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Plant engineer salary
Average plant engineer salary
$93,949
Understanding Plant Engineer Salaries
Plant engineers play a vital role in optimizing production processes, ensuring safety, and maintaining equipment efficiency. As of October 2025, the average salary for a plant engineer is $93,949 annually, translating to approximately $45 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly based on geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry.
Salary by State
In states like California and Texas, plant engineers often earn higher wages due to the concentration of manufacturing facilities. For instance, the highest paying states for plant engineers include:
- California: $112,000
- Texas: $105,000
- New York: $100,000
Understanding these salary dynamics can help prospective engineers make informed career decisions. Additionally, opportunities in sectors like automotive and pharmaceuticals tend to offer competitive compensation packages, enhancing overall earnings potential. For those considering a career in plant engineering, these insights are crucial for navigating job opportunities and salary expectations effectively.
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Where can a Plant Engineer earn more?
Plant engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average plant engineer salary by state
The average plant engineer salary in California, Nevada, and Oregon are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average plant engineer salary states are North Dakota, Minnesota, and New Hampshire.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for plant engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona | $98,687 | $47.45 |
| 2 | Oregon | $100,345 | $48.24 |
| 3 | Nevada | $100,616 | $48.37 |
| 4 | California | $102,803 | $49.42 |
| 5 | Washington | $98,476 | $47.34 |
| 6 | Utah | $93,398 | $44.90 |
| 7 | Texas | $94,029 | $45.21 |
| 8 | New Mexico | $96,303 | $46.30 |
| 9 | Ohio | $90,875 | $43.69 |
| 10 | Virginia | $92,906 | $44.67 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $92,086 | $44.27 |
| 12 | Delaware | $92,500 | $44.47 |
| 13 | Idaho | $94,048 | $45.22 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $92,039 | $44.25 |
| 15 | District of Columbia | $92,687 | $44.56 |
| 16 | Maryland | $92,555 | $44.50 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $91,685 | $44.08 |
| 18 | Alabama | $90,063 | $43.30 |
| 19 | Michigan | $89,649 | $43.10 |
| 20 | Indiana | $90,032 | $43.28 |
| 21 | Kentucky | $90,498 | $43.51 |
| 22 | Wyoming | $89,652 | $43.10 |
| 23 | Oklahoma | $91,111 | $43.80 |
| 24 | South Carolina | $90,709 | $43.61 |
| 25 | Tennessee | $90,280 | $43.40 |
| 26 | Mississippi | $90,543 | $43.53 |
| 27 | Colorado | $90,312 | $43.42 |
| 28 | New York | $91,454 | $43.97 |
| 29 | Arkansas | $90,311 | $43.42 |
| 30 | Georgia | $90,117 | $43.33 |
| 31 | Iowa | $88,352 | $42.48 |
| 32 | Louisiana | $91,372 | $43.93 |
| 33 | Montana | $91,139 | $43.82 |
| 34 | Connecticut | $90,715 | $43.61 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $88,439 | $42.52 |
| 36 | Kansas | $88,838 | $42.71 |
| 37 | New Jersey | $91,876 | $44.17 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $96,455 | $46.37 |
| 39 | Alaska | $94,091 | $45.24 |
| 40 | Illinois | $89,263 | $42.91 |
| 41 | South Dakota | $88,121 | $42.37 |
| 42 | Massachusetts | $87,703 | $42.16 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $88,229 | $42.42 |
| 44 | Missouri | $88,964 | $42.77 |
| 45 | North Dakota | $87,690 | $42.16 |
| 46 | Rhode Island | $89,634 | $43.09 |
| 47 | Minnesota | $87,190 | $41.92 |
| 48 | New Hampshire | $85,244 | $40.98 |
| 49 | Florida | $85,013 | $40.87 |
| 50 | Vermont | $82,340 | $39.59 |
| 51 | Maine | $81,451 | $39.16 |
Highest paying cities for plant engineers
The highest-paying cities for plant engineers are Berkeley, CA, Reno, NV, and Hillsboro, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berkeley, CA | $108,262 | $52.05 |
| 2 | Reno, NV | $105,956 | $50.94 |
| 3 | Hillsboro, OR | $100,026 | $48.09 |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | $99,318 | $47.75 |
| 5 | Chandler, AZ | $98,698 | $47.45 |
| 6 | San Antonio, TX | $94,653 | $45.51 |
| 7 | Annapolis, MD | $92,778 | $44.60 |
| 8 | Newark, DE | $92,511 | $44.48 |
| 9 | Raleigh, NC | $92,498 | $44.47 |
| 10 | Philadelphia, PA | $92,364 | $44.41 |
| 11 | New York, NY | $91,810 | $44.14 |
| 12 | Newark, NJ | $91,752 | $44.11 |
| 13 | Oklahoma City, OK | $91,395 | $43.94 |
| 14 | Baton Rouge, LA | $91,359 | $43.92 |
| 15 | Newark, OH | $91,218 | $43.85 |
| 16 | Jackson, MS | $90,898 | $43.70 |
| 17 | Bowling Green, KY | $90,381 | $43.45 |
| 18 | Atlanta, GA | $90,302 | $43.41 |
| 19 | Columbus, IN | $90,232 | $43.38 |
| 20 | Dartmouth, MA | $89,967 | $43.25 |
Plant engineer salary details
A plant engineer's salary ranges from $67,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $130,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a plant engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $130,000 | $10,833 | $63 |
| 75th Percentile | $111,000 | $9,250 | $53 |
| Average | $93,949 | $7,829 | $45 |
| 25th Percentile | $79,000 | $6,583 | $38 |
| 10th Percentile | $67,000 | $5,583 | $32 |
Highest paying plant engineer jobs
The highest paying types of plant engineers are plant manager, biomass power plant superintendent, and biomass power plant manager.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering/Maintenance Manager | $99,907 | $8,326 | $48.03 | 125,639 |
| Industrial Engineer | $76,501 | $6,375 | $36.78 | 46,756 |
| Chemical Engineer | $89,449 | $7,454 | $43.00 | 42,176 |
| Maintenance Engineer | $47,133 | $3,928 | $22.66 | 97,957 |
| Process Engineer | $82,443 | $6,870 | $39.64 | 66,937 |
| Production Engineer | $89,727 | $7,477 | $43.14 | 94,789 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for plant engineers, 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 plant engineers now:
Which companies pay plant engineers the most?
Plant engineer salaries at Bunge and Kaiser Permanente are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average plant engineer salary at companies like ASR Group and Biogen are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bunge | $134,744 | $64.78 |
| 2 | Kaiser Permanente | $129,069 | $62.05 |
| 3 | ASR Group | $125,226 | $60.20 |
| 4 | Biogen | $121,513 | $58.42 |
| 5 | Eli Lilly and Company | $118,018 | $56.74 |
| 6 | Koch Industries | $117,302 | $56.40 |
| 7 | Waters | $116,048 | $55.79 |
| 8 | Southern California Edison | $115,824 | $55.68 |
| 9 | Bristol-Myers Squibb | $115,335 | $55.45 |
| 10 | Hoffmann-LA Roche Inc | $113,878 | $54.75 |
| 11 | OMNOVA Solutions | $111,978 | $53.84 |
| 12 | ICU Medical | $111,415 | $53.56 |
| 13 | Calpine | $111,156 | $53.44 |
| 14 | HP Hood | $110,380 | $53.07 |
| 15 | San Luis Valley Health | $109,163 | $52.48 |
| 16 | GCP Applied Technologies | $108,933 | $52.37 |
| 17 | CyberCoders | $108,702 | $52.26 |
| 18 | Bayer | $107,985 | $51.92 |
| 19 | ATI Physical Therapy | $107,556 | $51.71 |
| 20 | Metropolitan Utilities District | $106,442 | $51.17 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Plant Engineer salary by industry
The average plant engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average plant engineer salary in the automotive industry is $99,347, the highest of any industry.
- The average plant engineer salary in the finance industry is $97,133.
- Plant engineers in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $92,372, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for plant engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Automotive | $99,347 | $47.76 |
| 2 | Energy | $97,133 | $46.70 |
| 3 | Pharmaceutical | $95,486 | $45.91 |
| 4 | Construction | $95,018 | $45.68 |
| 5 | Manufacturing | $92,372 | $44.41 |
High paying plant engineer jobs
Plant engineer salary trends
The average plant engineer salary has risen by $17,790 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average plant engineer earned $76,159 annually, but today, they earn $93,949 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for plant engineers over the last decade.
Compare plant engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average plant engineer salary over time
Compare plant engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Plant engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $93,900 | $45.17 | +3.0% |
| 2024 | $91,100 | $43.79 | +2.0% |
| 2023 | $89,300 | $42.92 | +2.7% |
| 2022 | $86,900 | $41.76 | +3.4% |
| 2021 | $83,900 | $40.33 | +3.3% |
Recently added plant engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C.H. Guenther & Son | Plant Engineer | Elk Grove, CA | 06/30/2025 | $80,739 |
| Lactalis | Plant Engineer | Tulare, CA | 06/30/2025 | $105,000 |
| Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold Inc. | Senior Engineer-Plant Engineering | Morenci, AZ | 06/28/2025 | $101,000 |
| RCM Technologies, Inc. | Plant Engineer | Branchburg, NJ | 06/27/2025 | $125,220 |
| Chemours | Chemical Process Engineer | Parkersburg, WV | 06/27/2025 | $81,715 |
| Msccn | Plant Engineer I | Sanford, NC | 06/27/2025 | $80,300 |
| ADM | Technology Engineer, East Plant | Decatur, IL | 06/26/2025 | $102,100 |
| Calpine | Plant Engineer III | Pittsburg, CA | 06/26/2025 | $122,569 |
| Framatome | Mechanical Project/Plant Engineer | Richland, WA | 06/26/2025 | $92,000 |
| Evonik | Senior Plant Engineer | Mapleton, IL | 06/25/2025 | $91,900 |
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