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The salary of an Associate Project Engineer averages around $81,795 per year, equating to approximately $39 per hour. This figure can vary significantly based on factors such as location, industry, and years of experience. For instance, professionals in high-demand states like California and New York often command higher salaries due to the cost of living and competitive job market.
Many industries seek Associate Project Engineers, including construction, technology, and manufacturing. These sectors not only offer competitive salaries but also provide opportunities for growth and advancement.
In states with vibrant engineering markets, such as Texas and Washington, salaries can exceed the national average. Understanding the financial landscape for Associate Project Engineers can help job seekers make informed decisions about their career paths.
Employers are increasingly looking for qualified candidates who can manage projects efficiently while delivering technical solutions. Job boards like Zippia provide a comprehensive platform for job seekers to explore available positions and salaries in real-time.
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The average associate project engineer salary in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and New Jersey are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average associate project engineer salary states are Delaware, Florida, and Mississippi.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | $97,534 | $46.89 |
| 2 | Minnesota | $87,798 | $42.21 |
| 3 | Texas | $86,505 | $41.59 |
| 4 | Nebraska | $85,274 | $41.00 |
| 5 | Vermont | $82,848 | $39.83 |
| 6 | Oklahoma | $93,955 | $45.17 |
| 7 | California | $88,269 | $42.44 |
| 8 | North Dakota | $79,899 | $38.41 |
| 9 | Missouri | $83,977 | $40.37 |
| 10 | Idaho | $79,365 | $38.16 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $88,791 | $42.69 |
| 12 | Iowa | $79,922 | $38.42 |
| 13 | Virginia | $85,698 | $41.20 |
| 14 | Louisiana | $83,412 | $40.10 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | $84,287 | $40.52 |
| 16 | Maryland | $88,396 | $42.50 |
| 17 | Tennessee | $77,848 | $37.43 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $89,940 | $43.24 |
| 19 | Michigan | $73,904 | $35.53 |
| 20 | Maine | $78,110 | $37.55 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $75,885 | $36.48 |
| 22 | Washington | $80,877 | $38.88 |
| 23 | Indiana | $74,046 | $35.60 |
| 24 | Alabama | $73,557 | $35.36 |
| 25 | Ohio | $71,477 | $34.36 |
| 26 | Illinois | $77,932 | $37.47 |
| 27 | Oregon | $75,766 | $36.43 |
| 28 | Montana | $77,027 | $37.03 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | $69,212 | $33.27 |
| 30 | Nevada | $70,461 | $33.88 |
| 31 | New Hampshire | $67,752 | $32.57 |
| 32 | South Carolina | $71,793 | $34.52 |
| 33 | Arizona | $73,767 | $35.46 |
| 34 | Colorado | $73,296 | $35.24 |
| 35 | Georgia | $74,329 | $35.74 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $70,817 | $34.05 |
| 37 | North Carolina | $72,028 | $34.63 |
| 38 | West Virginia | $68,514 | $32.94 |
| 39 | New York | $74,751 | $35.94 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $67,041 | $32.23 |
| 41 | Utah | $68,636 | $33.00 |
| 42 | South Dakota | $67,756 | $32.58 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $73,570 | $35.37 |
| 44 | Alaska | $70,799 | $34.04 |
| 45 | Kansas | $57,609 | $27.70 |
| 46 | Delaware | $65,826 | $31.65 |
| 47 | Rhode Island | $67,024 | $32.22 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $63,375 | $30.47 |
| 49 | Florida | $64,780 | $31.14 |
| 50 | Wyoming | $62,997 | $30.29 |
| 51 | Connecticut | $61,520 | $29.58 |
The highest-paying cities for associate project engineers are Farmington, NM, Vacaville, CA, and Mahwah, NJ.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Farmington, NM | $97,677 | $46.96 |
| 2 | Vacaville, CA | $94,533 | $45.45 |
| 3 | Mahwah, NJ | $90,011 | $43.27 |
| 4 | San Antonio, TX | $87,079 | $41.86 |
| 5 | Omaha, NE | $85,288 | $41.00 |
| 6 | Boston, MA | $84,366 | $40.56 |
| 7 | Kansas City, MO | $83,924 | $40.35 |
| 8 | Vancouver, WA | $81,601 | $39.23 |
| 9 | Northbrook, IL | $78,076 | $37.54 |
| 10 | Portland, OR | $75,410 | $36.25 |
| 11 | New York, NY | $74,814 | $35.97 |
| 12 | Alpharetta, GA | $74,501 | $35.82 |
| 13 | Pittsburgh, PA | $74,118 | $35.63 |
| 14 | Fishers, IN | $74,027 | $35.59 |
| 15 | Morrisville, NC | $72,574 | $34.89 |
| 16 | Cincinnati, OH | $70,316 | $33.81 |
| 17 | Sun Prairie, WI | $69,051 | $33.20 |
An associate project engineer's salary ranges from $64,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $104,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $104,000 | $8,667 | $50 |
| 75th Percentile | $92,000 | $7,667 | $44 |
| Average | $81,795 | $6,816 | $39 |
| 25th Percentile | $72,000 | $6,000 | $35 |
| 10th Percentile | $64,000 | $5,333 | $31 |
The highest paying types of associate project engineers are staff engineer, project lead engineer, and senior project engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering Internship | $42,749 | $3,562 | $20.55 | 115,512 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Mechanical Engineer | $75,352 | $6,279 | $36.23 | 105,618 |
| Staff Engineer | $107,530 | $8,961 | $51.70 | 277,011 |
| Packaging Engineer | $88,452 | $7,371 | $42.52 | 54,028 |
| Manufacturing Engineer | $78,522 | $6,543 | $37.75 | 115,384 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for associate project engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Daisy Huang
Assistant Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Top companies hiring associate project engineers now:
Associate project engineer salaries at CITGO Petroleum and Ameresco are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average associate project engineer salary at companies like Stryker and Tesla are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CITGO Petroleum | $99,451 | $47.81 |
| 2 | Ameresco | $95,836 | $46.08 |
| 3 | Stryker | $92,942 | $44.68 |
| 4 | Tesla | $89,852 | $43.20 |
| 5 | Duquesne Light Company | $88,014 | $42.31 |
| 6 | Allison Transmission | $87,121 | $41.89 |
| 7 | New York Power Authority | $85,899 | $41.30 |
| 8 | Accenture | $83,165 | $39.98 |
| 9 | Pratt & Whitney | $81,661 | $39.26 |
| 10 | Teleflex | $81,558 | $39.21 |
| 11 | Raytheon Technologies | $81,009 | $38.95 |
| 12 | L3Harris | $80,889 | $38.89 |
| 13 | Burns & McDonnell | $80,579 | $38.74 |
| 14 | Globus Medical | $80,083 | $38.50 |
| 15 | Veolia Water Tech | $79,918 | $38.42 |
| 16 | ABB | $79,529 | $38.24 |
| 17 | Clever Devices | $79,027 | $37.99 |
| 18 | Ball | $78,952 | $37.96 |
| 19 | Wsp USA Buildings Inc. | $78,597 | $37.79 |
| 20 | Howard L. Zimmerman Architects, P.C. | $78,577 | $37.78 |
The average associate project engineer salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Professional | $76,711 | $36.88 |
| 2 | Transportation | $75,766 | $36.43 |
| 3 | Utilities | $75,762 | $36.42 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $74,816 | $35.97 |
| 5 | Government | $71,080 | $34.17 |
The average associate project engineer salary has risen by $11,763 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average associate project engineer earned $70,032 annually, but today, they earn $81,795 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for associate project engineers over the last decade.
Compare associate project engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare associate project engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $81,800 | $39.32 | -0.2% |
| 2024 | $82,000 | $39.41 | +3.5% |
| 2023 | $79,100 | $38.01 | +2.6% |
| 2022 | $77,000 | $37.01 | +3.7% |
| 2021 | $74,100 | $35.63 | +1.0% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DRS Technologies | Associate Project Engineer | San Diego, CA | 06/28/2025 | $116,786 |
| Leonardo DRS, Inc. | Associate Project Engineer | San Diego, CA | 06/28/2025 | $116,786 |
| Aspen Technology | Associate Manager, Project Engineer | Medina, MN | 06/27/2025 | $109,600 |
| Tualatin Valley Water District | Engineering Associate/Project Engineer | Beaverton, OR | 06/26/2025 | $98,842 |
| Lockheed Martin Corporation | Project Engineer Associate | Englewood, CO | 06/20/2025 | $57,500 |
| SLR Consulting | Project/Associate Air Quality Engineer/Scientist | Bothell, WA | 06/20/2025 | $70,000 |
| SLR Consulting | Project/Associate Air Quality Engineer/Scientist | Denver, CO | 06/20/2025 | $70,000 |
| SLR Consulting | Project/Associate Air Quality Engineer/Scientist | Irvine, CA | 06/20/2025 | $70,000 |
| SLR Consulting | Project/Associate Air Quality Engineer/Scientist | Portland, OR | 06/20/2025 | $70,000 |
| SLR Consulting | Project/Associate Air Quality Engineer/Scientist | Charleston, SC | 06/20/2025 | $70,000 |
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