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Research and development senior engineer salary
Average research and development senior engineer salary
$106,636
Average Salary for Research and Development Senior Engineers
The Research and Development Senior Engineer role is crucial for companies focused on innovation. The average salary is approximately $106,636 annually, but this can vary based on factors like location, experience, and industry. For example, states such as California and New York often offer higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for skilled engineers.
Salary by State
Salary distributions show significant disparities across states. For instance, states like Washington and Massachusetts report higher averages, while others may be more modest. It's beneficial for prospective employees to research these variations to gauge their earning potential.
Top-Paying Industries
Industries such as technology, biotechnology, and aerospace are known to pay senior engineers higher salaries compared to others. Exploring specific job listings can provide insights into the highest paying positions within these fields, helping candidates align their skills with market demands.
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Where can a Research And Development Senior Engineer earn more?
Average research and development senior engineer salary by state
The average research and development senior engineer salary in California, New Mexico, and Idaho are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average research and development senior engineer salary states are North Dakota, Kansas, and Missouri.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for research and development senior engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | $123,062 | $59.16 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $118,137 | $56.80 |
| 3 | Washington | $116,594 | $56.05 |
| 4 | California | $124,881 | $60.04 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $136,651 | $65.70 |
| 6 | Oregon | $111,675 | $53.69 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $114,724 | $55.16 |
| 8 | Delaware | $112,383 | $54.03 |
| 9 | Idaho | $120,693 | $58.03 |
| 10 | Arizona | $103,242 | $49.64 |
| 11 | Texas | $101,459 | $48.78 |
| 12 | Nevada | $103,527 | $49.77 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $109,702 | $52.74 |
| 14 | Iowa | $108,707 | $52.26 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $103,525 | $49.77 |
| 16 | Colorado | $101,150 | $48.63 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $95,746 | $46.03 |
| 18 | Alaska | $106,737 | $51.32 |
| 19 | Michigan | $95,396 | $45.86 |
| 20 | Alabama | $98,957 | $47.58 |
| 21 | Maryland | $111,092 | $53.41 |
| 22 | Louisiana | $100,757 | $48.44 |
| 23 | Tennessee | $95,525 | $45.93 |
| 24 | New Jersey | $102,582 | $49.32 |
| 25 | Illinois | $102,147 | $49.11 |
| 26 | Virginia | $97,387 | $46.82 |
| 27 | Vermont | $96,279 | $46.29 |
| 28 | Utah | $96,133 | $46.22 |
| 29 | Georgia | $94,848 | $45.60 |
| 30 | Maine | $98,454 | $47.33 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $90,799 | $43.65 |
| 32 | Ohio | $91,768 | $44.12 |
| 33 | Connecticut | $98,118 | $47.17 |
| 34 | Indiana | $91,946 | $44.20 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $93,504 | $44.95 |
| 36 | Montana | $88,666 | $42.63 |
| 37 | Hawaii | $91,836 | $44.15 |
| 38 | New York | $100,682 | $48.40 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $94,788 | $45.57 |
| 40 | Florida | $91,283 | $43.89 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $93,568 | $44.98 |
| 42 | North Dakota | $85,108 | $40.92 |
| 43 | Wyoming | $91,796 | $44.13 |
| 44 | North Carolina | $88,269 | $42.44 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $81,201 | $39.04 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $86,534 | $41.60 |
| 47 | Kansas | $83,902 | $40.34 |
| 48 | Missouri | $81,854 | $39.35 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $81,038 | $38.96 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $85,656 | $41.18 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $77,187 | $37.11 |
Highest paying cities for research and development senior engineers
The highest-paying cities for research and development senior engineers are Santa Rosa, CA, Albuquerque, NM, and Hillsboro, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Rosa, CA | $133,607 | $64.23 |
| 2 | Albuquerque, NM | $123,275 | $59.27 |
| 3 | Hillsboro, OR | $111,909 | $53.80 |
| 4 | Marlborough, MA | $109,602 | $52.69 |
| 5 | Des Plaines, IL | $102,395 | $49.23 |
| 6 | Austin, TX | $102,169 | $49.12 |
| 7 | New York, NY | $100,807 | $48.46 |
| 8 | Sandy, UT | $95,703 | $46.01 |
| 9 | Midland, MI | $95,564 | $45.94 |
| 10 | Memphis, TN | $95,529 | $45.93 |
| 11 | Atlanta, GA | $94,762 | $45.56 |
| 12 | Pittsburgh, PA | $93,376 | $44.89 |
| 13 | Madison, WI | $93,310 | $44.86 |
| 14 | Maple Grove, MN | $90,836 | $43.67 |
| 15 | Jacksonville, FL | $90,689 | $43.60 |
| 16 | Raleigh, NC | $88,801 | $42.69 |
Research and development senior engineer salary details
A research and development senior engineer's salary ranges from $83,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $135,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a research and development senior engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $135,000 | $11,250 | $65 |
| 75th Percentile | $121,000 | $10,083 | $58 |
| Average | $106,636 | $8,886 | $51 |
| 25th Percentile | $93,000 | $7,750 | $45 |
| 10th Percentile | $83,000 | $6,917 | $40 |
Highest paying research and development senior engineer jobs
The highest paying types of research and development senior engineers are senior staff engineer, senior principal engineer, and principal engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staff Engineer | $107,530 | $8,961 | $51.70 | 277,011 |
| Tool Engineer | $101,135 | $8,428 | $48.62 | 98,936 |
| Principal Engineer | $130,213 | $10,851 | $62.60 | 312,683 |
| Service Engineer | $87,151 | $7,263 | $41.90 | 143,806 |
| Product Engineer | $89,645 | $7,470 | $43.10 | 157,888 |
| Design Engineer | $77,134 | $6,428 | $37.08 | 138,173 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for research and development senior engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Daisy Huang
Assistant Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Top companies hiring research and development senior engineers now:
Which companies pay research and development senior engineers the most?
Research and development senior engineer salaries at Roku and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average research and development senior engineer salary at companies like Netflix and Riot Games are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roku | $149,134 | $71.70 |
| 2 | Apple | $142,162 | $68.35 |
| 3 | Netflix | $139,314 | $66.98 |
| 4 | Riot Games | $133,759 | $64.31 |
| 5 | Microsoft | $130,400 | $62.69 |
| 6 | Convergent Science | $125,306 | $60.24 |
| 7 | Consolidated Metal Products | $124,573 | $59.89 |
| 8 | PDF Solutions | $123,649 | $59.45 |
| 9 | Harley-Davidson | $121,466 | $58.40 |
| 10 | ENERGY RECOVERY, INC. | $118,705 | $57.07 |
| 11 | VMware | $118,625 | $57.03 |
| 12 | Young Living Essential Oils | $118,448 | $56.95 |
| 13 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $116,923 | $56.21 |
| 14 | Sandia National Labs | $116,601 | $56.06 |
| 15 | Micron Technology | $116,563 | $56.04 |
| 16 | ICONMA | $116,227 | $55.88 |
| 17 | Keysight Technologies | $115,677 | $55.61 |
| 18 | Broadcom | $115,427 | $55.49 |
| 19 | LSI | $115,010 | $55.29 |
| 20 | Direct Transport Services | $114,890 | $55.24 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Research And Development Senior Engineer salary by industry
The average research and development senior engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average research and development senior engineer salary in the automotive industry is $108,506, the highest of any industry.
- The average research and development senior engineer salary in the finance industry is $104,411.
- Research and development senior engineers in the health care industry earn an average salary of $96,178, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for research and development senior engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Automotive | $108,506 | $52.17 |
| 2 | Technology | $104,411 | $50.20 |
| 3 | Education | $104,194 | $50.09 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $100,093 | $48.12 |
| 5 | Health Care | $96,178 | $46.24 |
High paying research and development senior engineer jobs
Research and development senior engineer salary trends
The average research and development senior engineer salary has risen by $12,927 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average research and development senior engineer earned $93,709 annually, but today, they earn $106,636 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for research and development senior engineers over the last decade.
Compare research and development senior engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average research and development senior engineer salary over time
Compare research and development senior engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Research and development senior engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $107,000 | $51.27 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $105,000 | $50.28 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $103,000 | $49.68 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $102,000 | $48.83 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $99,600 | $47.87 | +0.7% |
Recently added research and development senior engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Origin | Senior R&D Software Engineer (Ai/Devops) | Seattle, WA | 06/30/2025 | $177,567 |
| Actalent | Senior R&D Engineer, Mechanical Shelf-Life | Sunnyvale, CA | 06/29/2025 | $126,000 |
| Honeywell | SR R&D Systems Engineer-Hardware | Clearwater, FL | 06/28/2025 | $122,000 |
| Honeywell | SR R&D Systems Engineer-Hardware | Plymouth, MN | 06/28/2025 | $122,000 |
| Medtronic | SR R-D Engineer-Neruovascular | Irvine, CA | 06/28/2025 | $104,000 |
| Sandia Corporation | Member/Senior R&D Systems Engineer-Mobile Guardian Transport Electronics, Onsite | Albuquerque, NM | 06/28/2025 | $99,400 |
| Vantive Us Healthcare USA | SR Engineer-Disposables R&D, NPD | Enon, VA | 06/28/2025 | $88,000 |
| Cardinal Health | R&D SR. Engineer | Mansfield, MA | 06/27/2025 | $79,300 |
| Caterpillar | Development & Research Senior Engineer | Rossville, IL | 06/27/2025 | $110,520 |
| Caterpillar | Development & Research Senior Engineer | Seguin, TX | 06/27/2025 | $110,520 |
Research and development senior engineer salary FAQs
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