Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Project lead engineer salary
Average project lead engineer salary
$106,946
Understanding Project Lead Engineer Salaries
The Project Lead Engineer salary averages around $106,946 annually, translating to approximately $51 per hour. This figure can vary based on several factors:
- Experience Level: Entry-level positions typically earn less, while seasoned professionals command higher salaries.
- Industry: Certain sectors, such as technology and aerospace, may offer more competitive pay.
- Location: Salaries can vary significantly from state to state; for instance, project lead engineers in California often earn more than those in Texas.
Additionally, exploring cities known for high salaries can reveal lucrative opportunities. For instance, metropolitan areas often provide higher compensation due to the cost of living. To maximize your earning potential, consider networking and professional development opportunities in your field.
Let Zippia find your next project lead engineer job
Let Zippia find your next project lead engineer job
Where can a Project Lead Engineer earn more?
Average project lead engineer salary by state
The average project lead engineer salary in California, Virginia, and Massachusetts are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average project lead engineer salary states are South Dakota, Vermont, and North Dakota.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for project lead engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | $114,826 | $55.20 |
| 2 | California | $140,817 | $67.70 |
| 3 | Missouri | $117,084 | $56.29 |
| 4 | Wyoming | $106,803 | $51.35 |
| 5 | Virginia | $127,820 | $61.45 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $107,636 | $51.75 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $127,429 | $61.26 |
| 8 | Texas | $110,579 | $53.16 |
| 9 | Arizona | $116,852 | $56.18 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $105,775 | $50.85 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $99,404 | $47.79 |
| 12 | Washington | $110,691 | $53.22 |
| 13 | Maryland | $116,823 | $56.16 |
| 14 | Nevada | $100,402 | $48.27 |
| 15 | Colorado | $106,804 | $51.35 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $108,305 | $52.07 |
| 17 | Delaware | $106,723 | $51.31 |
| 18 | Georgia | $105,390 | $50.67 |
| 19 | North Carolina | $98,851 | $47.52 |
| 20 | New Jersey | $112,874 | $54.27 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $97,060 | $46.66 |
| 22 | South Carolina | $101,163 | $48.64 |
| 23 | Utah | $95,816 | $46.07 |
| 24 | Louisiana | $102,830 | $49.44 |
| 25 | Montana | $97,412 | $46.83 |
| 26 | Oregon | $103,045 | $49.54 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $98,453 | $47.33 |
| 28 | Hawaii | $101,248 | $48.68 |
| 29 | Idaho | $96,093 | $46.20 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $98,134 | $47.18 |
| 31 | Arkansas | $92,854 | $44.64 |
| 32 | Ohio | $91,730 | $44.10 |
| 33 | Kentucky | $93,393 | $44.90 |
| 34 | Connecticut | $101,595 | $48.84 |
| 35 | Alabama | $93,468 | $44.94 |
| 36 | New York | $102,031 | $49.05 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $87,757 | $42.19 |
| 38 | Illinois | $98,634 | $47.42 |
| 39 | Florida | $98,575 | $47.39 |
| 40 | Minnesota | $91,981 | $44.22 |
| 41 | Alaska | $89,835 | $43.19 |
| 42 | Kansas | $86,911 | $41.78 |
| 43 | Maine | $93,697 | $45.05 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $87,146 | $41.90 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $86,711 | $41.69 |
| 46 | Vermont | $86,671 | $41.67 |
| 47 | North Dakota | $85,759 | $41.23 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $88,565 | $42.58 |
| 49 | Wisconsin | $83,051 | $39.93 |
| 50 | Indiana | $84,909 | $40.82 |
| 51 | Iowa | $84,269 | $40.51 |
Highest paying cities for project lead engineers
The highest-paying cities for project lead engineers are Cupertino, CA, Arlington, VA, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cupertino, CA | $151,239 | $72.71 |
| 2 | Arlington, VA | $129,108 | $62.07 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $127,353 | $61.23 |
| 4 | Saint Louis, MO | $118,197 | $56.83 |
| 5 | Phoenix, AZ | $117,029 | $56.26 |
| 6 | Warren, MI | $115,380 | $55.47 |
| 7 | Camden, NJ | $112,377 | $54.03 |
| 8 | Arlington, TX | $111,215 | $53.47 |
| 9 | Redmond, WA | $110,866 | $53.30 |
| 10 | Washington, DC | $108,415 | $52.12 |
| 11 | Colorado Springs, CO | $108,333 | $52.08 |
| 12 | Albuquerque, NM | $105,976 | $50.95 |
| 13 | Atlanta, GA | $105,606 | $50.77 |
| 14 | New York, NY | $102,228 | $49.15 |
| 15 | Portland, OR | $102,143 | $49.11 |
| 16 | Florence, SC | $101,912 | $49.00 |
| 17 | Raleigh, NC | $99,611 | $47.89 |
| 18 | Tampa, FL | $99,438 | $47.81 |
| 19 | Chicago, IL | $98,870 | $47.53 |
| 20 | Tulsa, OK | $97,492 | $46.87 |
Project lead engineer salary details
A project lead engineer's salary ranges from $78,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $146,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a project lead engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $146,000 | $12,167 | $70 |
| 75th Percentile | $126,000 | $10,500 | $61 |
| Average | $106,946 | $8,912 | $51 |
| 25th Percentile | $90,000 | $7,500 | $43 |
| 10th Percentile | $78,000 | $6,500 | $38 |
Highest paying project lead engineer jobs
The highest paying types of project lead engineers are principal engineer, team lead engineer, and project engineering manager.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design Engineer | $77,134 | $6,428 | $37.08 | 138,173 |
| Development Engineer | $93,206 | $7,767 | $44.81 | 224,881 |
| Tool Engineer | $101,135 | $8,428 | $48.62 | 98,936 |
| Staff Engineer | $107,530 | $8,961 | $51.70 | 277,011 |
| Project Team Lead | $105,306 | $8,775 | $50.63 | 125,539 |
| Lead Design Engineer | $108,490 | $9,041 | $52.16 | 118,073 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for project lead 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 project lead engineers now:
Which companies pay project lead engineers the most?
Project lead engineer salaries at Apple and Rivian are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average project lead engineer salary at companies like Citi and Navistar are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $170,728 | $82.08 |
| 2 | Rivian | $157,328 | $75.64 |
| 3 | Citi | $147,678 | $71.00 |
| 4 | Navistar | $146,332 | $70.35 |
| 5 | Motor Coach Industries | $145,667 | $70.03 |
| 6 | CyberCoders | $144,843 | $69.64 |
| 7 | BorgWarner | $142,930 | $68.72 |
| 8 | Microsoft | $142,304 | $68.42 |
| 9 | Centene | $141,297 | $67.93 |
| 10 | Techtronic Industries TTI | $140,189 | $67.40 |
| 11 | Gevo | $137,520 | $66.12 |
| 12 | Magna International | $136,482 | $65.62 |
| 13 | General Motors | $134,410 | $64.62 |
| 14 | Caltrol | $133,304 | $64.09 |
| 15 | Ball | $132,708 | $63.80 |
| 16 | Kelly Services | $132,574 | $63.74 |
| 17 | Goodwin Recruiting | $132,317 | $63.61 |
| 18 | Kforce | $132,178 | $63.55 |
| 19 | Volt Information Sciences | $131,090 | $63.02 |
| 20 | Hitachi U.S.A. | $130,081 | $62.54 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Project Lead Engineer salary by industry
The average project lead engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average project lead engineer salary in the automotive industry is $121,074, the highest of any industry.
- The average project lead engineer salary in the finance industry is $115,638.
- Project lead engineers in the finance industry earn an average salary of $107,144, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for project lead engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Automotive | $121,074 | $58.21 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $115,638 | $55.60 |
| 3 | Energy | $115,117 | $55.34 |
| 4 | Technology | $110,380 | $53.07 |
| 5 | Finance | $107,144 | $51.51 |
High paying project lead engineer jobs
Project lead engineer salary trends
The average project lead engineer salary has risen by $14,079 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average project lead engineer earned $92,867 annually, but today, they earn $106,946 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for project lead engineers over the last decade.
Compare project lead engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average project lead engineer salary over time
Compare project lead engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Project lead engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $107,000 | $51.42 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | $106,000 | $50.88 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | $105,000 | $50.31 | +1.3% |
| 2022 | $103,000 | $49.64 | +1.8% |
| 2021 | $101,000 | $48.73 | +1.0% |
Recently added project lead engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeppesen | Lead Project Engineer | Mesa, AZ | 06/30/2025 | $114,750 |
| Jeppesen | Executive Fleet Project Engineer (Lead or Senior) | San Antonio, TX | 06/30/2025 | $140,250 |
| Jeppesen | Lead Project Engineer-Phantom Works | Berkeley, MO | 06/30/2025 | $114,750 |
| Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Leader In Toledo, Ohio | Structural Engineering Project Discipline Lead | Austin, TX | 06/29/2025 | $105,000 |
| Day & Zimmermann | Engineer, Projects Lead | Texarkana, TX | 06/28/2025 | $104,480 |
| Apple Inc. | Engineering Project Lead | Cupertino, CA | 06/27/2025 | $162,019 |
| Actalent | Project Lead-Software Engineering Services | Fort Worth, TX | 06/27/2025 | $100,000 |
| Boeing | Lead Project Engineer-Support Equipment Integrator | Hazelwood, MO | 06/21/2025 | $114,750 |
| Boeing | Executive Fleet Project Engineer (Lead or Senior) | San Antonio, TX | 06/20/2025 | $140,250 |
| Boeing | Lead Project Engineer | Mesa, AZ | 06/20/2025 | $114,750 |
Project lead engineer salary FAQs
Search for project lead engineer jobs