $137,406 | $66.06 |
| 22 | New Jersey | $143,240 | $68.87 |
| 23 | Texas | $130,543 | $62.76 |
| 24 | Vermont | $131,241 | $63.10 |
| 25 | Maine | $134,167 | $64.50 |
| 26 | Louisiana | $135,712 | $65.25 |
| 27 | Michigan | $124,063 | $59.65 |
| 28 | Connecticut | $128,242 | $61.65 |
| 29 | Illinois | $130,095 | $62.55 |
| 30 | South Carolina | $130,758 | $62.86 |
| 31 | Alaska | $135,536 | $65.16 |
| 32 | Indiana | $125,516 | $60.34 |
| 33 | Hawaii | $133,500 | $64.18 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $123,207 | $59.23 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $126,320 | $60.73 |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | $122,925 | $59.10 |
| 37 | Georgia | $123,547 | $59.40 |
| 38 | Ohio | $120,172 | $57.77 |
| 39 | North Carolina | $115,898 | $55.72 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $119,506 | $57.45 |
| 41 | Florida | $119,668 | $57.53 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $120,481 | $57.92 |
| 43 | Minnesota | $114,016 | $54.82 |
| 44 | Kansas | $117,158 | $56.33 |
| 45 | Montana | $112,724 | $54.19 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $117,353 | $56.42 |
| 47 | Missouri | $113,740 | $54.68 |
| 48 | Nebraska | $110,158 | $52.96 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $107,589 | $51.73 |
| 50 | North Dakota | $106,722 | $51.31 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $105,570 | $50.75 |
Highest paying cities for head engineers
The highest-paying cities for head engineers are Washington, DC, San Francisco, CA, and Portland, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington, DC | $186,295 | $89.56 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $168,909 | $81.21 |
| 3 | Portland, OR | $168,198 | $80.86 |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | $155,941 | $74.97 |
| 5 | Tucson, AZ | $155,691 | $74.85 |
| 6 | New York, NY | $153,321 | $73.71 |
| 7 | Littleton, CO | $147,827 | $71.07 |
| 8 | Boston, MA | $147,367 | $70.85 |
| 9 | Jersey City, NJ | $144,786 | $69.61 |
| 10 | Austin, TX | $132,612 | $63.76 |
| 11 | Chicago, IL | $130,635 | $62.81 |
| 12 | West Lafayette, IN | $125,456 | $60.32 |
| 13 | Troy, MI | $124,634 | $59.92 |
| 14 | Savannah, GA | $124,598 | $59.90 |
| 15 | Philadelphia, PA | $123,526 | $59.39 |
| 16 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | $120,235 | $57.81 |
| 17 | Cincinnati, OH | $119,297 | $57.35 |
| 18 | Charlotte, NC | $115,600 | $55.58 |
| 19 | Bloomington, MN | $114,199 | $54.90 |
Head engineer salary details
A head engineer's salary ranges from $92,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $223,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a head engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $223,000 | $18,583 | $107 |
| 75th Percentile | $181,000 | $15,083 | $87 |
| Average | $143,852 | $11,988 | $69 |
| 25th Percentile | $114,000 | $9,500 | $55 |
| 10th Percentile | $92,000 | $7,667 | $44 |
Highest paying head engineer jobs
The highest paying types of head engineers are senior staff engineer, senior principal engineer, and principal engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consulting Engineer | $97,746 | $8,145 | $46.99 | 125,600 |
| Contracting Engineer | $122,620 | $10,218 | $58.95 | 115,631 |
| Management Engineer | $90,571 | $7,548 | $43.54 | 175,986 |
| Principal Engineer | $130,213 | $10,851 | $62.60 | 312,683 |
| Service Engineer | $87,151 | $7,263 | $41.90 | 143,806 |
| Project Lead Engineer | $106,946 | $8,912 | $51.42 | 98,018 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for head engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Michael Rudisill
Department Head and Professor of Engineering Technology, Northern Michigan University
Top companies hiring head engineers now:
Which companies pay head engineers the most?
Head engineer salaries at The Citadel and Meta are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average head engineer salary at companies like StubHub and eBay are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Citadel | $192,363 | $92.48 |
| 2 | Meta | $192,174 | $92.39 |
| 3 | StubHub | $187,644 | $90.21 |
| 4 | eBay | $182,801 | $87.89 |
| 5 | $181,592 | $87.30 | |
| 6 | Digits Financial | $177,466 | $85.32 |
| 7 | Apple | $175,979 | $84.61 |
| 8 | Atlassian | $173,186 | $83.26 |
| 9 | Etsy | $170,590 | $82.01 |
| 10 | $169,275 | $81.38 | |
| 11 | Goodwin Recruiting | $168,554 | $81.04 |
| 12 | Square | $168,425 | $80.97 |
| 13 | CyberCoders | $167,003 | $80.29 |
| 14 | Contextlogic Inc. | $165,269 | $79.46 |
| 15 | Ãœber | $163,816 | $78.76 |
| 16 | Glassdoor | $163,050 | $78.39 |
| 17 | Engine | $161,769 | $77.77 |
| 18 | Clique Studios | $161,022 | $77.41 |
| 19 | Motion Recruitment | $160,981 | $77.39 |
| 20 | TechnologyAdvice | $160,210 | $77.02 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Head engineer salary trends
The average head engineer salary has risen by $17,439 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average head engineer earned $126,413 annually, but today, they earn $143,852 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for head engineers over the last decade.
Compare head engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average head engineer salary over time
Compare head engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Head engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $144,000 | $69.16 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $141,000 | $67.83 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $139,000 | $67.02 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $137,000 | $65.88 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $134,000 | $64.58 | +0.7% |
Recently added head engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guardian Life | Head of AI ML Platform Engineering | Holmdel, NJ | 06/30/2025 | $174,760 |
| LPL Financial | Vpii, Head of Data Quality Engineering | Austin, TX | 06/30/2025 | $195,800 |
| Yoh, A Day & Zimmermann Company | Head of Full Stack Engineering | San Francisco, CA | 06/28/2025 | $154,000 |
| TD Bank | Head of IAM-Authentication and Authorization, Product & Engineering | Mount Laurel, NJ | 06/27/2025 | $200,000 |
| TD Bank | Head of IAM-Authentication and Authorization, Product & Engineering | New York, NY | 06/27/2025 | $200,000 |
| TD Bank | Head of IAM-Authentication and Authorization, Product & Engineering | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 06/27/2025 | $200,000 |
| Yoh, A Day & Zimmermann Company | Head of Storage Engineering | New York, NY | 06/27/2025 | $245,000 |
| Gusto | Head of Payroll Engineering | San Francisco, CA | 06/27/2025 | $251,000 |
| Recruiting From Scratch | Head of Engineering | San Jose, CA | 06/27/2025 | $200,000 |
| Scale Ai Inc. | Head of Solution Engineering | San Francisco, CA | 06/26/2025 | $200,000 |
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