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Associate project engineer salary

Quoted expert
Daisy Huang

Average associate project engineer salary

$81,795

$39.32 hourly rate

Entry-level associate project engineer salary
$64,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding Associate Project Engineer Salaries

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.

Salary by State

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.

Job Opportunities

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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Where can an Associate Project Engineer earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
119k
99k
79k
59k
39k
Columbus, OH$97,677
Sun Prairie, WI$69,051
Compare salary by company
Vs
129k
109k
89k
69k
49k
CITGO Petroleum$99,451
Howard L. Zimmerman Architects, P.C.$78,577

Associate project engineer salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and Payscale, the average salary for an associate project engineer typically falls between $51,000 and $111,546.
zippia
$81,795yearly
glassdoor[1]
$111,546yearly
Salary.com[2]
$81,555yearly
ZipRecruiter[3]
$86,750yearly
payscale[4]
$51,000yearly

Average associate project engineer salary by state

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.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for associate project engineers

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1New Mexico$97,534$46.89
2Minnesota$87,798$42.21
3Texas$86,505$41.59
4Nebraska$85,274$41.00
5Vermont$82,848$39.83
6Oklahoma$93,955$45.17
7California$88,269$42.44
8North Dakota$79,899$38.41
9Missouri$83,977$40.37
10Idaho$79,365$38.16
11District of Columbia$88,791$42.69
12Iowa$79,922$38.42
13Virginia$85,698$41.20
14Louisiana$83,412$40.10
15Massachusetts$84,287$40.52
16Maryland$88,396$42.50
17Tennessee$77,848$37.43
18New Jersey$89,940$43.24
19Michigan$73,904$35.53
20Maine$78,110$37.55
21Pennsylvania$75,885$36.48
22Washington$80,877$38.88
23Indiana$74,046$35.60
24Alabama$73,557$35.36
25Ohio$71,477$34.36
26Illinois$77,932$37.47
27Oregon$75,766$36.43
28Montana$77,027$37.03
29Wisconsin$69,212$33.27
30Nevada$70,461$33.88
31New Hampshire$67,752$32.57
32South Carolina$71,793$34.52
33Arizona$73,767$35.46
34Colorado$73,296$35.24
35Georgia$74,329$35.74
36Kentucky$70,817$34.05
37North Carolina$72,028$34.63
38West Virginia$68,514$32.94
39New York$74,751$35.94
40Arkansas$67,041$32.23
41Utah$68,636$33.00
42South Dakota$67,756$32.58
43Hawaii$73,570$35.37
44Alaska$70,799$34.04
45Kansas$57,609$27.70
46Delaware$65,826$31.65
47Rhode Island$67,024$32.22
48Mississippi$63,375$30.47
49Florida$64,780$31.14
50Wyoming$62,997$30.29
51Connecticut$61,520$29.58

Highest paying cities for associate project engineers

The highest-paying cities for associate project engineers are Farmington, NM, Vacaville, CA, and Mahwah, NJ.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Farmington, NM$97,677$46.96
2Vacaville, CA$94,533$45.45
3Mahwah, NJ$90,011$43.27
4San Antonio, TX$87,079$41.86
5Omaha, NE$85,288$41.00
6Boston, MA$84,366$40.56
7Kansas City, MO$83,924$40.35
8Vancouver, WA$81,601$39.23
9Northbrook, IL$78,076$37.54
10Portland, OR$75,410$36.25
11New York, NY$74,814$35.97
12Alpharetta, GA$74,501$35.82
13Pittsburgh, PA$74,118$35.63
14Fishers, IN$74,027$35.59
15Morrisville, NC$72,574$34.89
16Cincinnati, OH$70,316$33.81
17Sun Prairie, WI$69,051$33.20

Associate project engineer salary details

An associate project engineer's salary ranges from $64,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $104,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average associate project engineer salary graph
Average associate project engineer salary graph, trends, and summary

What is an associate project engineer's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly 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

Highest paying associate project engineer jobs

The highest paying types of associate project engineers are staff engineer, project lead engineer, and senior project engineer.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Mechanical Engineering Internship$42,749$3,562$20.55115,512
Engineer$92,076$7,673$44.27618,207
Mechanical Engineer$75,352$6,279$36.23105,618
Staff Engineer$107,530$8,961$51.70277,011
Packaging Engineer$88,452$7,371$42.5254,028
Manufacturing Engineer$78,522$6,543$37.75115,384

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

Above average, but you won't be a millionaire easily (you can with some effort, saving, and investing well). It is very unlikely you'll ever be *super* wealthy, but it's also very unlikely you'll ever not find employment in your field. You'll have a solid ticket to a modestly comfortable life, with some luxuries, too.

Top companies hiring associate project engineers now:

  1. CITGO Petroleum jobs (4)
  2. General Motors jobs (4)
  3. Stryker jobs (11)
  4. Navistar jobs (5)
  5. New York Power Authority jobs (4)

Which companies pay associate project engineers the most?

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.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1CITGO Petroleum$99,451$47.81
2Ameresco$95,836$46.08
3Stryker$92,942$44.68
4Tesla$89,852$43.20
5Duquesne Light Company$88,014$42.31
6Allison Transmission$87,121$41.89
7New York Power Authority$85,899$41.30
8Accenture$83,165$39.98
9Pratt & Whitney$81,661$39.26
10Teleflex$81,558$39.21
11Raytheon Technologies$81,009$38.95
12L3Harris$80,889$38.89
13Burns & McDonnell$80,579$38.74
14Globus Medical$80,083$38.50
15Veolia Water Tech$79,918$38.42
16ABB$79,529$38.24
17Clever Devices$79,027$37.99
18Ball$78,952$37.96
19Wsp USA Buildings Inc.$78,597$37.79
20Howard L. Zimmerman Architects, P.C.$78,577$37.78

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$78,000$77,600$77,200$76,800$76,400$76,000
MaleFemale

Associate Project Engineer salary by industry

The average associate project engineer salary varies across industries:

  • The average associate project engineer salary in the professional industry is $76,711, the highest of any industry.
  • The average associate project engineer salary in the finance industry is $75,766.
  • Associate project engineers in the government industry earn an average salary of $71,080, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for associate project engineers

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Professional$76,711$36.88
2Transportation$75,766$36.43
3Utilities$75,762$36.42
4Manufacturing$74,816$35.97
5Government$71,080$34.17

High paying associate project engineer jobs

Associate project engineer salary trends

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.

Average associate project engineer salary over time

Compare associate project engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Associate project engineer salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly 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%

Recently added associate project engineer salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
DRS TechnologiesAssociate Project EngineerSan Diego, CA06/28/2025$116,786
Leonardo DRS, Inc.Associate Project EngineerSan Diego, CA06/28/2025$116,786
Aspen TechnologyAssociate Manager, Project EngineerMedina, MN06/27/2025$109,600
Tualatin Valley Water DistrictEngineering Associate/Project EngineerBeaverton, OR06/26/2025$98,842
Lockheed Martin CorporationProject Engineer AssociateEnglewood, CO06/20/2025$57,500
SLR ConsultingProject/Associate Air Quality Engineer/ScientistBothell, WA06/20/2025$70,000
SLR ConsultingProject/Associate Air Quality Engineer/ScientistDenver, CO06/20/2025$70,000
SLR ConsultingProject/Associate Air Quality Engineer/ScientistIrvine, CA06/20/2025$70,000
SLR ConsultingProject/Associate Air Quality Engineer/ScientistPortland, OR06/20/2025$70,000
SLR ConsultingProject/Associate Air Quality Engineer/ScientistCharleston, SC06/20/2025$70,000

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