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As of October 2025, the average salary for an Associate Radio Frequency Engineer is $77,833 per year, equating to approximately $37 per hour. This role is essential in sectors like telecommunications and aerospace, where RF engineers design, test, and implement communication systems.
Salary levels vary based on factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and specific industries. For instance, engineers with advanced skills in modulation techniques or RF testing typically earn higher salaries. To maximize your earning potential, consider enhancing your qualifications through certifications or specialized training.
Moreover, salary differences exist across states, with the highest paying cities for this profession offering competitive compensation. For example, cities like San Jose, California, and Seattle, Washington, consistently report higher salaries for radio frequency engineers due to demand and cost of living considerations.
To explore job opportunities in this field, visit Zippia for a comprehensive list of positions and apply directly to companies seeking skilled engineers.
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| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level associate radio frequency engineer | $69,700 | $33.49 |
| Mid-level associate radio frequency engineer | $86,700 | $41.67 |
| Senior-level associate radio frequency engineer | $109,000 | $52.61 |
The highest-paying states for associate radio frequency engineers are Virginia, Michigan, and California. The lowest average associate radio frequency engineer salary states are West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Utah.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $108,181 | $52.01 |
| 2 | Virginia | $97,748 | $46.99 |
| 3 | Michigan | $94,879 | $45.61 |
| 4 | Maryland | $89,325 | $42.94 |
| 5 | Nevada | $86,961 | $41.81 |
| 6 | Alabama | $82,426 | $39.63 |
| 7 | California | $89,710 | $43.13 |
| 8 | Colorado | $82,880 | $39.85 |
| 9 | Delaware | $81,702 | $39.28 |
| 10 | Illinois | $83,515 | $40.15 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $81,391 | $39.13 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $88,952 | $42.77 |
| 13 | Washington | $80,059 | $38.49 |
| 14 | Texas | $77,537 | $37.28 |
| 15 | New Mexico | $78,580 | $37.78 |
| 16 | Alaska | $79,636 | $38.29 |
| 17 | Maine | $79,153 | $38.05 |
| 18 | Massachusetts | $78,054 | $37.53 |
| 19 | Arizona | $75,002 | $36.06 |
| 20 | Georgia | $77,500 | $37.26 |
| 21 | New York | $78,753 | $37.86 |
| 22 | New Jersey | $81,753 | $39.30 |
| 23 | Idaho | $77,794 | $37.40 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $73,241 | $35.21 |
| 25 | Oklahoma | $76,937 | $36.99 |
| 26 | Tennessee | $73,383 | $35.28 |
| 27 | Missouri | $76,144 | $36.61 |
| 28 | Oregon | $70,452 | $33.87 |
| 29 | Connecticut | $75,836 | $36.46 |
| 30 | North Dakota | $67,799 | $32.60 |
| 31 | Pennsylvania | $71,355 | $34.31 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $69,786 | $33.55 |
| 33 | Vermont | $69,250 | $33.29 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $69,041 | $33.19 |
| 35 | Indiana | $66,914 | $32.17 |
| 36 | Kansas | $69,158 | $33.25 |
| 37 | Minnesota | $68,535 | $32.95 |
| 38 | Ohio | $65,761 | $31.62 |
| 39 | Mississippi | $69,125 | $33.23 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $67,366 | $32.39 |
| 41 | Louisiana | $69,431 | $33.38 |
| 42 | Florida | $64,235 | $30.88 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $66,007 | $31.73 |
| 44 | Utah | $57,830 | $27.80 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $63,023 | $30.30 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $62,093 | $29.85 |
| 47 | Wisconsin | $59,746 | $28.72 |
| 48 | West Virginia | $59,970 | $28.83 |
| 49 | Iowa | $56,417 | $27.12 |
| 50 | Montana | $53,942 | $25.93 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $53,749 | $25.84 |
The highest-paying cities for associate radio frequency engineers are Ann Arbor, MI, Pleasanton, CA, and Baltimore, MD.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ann Arbor, MI | $94,730 | $45.54 |
| 2 | Pleasanton, CA | $93,333 | $44.87 |
| 3 | Baltimore, MD | $89,373 | $42.97 |
| 4 | Chicago, IL | $83,700 | $40.24 |
| 5 | Englewood, CO | $82,845 | $39.83 |
| 6 | Birmingham, AL | $82,214 | $39.53 |
| 7 | Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ | $81,684 | $39.27 |
| 8 | Bellevue, WA | $80,765 | $38.83 |
| 9 | Harrison, NY | $78,891 | $37.93 |
| 10 | Rio Rancho, NM | $78,800 | $37.88 |
| 11 | Framingham, MA | $78,068 | $37.53 |
| 12 | Duluth, GA | $77,707 | $37.36 |
| 13 | Houston, TX | $77,591 | $37.30 |
| 14 | Tulsa, OK | $76,709 | $36.88 |
| 15 | Chesterfield, MO | $76,486 | $36.77 |
| 16 | Brentwood, TN | $73,372 | $35.27 |
| 17 | Charlotte, NC | $72,292 | $34.76 |
| 18 | Portland, OR | $69,877 | $33.59 |
| 19 | Little Rock, AR | $69,788 | $33.55 |
| 20 | Metairie, LA | $69,579 | $33.45 |
An associate radio frequency engineer's salary ranges from $56,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $106,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $106,000 | $8,833 | $51 |
| 75th Percentile | $92,000 | $7,667 | $44 |
| Average | $77,833 | $6,486 | $37 |
| 25th Percentile | $65,000 | $5,417 | $31 |
| 10th Percentile | $56,000 | $4,667 | $27 |
The highest paying types of associate radio frequency engineers are staff design engineer, circuit design engineer, and senior controls engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controls Designer | $91,944 | $7,662 | $44.20 | 79,729 |
| Engineering Trainee | $60,235 | $5,020 | $28.96 | 79,966 |
| Project Controls Engineer | $86,685 | $7,224 | $41.68 | 38,974 |
| Radio Internship | $48,046 | $4,004 | $23.10 | 49,838 |
| Electronics Engineer | $93,985 | $7,832 | $45.19 | 83,870 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
Top companies hiring associate radio frequency engineers now:
Associate radio frequency engineer salaries at Crown Castle International and Amdocs are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average associate radio frequency engineer salary at companies like T-Mobile and GTA are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crown Castle International | $92,016 | $44.24 |
| 2 | Amdocs | $91,422 | $43.95 |
| 3 | T-Mobile | $91,197 | $43.84 |
| 4 | GTA | $86,473 | $41.57 |
| 5 | MITRE | $86,342 | $41.51 |
| 6 | Optimos | $86,340 | $41.51 |
| 7 | Nexius | $84,977 | $40.85 |
| 8 | U.S. Cellular | $84,643 | $40.69 |
| 9 | Astranis | $83,784 | $40.28 |
| 10 | B T S, Inc. | $83,780 | $40.28 |
| 11 | Northrop Grumman | $83,681 | $40.23 |
| 12 | Glow Networks | $83,672 | $40.23 |
| 13 | 3S Network | $83,622 | $40.20 |
| 14 | TeleWorld Solutions | $83,381 | $40.09 |
| 15 | Celcite | $83,287 | $40.04 |
| 16 | MobileNet Services | $83,216 | $40.01 |
| 17 | Huntington Ingalls Industries | $83,026 | $39.92 |
| 18 | Lectrosonics | $82,113 | $39.48 |
| 19 | Martin Brower | $80,045 | $38.48 |
| 20 | Lockheed Martin | $75,832 | $36.46 |
The average associate radio frequency engineer salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $100,005 | $48.08 |
| 2 | Telecommunication | $87,384 | $42.01 |
| 3 | Retail | $84,735 | $40.74 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $72,937 | $35.07 |
The average associate radio frequency engineer salary has risen by $11,609 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average associate radio frequency engineer earned $66,224 annually, but today, they earn $77,833 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for associate radio frequency engineers over the last decade.
Compare associate radio frequency engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare associate radio frequency engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $77,800 | $37.42 | +1.8% |
| 2024 | $76,400 | $36.73 | +2.7% |
| 2023 | $74,300 | $35.74 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | $74,000 | $35.55 | +2.9% |
| 2021 | $71,800 | $34.52 | +0.9% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L3Harris | Senior Associate RF Satcom Engineering Services | Colorado Springs, CO | 06/22/2025 | $56,500 |
| Empower RF Systems | Associate RF Engineer | Inglewood, CA | 06/18/2025 | $80,000 |
| Astranis | RF Hardware Engineer Associate (Summer 2025) | San Francisco, CA | 06/09/2025 | $91,306 |
| Vorbeck | Senior Associate, RF Systems Research Engineer | Grand Forks, ND | 06/06/2025 | $125,000 |
| Jeppesen | Antenna RF Engineer (Associate, Experienced or Lead) | El Segundo, CA | 05/27/2025 | $126,650 |
| Astranis | RF Hardware Engineer Associate | San Francisco, CA | 05/27/2025 | $91,306 |
| Boeing | Antenna RF Engineer (Associate, Experienced or Lead) | Los Angeles, CA | 05/08/2025 | $126,650 |
| Astranis | RF Hardware Engineer-Associate Program | San Francisco, CA | 04/30/2025 | $91,306 |
| Empower Rf Systems Inc. | Associate RF Engineer | Inglewood, CA | 04/13/2025 | $80,000 |
| Astranis | RF Hardware Engineer-Associate Program | San Francisco, CA | 03/26/2025 | $91,306 |
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