Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Release engineer salary
Average release engineer salary
$97,777
Release Engineer Salary Overview
A Release Engineer plays a critical role in managing the software release process, ensuring that deployments are efficient and reliable. Currently, the average salary for this position is $97,777 per year. Salaries can vary significantly based on factors such as experience, location, and industry. For instance, states like California and New York often offer higher salaries due to the demand for tech professionals.
Salary by Experience
Entry-level Release Engineers typically earn around $70,000, while those with more than five years of experience can command salaries exceeding $120,000. The potential for growth in this field is substantial as companies increasingly rely on sophisticated software solutions.
Highest Paying Industries
Industries such as technology, finance, and healthcare tend to offer the most competitive salaries for Release Engineers. Additionally, pursuing certifications in relevant tools and methodologies can enhance job prospects and salary potential.
Conclusion
With a strong demand for skilled Release Engineers, now is an excellent time to explore job opportunities in this growing field. Check job boards like Zippia to find your next role.
Let Zippia find your next release engineer job
Let Zippia find your next release engineer job
Where can a Release Engineer earn more?
Release engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average release engineer salary by state
The average release engineer salary in California, Oregon, and Washington are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average release engineer salary states are Tennessee, Hawaii, and Kentucky.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for release engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $104,843 | $50.41 |
| 2 | Oregon | $104,890 | $50.43 |
| 3 | California | $114,531 | $55.06 |
| 4 | Delaware | $103,162 | $49.60 |
| 5 | Arizona | $97,127 | $46.70 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $91,528 | $44.00 |
| 7 | Montana | $92,698 | $44.57 |
| 8 | Maine | $94,424 | $45.40 |
| 9 | Utah | $88,502 | $42.55 |
| 10 | New York | $95,490 | $45.91 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $92,199 | $44.33 |
| 12 | Nevada | $92,759 | $44.60 |
| 13 | Vermont | $89,248 | $42.91 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $88,722 | $42.65 |
| 15 | Idaho | $89,543 | $43.05 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $89,093 | $42.83 |
| 17 | Georgia | $89,038 | $42.81 |
| 18 | Texas | $86,352 | $41.52 |
| 19 | District of Columbia | $90,287 | $43.41 |
| 20 | New Jersey | $90,859 | $43.68 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $88,022 | $42.32 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $85,041 | $40.89 |
| 23 | Virginia | $84,420 | $40.59 |
| 24 | Ohio | $84,241 | $40.50 |
| 25 | South Carolina | $87,736 | $42.18 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $84,226 | $40.49 |
| 27 | Michigan | $82,918 | $39.86 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | $85,969 | $41.33 |
| 29 | Maryland | $83,557 | $40.17 |
| 30 | Wyoming | $80,123 | $38.52 |
| 31 | Florida | $85,325 | $41.02 |
| 32 | New Mexico | $84,363 | $40.56 |
| 33 | Connecticut | $83,371 | $40.08 |
| 34 | Alabama | $80,484 | $38.69 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $79,895 | $38.41 |
| 36 | Colorado | $78,120 | $37.56 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $80,894 | $38.89 |
| 38 | Missouri | $81,378 | $39.12 |
| 39 | Iowa | $80,076 | $38.50 |
| 40 | Indiana | $77,695 | $37.35 |
| 41 | Illinois | $79,288 | $38.12 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $78,254 | $37.62 |
| 43 | Alaska | $78,813 | $37.89 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $80,188 | $38.55 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $78,933 | $37.95 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $77,094 | $37.06 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $75,339 | $36.22 |
| 48 | Kansas | $73,923 | $35.54 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $72,416 | $34.82 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $73,964 | $35.56 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $71,893 | $34.56 |
Highest paying cities for release engineers
The highest-paying cities for release engineers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $124,329 | $59.77 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $105,429 | $50.69 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $95,659 | $45.99 |
| 4 | Quincy, MA | $92,275 | $44.36 |
| 5 | Las Vegas, NV | $92,125 | $44.29 |
| 6 | Jersey City, NJ | $91,036 | $43.77 |
| 7 | Atlanta, GA | $89,009 | $42.79 |
| 8 | Austin, TX | $86,953 | $41.80 |
| 9 | Tampa, FL | $86,502 | $41.59 |
| 10 | Durham, NC | $85,707 | $41.21 |
| 11 | McLean, VA | $84,759 | $40.75 |
| 12 | Richfield, MN | $84,182 | $40.47 |
| 13 | Columbus, OH | $83,879 | $40.33 |
| 14 | Warren, MI | $83,283 | $40.04 |
| 15 | Madison, WI | $80,663 | $38.78 |
| 16 | Chicago, IL | $79,504 | $38.22 |
| 17 | Bellevue, NE | $78,444 | $37.71 |
Release engineer salary details
A release engineer's salary ranges from $73,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $130,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a release engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $130,000 | $10,833 | $63 |
| 75th Percentile | $113,000 | $9,417 | $54 |
| Average | $97,777 | $8,148 | $47 |
| 25th Percentile | $83,000 | $6,917 | $40 |
| 10th Percentile | $73,000 | $6,083 | $35 |
Highest paying release engineer jobs
The highest paying types of release engineers are staff software engineer, principal software engineer, and software engineer lead.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer-Consultant | $113,987 | $9,499 | $54.80 | 317,033 |
| Software Development Engineer | $109,147 | $9,096 | $52.47 | 356,971 |
| Principal Software Engineer | $134,230 | $11,186 | $64.53 | 345,893 |
| Staff Software Engineer | $136,653 | $11,388 | $65.70 | 371,213 |
| Quality Assurance Engineer | $82,215 | $6,851 | $39.53 | 243,536 |
| Software Engineer Lead | $125,565 | $10,464 | $60.37 | 342,462 |
Top companies hiring release engineers now:
Which companies pay release engineers the most?
Release engineer salaries at Meta and Credit Karma are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average release engineer salary at companies like Netflix and Apple are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $156,960 | $75.46 |
| 2 | Credit Karma | $153,873 | $73.98 |
| 3 | Netflix | $148,533 | $71.41 |
| 4 | Apple | $146,132 | $70.26 |
| 5 | $144,687 | $69.56 | |
| 6 | Yelp | $143,002 | $68.75 |
| 7 | The Knot | $141,757 | $68.15 |
| 8 | Addepar | $141,535 | $68.05 |
| 9 | Chegg | $140,368 | $67.48 |
| 10 | PayPal | $136,893 | $65.81 |
| 11 | StubHub | $136,098 | $65.43 |
| 12 | eBay | $135,916 | $65.34 |
| 13 | Zoox | $134,953 | $64.88 |
| 14 | Amazon | $128,890 | $61.97 |
| 15 | Fisher Investments | $127,170 | $61.14 |
| 16 | Macy's | $126,600 | $60.87 |
| 17 | Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc. | $126,144 | $60.65 |
| 18 | MUFG EMEA | $125,782 | $60.47 |
| 19 | Adobe | $124,077 | $59.65 |
| 20 | Clover Network | $123,013 | $59.14 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Release Engineer salary by industry
The average release engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average release engineer salary in the technology industry is $109,075, the highest of any industry.
- The average release engineer salary in the finance industry is $108,296.
- Release engineers in the telecommunication industry earn an average salary of $91,488, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for release engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $109,075 | $52.44 |
| 2 | Automotive | $108,296 | $52.07 |
| 3 | Retail | $104,844 | $50.41 |
| 4 | Finance | $101,836 | $48.96 |
| 5 | Internet | $93,545 | $44.97 |
| 6 | Telecommunication | $91,488 | $43.98 |
High paying release engineer jobs
Release engineer salary trends
The average release engineer salary has risen by $18,152 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average release engineer earned $79,625 annually, but today, they earn $97,777 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for release engineers over the last decade.
Compare release engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average release engineer salary over time
Compare release engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Release engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $97,800 | $47.01 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $94,600 | $45.46 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $92,400 | $44.43 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $90,800 | $43.65 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $89,300 | $42.91 | +1.8% |
Recently added release engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perspecta | Devsecops Release Engineer | Santa Clara, CA | 06/29/2025 | $80,000 |
| Cox Holdings, Inc. | Lead Release Engineer | Austin, TX | 06/28/2025 | $119,700 |
| Assetmark | Release Engineer | Atlanta, GA | 06/27/2025 | $150,000 |
| Peraton | Devsecops Release Engineer, Mid | Santa Clara, CA | 06/25/2025 | $66,000 |
| Fiserv, Inc. | Release Engineer | Sunnyvale, CA | 06/21/2025 | $83,400 |
| Peraton | Release Engineer | Annapolis, MD | 06/21/2025 | $112,000 |
| Document Storage Systems | Release Engineer | Juno Beach, FL | 06/21/2025 | $80,000 |
| Kratos Defense and Security | Configuration/Release Engineer Technical Advisor | Colorado Springs, CO | 06/20/2025 | $100,000 |
| DSS Inc. | Release Engineer | Juno Beach, FL | 06/18/2025 | $80,000 |
| Zipline | Staff Release Engineer-Deployment Systems | South San Francisco, CA | 06/09/2025 | $170,000 |
Release engineer salary FAQs
Search for release engineer jobs